19 Filling Dinner Salads You'll Actually Want to Eat
Change the Way You Think About Lettuce
Side salads are great, but dinner salads should not be slept on. You might have some preconceived notions that salad for dinner won't fill you up, but if you make use of the right ingredients (especially proteins), there are plenty of delicious salads to explore. We've rounded up 19 of our favorite recipes below but trust us, they're only the tip of the iceberg (see what we did there?).
1. Thai Beef Salad
This salad is exploding with flavor and it all starts with the spicy-sweet skirt steak marinade. Bold bites of green onion, peanuts, mint, and cucumbers kick things up another notch, and the marinade doubles as the dressing, delivering a full-circle moment.
Recipe: Dinner Then Dessert
Related: A Guide to the Best Thai Restaurants in America
2. Spicy Southwest Salad
We love a good southwest salad, and it opens the door to play around with toppings. From Santa Fe-style tortilla strips to pico de gallo, there are so many bold flavors that beautifully complement this recipe.
Recipe: The Oregan Dietitian
3. Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
Caesar salad is a classic. To maximize the "filling" aspect, grilled chicken is an ideal companion, and the homemade croutons are a must. Shred some fresh parmesan and top with a creamy, homemade dressing and you can't go wrong.
Recipe: Damn Delicious
4. Big Mac Salad
Big Macs don't need the bun to be filling. This recipe embraces all the ingredients you'd find between the buns and offers up one tasty and unique salad. We love a good "think outside the box" recipe.
Recipe: BellyFull
5. Taco Salad
Who doesn't love taco salad? This stuff is so filling that you almost forget it's a salad at all. Topped with taco meat, chips, cheese, and any other taco toppings that tickle your fancy, this recipe hits every single time. Bonus points for tortilla bowls or Doritos in place of tortilla chips.
Recipe: The Cozy Cook
6. Chef Salad
Protein-rich meats and hard-boiled eggs help chef salad be one of the more filling options out there in the world of lettuce-based dishes. Cheese, bacon, a handful of veggies, and a tasty dressing do the trick, too.
Recipe: Jo Cooks
7. Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
The avocado, chicken, and corn add some good substance to this salad, providing a nice punch of protein and fat. With added sweetness from the strawberries and honey mustard dressing, this recipe doesn't leave much left to be desired.
Recipe: Damn Delicious
8. Warm Fajita Steak Salad
There's something about sauteed peppers on a salad. They just do something completely different than raw peppers, and we are totally here for it. Add warm spicy-seasoned steak to the mix and we are all the way sold. This salad is a "yes, please" with no tortillas necessary.
Recipe: The Kitchn
9. Italian Grinder Salad
If you've somehow evaded videos of the viral TikTok grinder sandwich, we offer you a round of applause. Still, we do admit that it looks pretty tasty. and if you're a dressing fanatic, this salad might speak to the depths of your soul.
Recipe: Smile Sandwich
Related: 11 Easy and Delicious Salad Dressings You Can Make at Home
10. Honey Lime Shrimp Salad
Shrimp is simply delectable when combined with the flavors of honey and lime. This salad gives us that among other tasty ingredients like queso fresco, charred corn, and cilantro.
Recipe: Recipe Runner
11. Antipasto Salad
Salami, pepperoni, artichoke, mozzarella pearls, pickled peppers ... we are practically salivating over this one. The homemade Italian vinaigrette is definitely necessary.
Recipe: 40 Aprons
12. Barbecue Chicken Salad
Barbecue chicken and black beans bring the protein to this salad. Corn, cheese, onion, cilantro, and tortilla strips round out this scrumptious salad, which we're thinking would be best paired with your favorite ranch dressing.
Recipe: Life in the Lofthouse
Related: 50 Cheap and Easy Chicken Recipes
13. Salmon Avocado Salad
Salmon and avocado are fan-favorite ingredients these days and they provide the promise of a filling meal, so they make perfect sense as the main characters to bulk up a salad. With simple companions like tomato and cucumber, this one is fresh and simple.
Recipe: Downshiftology
14. Chinese Chicken Salad
There's just something about wonton strips. They're the perfect topping for this cabbage and lettuce combo salad, which is made complete with other Asian salad staples like shredded carrots, green onion, and sesame seeds.
Recipe: Confetti & Bliss
15. Steakhouse Wedge Salad With a Twist
You don't need to head to your favorite steakhouse to order a wedge salad. Make one at home! This recipe's "twist" is blue cheese crumbles and a homemade dressing that embraces sweet flavors.
Recipe: Lisa's Dinnertime Dish
Related: The Best Under-the-Radar Steakhouse in Each State
16. Buffalo Chicken Salad
Buffalo chicken everything is a yes from us. Although the debate between blue cheese and ranch is always a hot one when it comes to buffalo chicky, this recipe actually embraces both with a spicy ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles.
Recipe: Recipe Runner
Related: I Tried 7 Kinds of Buffalo Sauce and This Was the Best
17. Spring Roll Salad
Turning spring roll fixings into a salad is nothing short of genius. The spicy ginger dressing that comes along with this recipe sounds like a deal-sealer if we've ever heard one.
Recipe: Whole and Heavenly Oven
18. Cajun Shrimp Caesar Salad
If there was going to be a salad we mentioned twice, you knew it had to be Caesar. This one skips the chicken and instead uses cajun-seasoned shrimp. Not mad at that one teeny tiny bit.
Recipe: Wholesome Yum
19. Greek Salad with Chicken
We love a good Greek salad and adding chicken to it is the perfect way to create a more filling dish. Plus, you can marinate the chicken to punch up those Mediterranean flavors.
Recipe: Foodie Crush
