Learn how to build the perfect balanced meal salad with healthy, satisfying plant-based ingredients, pro tips, and easy salad recipes you’ll actually crave every day.
How to Build the Perfect Hearty Salad: Plant-Based Ingredients, Tips & Delicious Recipes
Forget boring salads! A truly great salad is more than just leafy greens—it’s a balance of flavor, texture, nutrition, and satisfaction. It can be the beginning and end of a healthy meal. Whether you’re looking to boost your meals with more plants or simply want to master the art of salad-making, this guide has you covered. I’m showing you exactly how to build the best plant-based meal salad, from choosing the right base greens, veggies, and proteins to adding crunch, healthy fats, and bold dressings. Plus, I’m sharing my expert tips and a collection of delicious salad recipes to keep your meals fresh, vibrant, and never bland. Everyone knows salads are the go-to, light and healthy meal, but sometimes they can leave you feeling a tad hungry because they are not balanced in macronutrients, such as fat, carbohydrates, and protein. So, if you’re ready to turn salads into crave-worthy meals, this is your ultimate guide.
The Perfect Salad Meal Formula
If you’re planning your meal around salads, you’ll need more than a few wimpy greens and a drizzle of dressing to meet your nutrient and energy needs and stave off hunger for hours. Plus, chewing on greens—as much as I love them—can get a little boring. That’s why I recommend a formula for planning your ideal entree salad.
Build your main dish salad with finesse using this formula:
Greens + Veggies + Whole Grains + Plant Proteins + Flavor = A Great Plant-Powered Salad
Ultimate Build a Better Salad Guide
Check out this guide with ingredient suggestions on how to build the best hearty salad.
| Greens
2 cups |
Veggies
1-2 cups |
Whole Grains 1/2 cup cooked |
Plant Proteins 1/2 cup (nuts/seeds: ¼ cup) |
Flavor
As desired |
| Kale | Tomatoes | Quinoa | Chickpeas | EVOO |
| Romaine | Artichoke hearts | Sorghum | Baked tofu | Lemon juice |
| Arugula | Bell peppers | Brown rice | Edamame | Balsamic vinegar |
| Chinese cabbage | Carrots | Millet | Tempeh | Basil |
| Swiss chard | Cucumbers | Amaranth | Hemp seeds | Plant-based cheese |
| Mache | Asparagus | Wild rice | Kidney beans | Raisins |
| Spinach | Zucchini | Farro | Sunflower seeds | Tortilla strips |
| Red lettuce | Broccoli | Barley | Peanuts | Dried cranberries |
| Curly leaf lettuce | Cauliflower | Ryeberries | Chia seeds | Ginger |
| Watercress | Peas | Wheatberries | Black beans | Garlic |
| Green leaf lettuce | Avocados | Spelt | White beans | Turmeric |
Top 4 Tips on How to Make The Best Salad Meals
1. Follow the Seasons
While salad greens and fresh produce may be available in your supermarket year round, you’ll find the best of the bunch of they are cultivated locally and seasonally—these options are harvested more regionally and recently, providing the greatest nutrition and taste. For example, look for hearty greens like kale and chard during the cooler months, and transition to more delicate greens, such as butter and oak leaf lettuce in the spring through summer. Follow the seasons for your salad add-ins, such as tomatoes, eggplant, green beans and peaches in the summer, and persimmons, pomegranates, squash, and root vegetables in the fall and winter.
2. Keep Your Pantry Stocked
Many hearty entree salads are enhanced with the addition of economical, shelf-stable pantry staples, such as whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, farro), canned beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans), dried fruits and vegetables (sun dried tomatoes, apricots, raisins), nuts and seeds (pumpkin, chia, hemp, walnuts), and flavorings, such as EVOO, vinegar, spices, and herbs. So, keep your pantry stocked, and turn to them to create the healthiest, heartiest salads of your life!
3. Go Bold!
Make your salads shine with vibrant flavor, compliments of those flavor add-ins. Try quick vinaigrettes made with EVOO + vinegar or lemon juice + spices/herbs as a light dressing to brighten up your salad bowl. Whisk together a tahini ginger dressing to drizzle over your greens. And get creative with toppings, such as furikake seasoning, seasoning blends (such as Italian, Herbes de Provence, or Curry), roasted chickpeas, and seasoned nuts.
4. Make Creative Swaps
Follow the ultimate salad guide above, feel free to make swaps. For example, you can replace simmered whole grains with cooked pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn—which provide similar amounts of carbohydrates. You can also swap out the cooked grains for a side of whole wheat bread, a corn tortilla, or croutons. Swap out the plant proteins on the list for prepared plant-based meat alternatives, such as “sausage”, “deli meat”, and soy crumbles. And choose from a long list of veggies to add to your salad, such as squash, eggplant, radishes, kohlrabi, celery, and more. Add sliced or chopped fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches, and grapes to your salad as a flavor add-in.
Top 10 Hearty Plant-Based Entree Salads
Check out some of my favorite hearty main dish salads, which are balanced in nutrients and suitable for a one-bowl meal.
