20 No-Lettuce Salads You’ll Never Get Bored of Eating

There comes a time when, particularly for a health-conscious or hot-day-challenged eater, one can get a little sick of the types of salads one makes all the time. When that happens, it is usually because you’re trapped in the notion that a salad must be made with lettuce leaves. Or even leaves of any kind. We would venture to say that a nice tomato salad or carrot salad might perk things up. Or if you need a replacement for your Elaine-style “big salad” lunch, how about something heartier like a grain or farro salad? Truly, any grain, bean or vegetable is a candidate for being the leading role in a salad. This isn’t to say that you should toss your green salad (snicker). One of our favorite things to do when it’s hot is to make dinner out of a couple of salads. Hey, it’s hot and the produce is great! Don’t reinvent the wheel. Throw a salad or two together, grab a loaf of good bread and a bottle of white, and salad into the sunset.

Oh, the pleasures of a warm salad. This asparagus salad from Kardea Brown straddles the line between salad and cooked vegetable side, and we’re here for it. The asparagus are crisp-tender, and the crunch from toasted walnuts on top and the salty hits of cheese keep you coming back for another bite.

Is it a dip, or is it a salad? Does it really matter when it tastes this good? This is an ode to green, with pureed asparagus, sugar snap pea, mint, cucumber and avocado in the mix (even the jalapeño is green). You can scoop it up with a spoon or put out some chips to eat it like a dip.

Excellent summer corn doesn’t need much, but it does still need a brief simmer. After that, go ahead and cut those kernels off the cob to toss with a super-light and acidic vinaigrette, and adorn with fresh basil, which really complements the sweetness. Ina won’t steer you wrong.

Talk about opening your mind to different kind of salads: Fruit doesn’t have to be relegated to just desserty fruit salads. Bring them into the savory realm and prepare to watch minds be blown. Here, cantaloupe keeps company with tomatoes and cucumbers, some feta and a fresh mint chiffonade. A shallot and chive-forward vinaigrette ties everything together.

Trisha Yearwood leaves it up to you to choose which nut to make your pesto from. They’ll all work well in this salad that combines carrot, squash and zucchini ribbons with a bright parsley and basil pesto. Lemon juice will keep the colors and flavors bright.

There are some vegetables that seem like they need to be cooked: Take zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms and beets, to name four. Well, slice them thin enough, or shred them, and suddenly they soak up dressing in a fabulous way that tenderizes them and concentrates their flavor just in the way that cooking does. This salad puts those four together and throws in a honey mustard vinaigrette that will have you wondering why you ever ate these vegetables any other way.

Trisha Yearwood’s marinated vegetables don’t just benefit from being made ahead; they require it. Think of it almost like quick pickles that can also be a side dish. But though pickling sounds like a project, this couldn’t be quicker — and you can even start with frozen produce, if you need to.

This is just such textural heaven, from the slight chew of the farro to the chunky bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and cucumber, to the feta cubes and even the subtle leaves of fresh parsley. This is the kind of salad you can make once, then pack for lunch on the go for days. This recipe goes for a quick oven-roast of the bell peppers, which retains their fresh crunch while giving them a bit of that deeper roasted-pepper flavor.

Whether you haven’t ordered this classic salad in a Chinese restaurant, or perhaps even more if you have, you’re in for a treat. This is a perfect combination of ingredients. The cucumbers, slightly smashed to create jagged edges and an irregular shape, soak up the garlicky, salty-acidic dressing, but also maintain their juicy crunch. Nothing could be a better partner for other Chinese dishes, but this dish also works great alongside a grilled meat and some rice or bread.

This is quick and easy to assemble, but it’s so different from your average potato salad. Grilling the sliced russets gives them a smoky char, as does the lemon half that you have on the grill at the same time. Use its juice to contribute to dressing the veggies, which include tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant, in an ode to the nightshades.

If you’re looking for a really different take on a classic vinaigrette, this might be it. Many are based on mustard; this one takes that nose-tingling mustard quality and dials it up with fresh horseradish, instead, and uses lemon extract to keep those lemon notes bright and distinct. Just as radishes pair beautifully with horseradish in other dishes, they harmonize here and create an astringent foil for the sweet peas.

We can’t forget a soba salad, maybe the most satisfying salad of the summer. These noodles really shine when eaten cold, and they have a delightfully springy texture. They themselves are a good protein source, and here, a peanut dressing ups that protein level even further. And there are some veggies in there too, if you want to make it a complete meal.

You can hardly go wrong with roasted vegetables, lentils and tons of fresh herbs. Here, Valerie Bertinelli goes with a classic vinaigrette to tie together the tender vegetables and the almost meaty texture of the little lentils. This makes an equally excellent side (it’s heaven with grilled sausage) as it does a lunch salad bowl.

The salad-in-a-jar is a great idea that comes from those who meal-prep. You can assemble jars ahead of time, then dump into a bowl and dress when you’re ready to eat. Those jars aren’t just pretty; keeping the ingredients relatively separated until go-time also maintains freshness and integrity. Millet is a protein-rich grain that will make every serving hold you until your next meal.

You know that dressing: The one in hibachi and sushi restaurants, that you would drink with a straw if you could? It’s recreated here, and dresses matchsticks of cucumber, jicama, carrot and celery with it. A little jalapeño brings some heat to the equation, and it works.

If you want to turn a few random vegetables into a salad, there are two surefire ingredients that can always do it: some nuts and some cheese. This is still true if the veggies for the salad are roasted first. This one features roasted squash, turnip, carrots and Brussels sprouts; and the tang of goat cheese and inherent fall feelings of pumpkin seeds really transform them into an excellent warm salad.

Now this is a satisfying salad to eat all week. Quinoa is a complete protein, so you don’t need to worry about pumping it up with nuts, cheese or beans. Luckily it’s also a great carrier of the flavors of dressing and adds amazing texture to a salad that’s already a riot of textures.

If you like the chewy texture of farro or unpearled barley, wheat berries say, “Hold my beer.” Here, Molly Yeh plays with that texture by adding roasted broccoli, which gets charred and crisp in spots, and brings it together with a gingery miso-sesame dressing. It’s the kind of salad that solicits a lot of, “Who made this?” at the potluck.

You don’t need a fancy spiralizer to make veggie noodles! Just as you have various shapes of actual pasta, a vegetable peeler can reduce veggies into a sort of pappardelle. A smoky, lemony dressing gives it grate…ap-peel…okay we’ll stop.