Summer is the perfect time to serve light evening meals to your family. Too hot outside to heat up the kitchen with an oven or stove. Why not make a quick yummy meal with fresh vegetables and a smattering of meat. Here are a few of our favorite Summer Salad Ideas. Feel free to use the quick find buttons below if you are looking for a specific type of salad.
Summer Dinner Salads
Here are a few dinner salad ideas to try, with or without meat. Serve one of these when you want something light and cool on a hot summer night.
1
Spinach Salad with Vinegar Dressing
It’s hard to go wrong with the bacon, boiled eggs, and croutons in a dinner salad, plus a homemade vinaigrette that has just the right amount of seasoning and sweetness.
Check out this recipe
2
Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts
Add some chicken to your summer salad with cranberries, Glazed English Walnuts, and boiled eggs. Yum!
Check out this recipe
3
Taco Bowl Salad
This is a fun weeknight meal to make. Form bowls by baking them over balls of tinfoil.
Check out this recipe
4
Spinach Beet Salad
This Spinach Beet Salad is a wonderful addition to your summer meals. Fresh Baby Spinach, Mandarin Oranges, Glazed English Walnuts, Pickled Beets, and Feta Cheese, with a delightful sweet vinaigrette. Serve either as a side salad or as a light dinner salad with flatbread.
Check out this recipe
5
Southwest Bean Salad
This Southwest Bean Salad is packed with flavor and lots of heart-healthy foods sure to satisfy every appetite. I like this salad with its black beans, avocado and tomato. So good!
Check out this recipe
Summer Salads to Serve at Your Next Barbecue
I love cold salads, especially with pasta and fresh vegetables. They are the perfect compliment to barbecue or grilled meats.
6
Mixed Vegetable Salad
Vegetable Salad = Food that won’t heat up my kitchen. Cold foods to go with grilled chicken, pork, or steak. Try this variation on 3-Bean Salad.
Check out this recipe
7
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
I love this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad and could eat it for a meal. Tender macaroni, peas, shredded carrots, bacon and a delicious homemade ranch dressing to pull it all together. Yummy!
Check out this recipe
8
Antipasto Rotini Salad
Sometimes in the summer when it’s hot, you just want something easy to make for dinner, that’s cold. This Antipasto Salad is perfect for just such an occasion. Plus, you can use lots of garden vegetables in it! Add some pepperoni to make it a meal.
Check out this recipe
9
Pea Salad With Cheese
Frozen Sweet Peas are the featured ingredient in this salad, accompanied by boiled eggs, cheese cubes, and chopped sweet pickles, celery, onion, and radishes. Wrap this all up with mayo and sour cream for an easy and yummy summer salad.
Check out this recipe
10
Warm German Potato Salad
This warm potato salad is a nice addition to a German dinner or potluck. Made with red potatoes, sweet onion, and thick-cut bacon in a sweet and sour sauce, it goes well with hot sandwiches or burgers.
Check out this recipe
11
Mediterranean Garden Vegetable Salad
This Mediterranean Garden Vegetable Salad is a delicious recipe to make when you want more than a lettuce salad with your dinner, but still desire something light and refreshing. I love that it uses bunches of garden vegetables and that it is so easy to prepare.
Check out this recipe
12
Corn and Black Bean Salad
Corn and Black Bean Salad is a delicious and easy recipe to make this summer. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or even a family picnic. It’s a cool and refreshing dish to make after a long, hot day.
Check out this recipe
13
Carrot Raisin Salad
Carrot Raisin Salad is filled with crunchy carrots, sweet raisins, tart apples, and sunflower seeds, then mixed together in a coleslaw-type dressing. It’s one of my new favorites!
Check out this recipe
Make Your Own Salad Dressings
Homemade salad dressings are so delicious, and less expensive than what you buy in the store (and better for you, too.) Why not try making your own salad dressing? Here are some of our favorites!
14
Apple Pecan Salad with Yogurt Dressing
Apple Pecan Salad with Yogurt Dressing is perfect for autumn. It’s full of delicious fall ingredients–apples, pecans, cranberries, and roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). The homemade Yogurt Dressing is easy to make and adds a touch of sweet, tangy creaminess to every bite.
Check out this recipe
15
Spring Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
This past month I’ve been enjoying a new Spring Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing. Homemade dressings are so fresh and tasty, I know you’re going to love this one.
Check out this recipe
16
Ranch Dressing Mix
Store Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix in your cupboard for when you need salad dressing. You may also use it in dips or other recipes.
Check out this recipe
17
Homemade French Dressing
This homemade French Dressing is lightly sweet and tangy, made so by the addition of prepared horseradish, garlic, and dried minced onion.
Check out this recipe
18
Thousand Island Dressing
I'll always remember making Thousand Island dressing as a girl at a 4-H cooking meeting. Here's a similar recipe for you to enjoy. It's very easy to make and perfect for little hands to prepare.
Check out this recipe
Meat Salad Spread
While we’re talking about salads, it would be a shame not to mention salad speads to use for making sandwiches, or simply on lettuce leaves. As a girl, we often had some type of meat salad spread in the summer. Roast beef, ham, chicken, tuna. Here are some favorites!
19
Classic Chicken Salad Spread
We love this Classic Chicken Salad that's perfect for spring or summer lunches, picnics, or even tea parties! Serve with sliced bread or crackers.
Check out this recipe
20
Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwiches
Here is a recipe the girls and I like in spring and summer. Especially nice for Mother’s Day luncheons if you adjust the recipe to size.
Check out this recipe
21
Ham Salad Tea Sandwiches
This recipe is a great way to use any leftover ham you might have after Easter. It's lovely as a light dinner or for your next tea party!
Check out this recipe
22
Curried Chicken Tea Sandwiches
Curried Chicken Tea Sandwiches are a favorite savory selection for our tea parties and is requested often. I first served it at our youngest daughter’s bridal shower tea party and have been making it ever since.
Check out this recipe
Don’t Forget the Extras!
While we’re at it, we might as well include a few extras. Of course you could use snack crackers such as Ritz or Club Crackers–both go really well with salads. And I love nuts and sunflower kernels on a salad, too. Here are a few other suggestions for your summer salads.
23
Crunchy Sourdough Breadsticks (Grissini)
Crunchy Sourdough Breadsticks, also known as Italian Grissini, are wonderful with salads, soups, or even as an appetizer or snack. It’s a great way to use up your sourdough discard, too.
Check out this recipe
24
Homemade Sourdough Croutons
While you're at it, go ahead and make your own croutons, too! So much better than store bought! Crunchy on the outside yet slightly chewy and seasoned perfectly. You cannot buy croutons as tasty as these!
Check out this recipe
25
Sourdough Artisan Crackers
These crackers are simply wonderful. Light, crispy, and delicious with loads of sourdough flavor.
Check out this recipe
26
Rosemary-Garlic Sourdough Flatbread
Here's another sourdough recipe that we absolutely love. It’s the perfect companion to a light dinner salad or with Quiche, or just by itself.
Check out this recipe
27
Glazed English Walnuts
This is a recipe too good to miss out on. It's easy and our daughters love it served with salads, fruit and vanilla yogurt, or simply by the handful. Enjoy!
Check out this recipe
I hope these salad suggestions give you lots of ideas for summer dinners, when it’s hot outside and you just want something simple to enjoy for supper.
I needed some new salad inspiration! I will be making some of these recipes this coming week! So delicious!
Hi Courtney. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will enjoy some of these salad recipes! It’s a good time for salad.