10 Delicious Side Salads That Work With Anything

Let’s focus on side salads. I’ve rounded up ten delicious side salads that work with anything, let’s make some salad.

Delicious side salads can be that component that turns a decent meal into a great one. Instead of a bowl of boring leafy greens why not put in an effort into the side salad. The reward is great and I promise it will be just as appreciated as rest of the meal.

In this collection I rounded up ten delicious side salads, all of them have been featured here before. Each salad name below comes with a link in the name if you want to look at one specific salad in detail. Enjoy and I hope you like these as much as I do.

 

Avocado Caprese Side Salad With Fresh Basil and Nasturtium

serves 4 as a side

7 oz / 200 g mini mozzarella balls
1 avocado
7 oz / 200 g cocktail tomatoes
about 10-15 fresh basil leaves
about 10 fresh nasturtium leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
black pepper

Open the mozzarella and discard the liquid. Add them to a big bowl. Rinse and add the tomatoes whole. If you can’t find good cocktail tomatoes you can use regular tomatoes and cut them up into big chunks. Add the nasturtium leaves and half of the basil leaves. Chop the other basil leaves roughly and then add. Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

 

Apple Cabbage Coleslaw Side Salad With Pumpkin Seeds

serves 4 as a side salad

300g / 10 oz cabbage
2 red apples
1 red onion
1 dl yogurt / 0.4 cups Greek style yogurt 10% fat content
1 lemon
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp crushed mustard seeds
salt
pepper

Shred the cabbage and season with salt. Set aside. Then peel the onion and cut in thin slices. Shred the apples. Add both the onion and apples to the cabbage.

Squeeze the lemon into the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Combine with the shredded vegetables.

Heat a pan and add the pumpkin seeds. Toast in the pan until they start to pop, this happens when the thin green shells crack. Set aside and leave to cool. What I like about pumpkin seeds is, of course, the flavor and texture. I love that crunch you’ll get and the flavor is great too. Whenever I toast them like I do in this recipe I use all the seeds I happen to have at home. They tend to get eaten once you have some leftover.

Transfer the coleslaw to a serving platter. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top and finish off with the crushed mustard seeds. Done, good luck!

 

Spicy Corn Black Bean Side Salad with Tomatoes

serves 4 as a side

250g canned black beans, liquids discarded
250g canned or frozen corn
2 tomatoes
2-3 scallions
1.5 tbsp Sambal Oelek
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

As you can see I’m using both canned beans and corn in the recipe. Sometimes it can feel great to cut a corner or two. We can’t always be perfect. This is one of those times, canned or frozen corn and black beans are great products. Also, I think we shouldn’t judge each other too hard, it is still cooking even if you buy a few ingredients.

Open the cans and discard the liquid. Add the beans and corn to a bowl. Dice the tomatoes and slice the scallions and add. Crush the garlic and add. Add olive oil, a little bit of pepper and the Sambal Oelek. Combine and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary.

The salad should be fairly spicy and that’s how I like this one. If you don’t want it as spicy just reduce the Sambal Oelek.

 

Classic Coleslaw Side Salad with Yogurt and Mayonnaise

serves 4 as a side

400g / 0.9 lb cabbage
2 carrots
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp caraway seeds
a twist of pepper
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp Greek style yogurt

First, shred the cabbage with a knife as thin as you can. Add to a big bowl and add the salt. Mix the salt with the cabbage with a spoon so the salt gets evenly distributed. Set aside to rest for about half an hour. It can also sit longer without any problem. The reason for making this is so some of the water in the cabbage will be released. This makes the cabbage softer but will still be crunchy.

Once the cabbage is done you can discard the water that has built up in the bottom of the bowl. Then peel and grate the carrots and add to the salad. Add the caraway seeds, pepper, mayonnaise and yogurt. Combine and check the flavor. Usually, the salt from the beginning and in the mayonnaise be enough but you might need to add just a little bit more. That’s it. The classic coleslaw will keep for at least a few days if kept cold.

 

Kale Avocado and Feta Cheese Side Salad

serves 4 as a side

2 avocados
100g / 3.5 oz crumbled Feta cheese
4 big handfuls of chopped kale
1 + 1 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
1 lime

Chop the kale if you didn’t get it chopped. Heat a pan and add the olive oil. Add the kale and sautee in the pan for about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add the kale to a serving platter.

Split the avocados in half and remove the stone. Using a spoon remove the avocado from its skin and then slice. Put the slices on top of the kale and then squeeze the lime on top.

Crumble the Feta Cheese if you haven’t bought it crumbled. Add on top of the avocado, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Serve.

 

Crunchy Mediterranean Side Salad with Plenty of Vegetables

serves 4-6 as a side salad

1 cucumber
1 red onion
2-3 tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 handful of fresh parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt
pepper

Ok, this is as simple as it gets. Chop all the vegetables in cubes about 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm / 0.6 inch x 0.6 inch. Add all the vegetables to a big bowl. Add oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Chop the parsley roughly and add. Let sit for about half an hour and then serve. That’s it.

As you can see it doesn’t get much easier and if you judge by the recipe this sounds just like a bunch of chopped vegetables. You’re right and you’re wrong. It is just chopped vegetables but after marinating and releasing all its juices this turns into something better than what it’s made of. I served this salad numerous times and people always love it. So please try it out.

 

Watermelon Side Salad with Feta Cheese and Mint

serves 4 as a side

800g / 1.7 lb watermelon, peeled
200g / 7 oz Feta cheese
1 handful fresh mint
salt
black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

This requires very few instructions. Chop the watermelon in big pieces. Add to a bowl. Add the feta cheese, if you haven’t bought it crumbled then crumble it before adding it to the watermelon. Roughly chop the mint and add. Season with a little bit of salt and black pepper. Add the olive oil and carefully combine.

 

Creamy Apple Cucumber Side Salad with Parsley and Chives

serves 4 as a side salad

2 apples, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious
1 cucumber
2 tbsp yogurt, Greek style 10% fat
salt
pepper
1 lemon
2 tsp chopped chives
2 tsp chopped parsley

Squeeze the lemon and combine with the yogurt. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the apples into slices.

Peel the cucumber. Then split it in half lengthwise. With a spoon scrape out the seeds. With it, the salad will be too wet. Then slice the cucumber.

Add everything to a bowl and combine. Then chop chives and parsley and add. Transfer the salad to smaller bowls or a big one and serve.

 

Kale Apple Side Salad with Walnuts, Celery and Dried Cranberries

serves 4 as a side salad

1 big green apple, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious
3 stalks of celery
0.5 handful of walnuts
0.5 handful of dried cranberries
3 handfuls of chopped kale
salt
pepper
1 + 1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Start by chopping the vegetables. The celery in slices and the leaves whole, the apple in strips and the kale just roughly chopped with any big stems removed.

Heat a frying pan and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the kale and saute it for about 30 seconds. Add the kale to a big bowl and add the apple, celery, walnuts and cranberries.

Season with salt and pepper, add the remaining oil and the red wine vinegar. Serve immediately.

 

Warm Chickpea Red Pepper Side Salad with Yogurt and Kale

serves 4 as a side salad

1 can of drained chickpeas (drained weight 8.8 oz / 250 g)
1 big red bell pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
salt
black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 handfuls of chopped kale
1 handful of roughly chopped flat leafed parsley

4 tbsp Greek yogurt
½ lemon
salt
black pepper

First, combine the yogurt with the juice of half a lemon. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside. Add the oil to a frying pan and set on medium heat. Chop the red pepper and add to the pan, let the peppers cook on medium heat for ten minutes. They should be almost cooked through and a bit blackened on each side.

Drain the canned chickpeas and add to the peppers, add the ground cumin and season with salt and pepper. Chop the kale and parsley. Remove the pan from the heat and add the kale and parsley. This way the kale and parsley will soften due to the heat from the chickpeas and pepper.

Transfer the salad to a bowl and top with the yogurt you prepared earlier. Serve immediately.