Ingredients Needed:

• quinoa
• lemon
• crumbled feta cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• dried oregano
• romaine lettuce
• canned chickpeas
• mini sweet peppers
• cucumber
• roasted red pepper
• kalamata olives
• red onion
• pita chips

How to make Greek Quinoa Chopped Salad:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and quinoa to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Spread the quinoa on a large baking sheet to cool.
2. Meanwhile, for the dressing, remove 2 teaspoons of zest and squeeze ¼ cup of juice from the lemon. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, cheese, oil, salt and oregano until combined.
3. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, chickpeas, sweet peppers, cucumber, roasted peppers, olives and red onion. Add half the dressing; toss to coat. Return the quinoa to the saucepan and drizzle with the remaining dressing; toss to coat. Combine the quinoa with the romaine mixture and top with crushed pita chips. Drizzle with additional oil, if desired.

Favorite Recipes Using Quinoa:

• Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
• Mexican Quinoa Salad
• Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Bake
• Roasted Vegetable Quinoa
• Roasted Chickpea Quinoa Buddha Bowl

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• sherry vinegar
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Dijon mustard
• walnut oil or olive oil
• haricot verts (thin French green beans)
• French bread
• log of goat cheese
• Bibb (butter) lettuce
• red leaf lettuce
• avocado
• tomato
• walnuts

✏️ How to make French Goat Cheese Salad

The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

PREPARE THE DRESSING:

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, fresh lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the salad dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead- cover and refrigerate.)

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:

1. Meanwhile line the plates with alternating Boston and red lettuce leaves. Mound the green beans in the center of the leaves.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and refresh with cold water, then drain again. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 5 minutes. Top the bread with cheese. Bake until the cheese softens and is heated through, about 10 minutes.

Favorite Salad Recipes:

• Autumn Salad
• Mixed Greens Pomegranate Salad
• Pecan Berry Salad
• Pea Salad
• Avocado Pine Nut Salad

Avocado and Onion Salad

It’s not really typical to make a salad that is entirely focused on avocados, but here we are! If you have access to some really great avocados, this is such a delicious salad to make. It’s definitely a salad for avocado lovers!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• perfectly ripe avocados
• red onion
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

✏️ How to make Avocado and Onion Salad:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

Arrange avocado slices on a platter and top with the onion. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Favorite Easy Salad Recipes:

• Tomato, Cucumber and Basil Salad
• Easy Ramen Salad
• Cucumber Strawberry Salad
• Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad
• Insalata Romantica

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Pasta salads are a prime candidate for a party. They’re filling, they feed a lot of people and they’re generally enjoyed by everyone too. Since Ranch dressing is a favorite for many people, it makes sense to try using it in a pasta salad too. The addition of bacon and ranch to this pasta salad makes it really delicious!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• tricolor rotini pasta
• bacon
• mayonnaise
• dry ranch salad dressing mix
• cider vinegar
• garlic pepper and garlic powder
• milk
• tomato
• sharp cheddar cheese
• canned sliced black olives
• fresh parsley

✏️ How to make Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

• Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning halfway through, until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; crumble.
• In a very large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, vinegar, garlic pepper and garlic powder. Stir in the milk until smooth. Add the cooked pasta, crumbled bacon, tomato, cheese and olives to the bowl; toss to coat. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. If the salad seems dry after chilling, toss with a little more milk, as needed. Garnish with parsley.

✔️ Make Ahead and Storage Tips:

Store the bacon ranch pasta salad in the refrigerator promptly after making it. Mayo-based salads are perishable due to the mayo content, so they should not be left out at room temperature for more than two hours to avoid the risk of foodborne illness. You can store this salad (or make ahead) in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Favorite Pasta Salad Recipes:

• Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Summer Vegetables
• Italian Pasta Salad
• Mexican Pasta Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Pizza Pasta Salad

German Potato Salad

If you’re looking for a potato salad to make and serve that is not too heavy, this is the potato salad to make. It’s very easy to make. It’s traditionally served warm instead of cold. But you can always serve it at room temperature if you don’t want to serve a warm dish.

This recipe comes from a favorite cookbook of mine: One-Hour Comfort by America’s Test Kitchen. ATK has the best recipes! This book is full of all of your favorite comfort food. I love it.

Here are a few recipes in the book that I can’t wait to try:

• French-Style Scrambled Eggs with Rosemary Candied Bacon
• Spicy Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup
• Parmesan Polenta with Mushroom Ragu
• Bubble and Squeak
• Hoisin Glazed Meatloaf
• Chopped Cheese Sandwiches
• Sweet and Spicy Pickled Red Onions
• Chocolate Cream Pie in a Jar
• Loaded Rice Crispy Treats

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• red potatoes
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• bacon
• onion
• granulated white sugar
• white vinegar
• whole grain mustard
• fresh Italian parsley

✏️ How to make German Potato Salad:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

1. Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1-inch, and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve ½ cup ot the potato cooking water, then drain the potatoes; return the potatoes to the pot and cover to keep warm.
2. While the potatoes are simmering, cook the bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; pour off all but ¼ cup bacon fat. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and reserved potato cooking water; bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in the mustard and pepper. Add the potatoes, parsley and bacon to the skillet and toss to combine; season with salt to taste. Serve warm.

Favorite Potato Salad Recipes:

• Smashed Potato Salad
• Loaded Baked Potato Salad
• Southern Potato Salad
• All American Potato Salad
• Dill Pickle Potato Salad

Greek Salad with Seasoned Flatbread

This Greek Salad is a delicious salad to make when you’re looking for something to serve with grilled meats. It’s one of my favorite salads because I enjoy a salad with a simple vinaigrette (like this one), and the flatbread accompaniment is nice to have too.

Ingredients needed for the Greek Salad:

• olive oil, red wine vinegar and garlic (to make the simple dressing)
• romaine lettuce
• cherry tomatoes
• red onion
• cucumber
• feta cheese
• kalamata olives

How to make the Seasoned Flatbread:

The “flatbread” for this recipe can be made from flat lavash bread, but it can also be made with regular pita bread. If you use pita bread, you’ll just split it in half to create flat pieces of bread. The bread is brushed with a simple red wine and lemon vinaigrette and then toasted in the oven for a few minutes until crisp.

Here are a few more salad recipes you might like to try:

• Five Minute with Goat Cheese, Basil and White Beans
• Southwestern Chopped Salad
• Black Bean Taco Salad
• Triple Berry Salad with Sugared Almonds
• Layered Nacho Salad
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• Mandarin Orange Green Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
• Easy Ramen Salad

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

My mother made a similar version of this simple, classic macaroni salad recipe. It has always been my favorite. I don’t want anything fancy in my macaroni salad, so the simplest version works best for me. You must begin with the small noodles with the hole in the middle (otherwise known as ditalini). I suppose you could use small elbows too, but I personally love the little guys!

What makes this the best macaroni salad?

Have you ever tried the macaroni salads that they sell in the deli section at your grocery store?  They’re over-slathered with a thick mayonnaise dressing, and the flavor is just not there.  It tastes like it is mass-produced because it is! Yuck! Making this Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad at home is infinitely better.  You can control the amount of dressing you add to the salad.  It’s totally your preference whether you like it heavily dressed or not.  And it turns out 100% more delicious than store-bought macaroni salad.

🛒Ingredients Needed:

• macaroni (I use ditalini)
• mayonnaise (low fat mayonnaise is fine)
• celery and green onions
• mustard
• onion powder
• salt and pepper
• hard-boiled eggs
• paprika

✏️How to make Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and set aside to drain well.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, celery, green onion, mustard, onion powder, salt and pepper.
3. Place the drained, cooled pasta in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir into the pasta until well combined. Gently stir in the chopped egg. Sprinkle with paprika, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least a couple of hours before serving.

★How to Store:

Macaroni salad will be fine when kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Then it’s probably time to throw it out. Be careful when serving at room temperature. It’ll be fine at room temperature for a couple of hours unless it is in a very hot environment. Be sure to toss your macaroni salad if it’s been left out at a party for more than 2 hours. It likely won’t be safe to keep for leftovers.

Salads great for parties or barbecues:

• Fresh Corn, Zucchini and Tomato Salad
• Pizza Pasta Salad
• Tomato- Quinoa Salad
• Triple Berry Salad with Sugared Almonds
• All American Potato Salad