25 Salad Recipes That Don't Include Greens

Hate soggy, wilted salads? Wish you never had to see a bed of romaine or baby spinach or even arugula again? You may assume that any good salad is brimming with greens, but these delicious salad recipes prove that it's absolutely not the case. In reality, a good salad can be packed with a variety of crunchy veggies and herbs without containing a single shred of lettuce. So, if you're looking to switch up your veggie game, these salads may just be for you. They're bright, colorful, and full of nutrients — just like any salad should be — but they're missing the greens. Whether you're looking for a salad that's heartier than most or won't turn soggy after an afternoon in the fridge, you're in the right place.

Give some of these salad recipes a try, and it may just make you think differently about the dish genre altogether. You don't even have to run to the grocery store to pick up a new bag of fresh spinach. And who knows? Without all those greens in the picture, you may just be on the brink of becoming a salad-every-day kind of person.

Crunchy, filling, and offering the perfect combo of salty and sweet flavors, this Sweet and Crunchy Rutabaga Salad highlights the often overlooked root vegetable we should all get better acquainted with. It's joined by apple, carrots, chickpeas, and red cabbage — along with a slew of other flavorful ingredients — to create a slaw-like salad that's perfect as a side dish and as a main course alike. Honey-roasted chickpeas add an extra layer of sweetness and crunch to the finished dish.

Recipe: Sweet and Crunchy Rutabaga Salad

During the hottest days of the year when you just don't feel like cooking but want to use up all that summer produce you have sitting around, this Summer Tomato and Blackberry Salad is exactly what you should make. The umami flavors of the tomato are highlighted by the tart, slightly sweet notes of the blackberry, and fatty avocado ties it all together in a creamy package. Corn, basil, pistachios, and zucchini contribute a variety of textures and flavors to add more interest to the salad.

Recipe: Summer Tomato and Blackberry Salad

When tomatillos come into season, it's worth it to seek out a recipe that highlights them in all their glory. That's where this Corn and Fresh Tomatillo Salad comes in. It basically tastes like summer in a bowl, with those tomatillos and corn taking the spotlight and tomatoes, red onions, and herbs playing the background roles. Dressed with a lime-y marinade, it tastes super fresh and summery, and it's delicious when it's served alongside something nice and light, like fish.

Recipe: Corn and Fresh Tomatillo Salad

Ditalini is the tiny pasta shape we just can't get enough of. And although ditalini is fantastic in all its forms, it really shines in this recipe for Creamy Dreamy Ditalini Pasta Salad. Chopping all the ingredients finely is the trick here, as it gives the salad an interesting textural quality that you won't get with larger pieces of veggies. Mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and olive oil join forces to create that ultra creamy dressing that brings it all together.

Recipe: Creamy Dreamy Ditalini Pasta Salad

If you've never tried rice in a salad before, today is your lucky day. This Fresh and Crunchy Italian Rice Salad is perfect for those times when you want a salad that's going to be both refreshing and filling at the same time. That rice joins forces with diced ham, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onions, and toasted pine nuts — along with generous servings of herbs — to create one of the most flavorful, dense, and delicious salads you've ever tasted.

Recipe: Fresh and Crunchy Italian Rice Salad

When was the last time you ate a turnip? If it's been a while, now is your chance to re-enter your turnip era to make this Summer Turnip Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing. Those turnips will yield a super crunchy base for the salad, which is made lighter and more refreshing with the inclusion of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions. The real magic of this salad, though, is the acidic, herby, and fragrant dressing that gives it its summery touch.

Recipe: Summer Turnip Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing

Why settle for a basic pasta salad when you can make things more interesting with the inclusion of orzo in place of regular pasta? But this Chicken Orzo Salad with Lemon and Dill shouldn't be treated as a side dish — with the inclusion of hearty, filling chicken, this salad is a bonafide main course. The lemon and dill dressing is what makes it feel light enough for an easy lunchtime treat, while the yogurt gives the dish its signature creamy touch.

Recipe: Chicken Orzo Salad with Lemon and Dill

If you ask us, zucchini noodles are absolutely not pasta, but they do make for a fantastic salad base. That's just what you'll get when you make this filling Pesto Chicken and Zucchini Noodle Salad. The zucchini keeps things light and fresh, while that chicken turns this basic salad into a meal. The pesto provides just the right amount of herbiness and fat to the dish, bringing it together in one mouthwatering package. The best part? The leftovers are even better.

Recipe: Pesto Chicken and Zucchini Noodle Salad

White beans, with their mild flavor and creamy texture, make for the ideal base for this Roasted Artichoke and White Bean Salad. It's that roasted artichoke, though, that really adds a sophisticated complexity to the dish. Parsley, dill, and fresh oregano provide the herby background flavors that this dish needs, while the shallots and capers both provide a burst of sharpness and acidity to the dish. It's a hearty salad that will, blessedly, stay good in the fridge for a few days, so don't be afraid to make a big batch.

Recipe: Roasted Artichoke and White Bean Salad

We love a good Greek salad every once in a while, but most of the time, we treat it as a side dish — not as a main course. That's why this Tortellini Greek Salad is such a genius recipe: It harnesses the same flavors you know and love in Greek salad and transforms them into a full meal. Cheese tortellini provides the filling backbone for this meal, while the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and feta cheese give it that classic flavor you already know and love.

Recipe: Tortellini Greek Salad

We adore roasted asparagus just as much as the next person, but that doesn't mean that asparagus always needs to be well-cooked to shine. In this recipe for Chopped Asparagus Salad, blanched asparagus provides a greener, more vegetal flavor and lovely, snappy texture that keeps this salad feeling fresh. It's joined by chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, red bell pepper, and more to create an ultra-colorful and nutritious salad that will keep for several days in the fridge.

Recipe: Chopped Asparagus Salad

This Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad proves that cucumbers can play a starring role in a salad dish, requiring very little backup in terms of ingredients to seriously shine. All the other ingredients, like soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds just come together to create a flavorful sauce. To give this salad its signature heat, make sure to add the gochugaru — or omit it entirely if you want a milder, less spicy bite.

Recipe: Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad

When you're looking for a salad that can serve as a whole meal, then this Jalapeño-Lime Three Bean Salad is exactly what you should be making. All those beans mean that this salad is super filling, while various peppers along with tomatoes, scallions, and avocado join forces to create a multi-textured base for the salad. Feel free to add more jalapeño if you like things extra spicy, and don't skimp on the lime: That's what really makes the salad pop.

Recipe: Jalapeño-Lime Three Bean Salad

If you love Mexican street corn, you're going to fall in love with this Esquites Salad. It's packed with freshly grilled corn, of course, along with red bell pepper, red onion, and tons of lime. There's also plenty of cilantro to highlight the herby flavors in the original version of the dish. But perhaps the most important ingredient here is the Tajín, which adds that familiar bold flavor that makes esquites shine. Add some sliced jalapeños on top for a punch of heat.

Recipe: Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)

Niçoise salad is an absolute classic you have to master if you're a fan of greens-less salads, and this recipe for Colorful Niçoise Salad may just be the best place to start. This dinner salad is packed with protein thanks to the inclusion of tuna, and jammy eggs give it an even more filling base. Potatoes provide the filling carbs you need to make this a full dinner, and veggies like onions, tomatoes, and green beans ensure that it's bold in both flavor and color.

Recipe: Colorful Niçoise Salad

Corn is all too often an afterthought, a side dish that nobody pays too much attention to. But in this recipe for Corn Salad, the humble summer ingredient shines like it's always deserved to. Tomatoes, red bell pepper, and red onion create the very necessary flavorful backdrop for the corn itself, and an olive oil- and apple cider vinegar-based dressing keeps things nice and light while adding just the right amount of richness and acidity in perfect balance.

Recipe: Corn Salad

Craving sushi but just too lazy to figure out how to roll it up perfectly? You're not alone. This recipe for Sushi Crab Salad utilizes the same ingredients you know and love but presents them in bowl form. It all starts with a bed of rice, that's then covered in the all-important crab as well as scallions, cucumber, seaweed, and avocado. Make the flavorful dressing, sprinkle it all with sesame seeds, and you'll have a sushi-like salad experience that's perfect for a quick and easy lunch.

Recipe: Sushi Crab Salad

Who said that chicken salad always has to be totally savory? Definitely not us. We love this Apple Pecan Chicken Salad for its marriage of sweet and savory flavors, along with a delicate crunch from the inclusion of pecans. Mayonnaise forms the base of the creamy dressing, which is dressed up with chopped chives that add a pop of freshness and flavor to the salad. Celery adds some extra crunch, with the red onion providing just the right amount of sharpness.

Recipe: Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

No, this recipe for Cowboy Caviar doesn't call for any fish eggs, but yes, you will want to serve it at every party you have from now on. This bean-heavy salad doesn't get soggy at all, which is why we love making a huge batch of it and storing it in the fridge to add to lunches for the whole week. And with such a simple list of ingredients, it's easy to make even when you don't happen to have a lot in the fridge.

Recipe: Cowboy Caviar

Kidney beans get their due in this ultra-rich, fiber-heavy Creamy Kidney Bean Salad. It may just be one of the easiest ingredients on this whole list of recipes, as it only calls for kidney beans, shredded carrots, celery, onion, and mayo (although you can feel free to add different seasonings as you see fit). It's a great salad to make when you're on the go and you don't have much time. Make the beans from scratch, or just use canned kidney beans for even greater ease.

Recipe: Creamy Kidney Bean Salad

Sometimes when it comes to salad, it pays to just keep things simple, and that's exactly what you'll be doing when you make this Shirazi Salad recipe. Fresh cucumber, red onion, and tomatoes make up the bulk of this salad, but the fresh mint is what really gives it its signature flavor profile. Dress it with a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, and you have an essential salad you can serve with just about any meal.

Recipe: Shirazi Salad

You might just forget all about mac and cheese when you realize just how delicious this easy Shrimp Macaroni Salad is. This seafood-based pasta salad can certainly stand all on its own as a meal, especially once you dress it with the super creamy dressing that adds even more body and flavor to the finished dish. Don't forget the shallots and red bell pepper for some crunch, as well as shallots to add another layer of complexity to the salad.

Recipe: Shrimp Macaroni Salad

You'll forget all about store-bought potato salad when you realize how easy it is to make this Creamy Dill Potato Salad at home. Potatoes and onions are essential for building the body of the dish and giving it the bright flavor it needs, but dill may just be playing the starring role, adding a beautiful, vegetal note to this essential side dish. Enjoy it at your next BBQ, or just keep some on hand for an easy side dish for dinner this week.

Recipe: Creamy Dill Potato Salad

Tired of the same old pasta salad recipe you always make? Then it may be time to switch things up by trying this recipe for Southwest Pasta Salad. It highlights — you guessed it — Southwestern ingredients, like fire-roasted corn, black beans, red onion, and bell pepper, to create a deeply flavorful dish that you can enjoy as a side or add some protein to in order to make it a complete dish all on its own.

Recipe: Southwest Pasta Salad

There's nothing like a cold rice noodle salad, and this particular recipe for Colorful Toasted Sesame Noodle Salad might just be one of our all-time favorites, thanks to all the fresh veggies it packs into one singular salad. Served cold, this is an elite salad to pack for lunch, especially if you pair it with extra edamame beans for some additional filling protein. Don't forget to top it with a big handful of fresh cilantro for the freshest possible flavor.

Recipe: Colorful Toasted Sesame Noodle Salad