Chopped Salad Ideas: The Best Way to Eat More Veggies For Dinner

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Creating a chopped salad bar is a fun way to enjoy a quick and easy dinner. A salad bar for dinner gives options for your family or guests–they get to decide which combinations they are willing or eager to try!

Chopped Salad Bar Essentials

We love build-your-own style meals in our family. It creates meals that are fun and interactive, as well as gives options for everyone to find something they like. A chopped salad bar is a great way to create a choose-your-own-adventure dinner. Chopped salads can utilize everything but the kitchen sink, and lend themselves to using leftovers. They are also great for creating a healthy spread.

A good chopped salad showcases fresh ingredients, a hearty amount of protein, some punchy flavors, and a bunch of crunch. All the ingredients are typically diced into bite-sized pieces.

Here are some building blocks of a delicious and customizable salad experience:

Fresh Ingredient Ideas

Greens Galore

Start with a base of crisp and vibrant greens. These provide the foundation for your salad. Don’t forget to tear or chop your greens. Get creative with your choices and try to find seasonal greens such as:

• spring mix
• romaine
• green/red leaf lettuce
• bibb or butter lettuce
• spinach
• arugula
• kale
• cabbage
• frisee & chicory
• radicchio
• iceberg

Veggies and More

I like to include an array of colorful veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, and radishes. These add a burst of freshness and texture. Don’t be afraid to use leftovers or cooked vegetables as well. I like to add leftover roast potatoes and green beans to our salads. Roast potatoes soak up vinaigrette well, and green beans add a good texture variance.

Try to utilize seasonal ingredients when possible. Sweet potatoes, pumpkin and beets are fantastic autumn ideas. Fun-colored tomatoes or bell peppers add great flavor in the summer.

And don’t forget that fruits can also find a home in your salad. Strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, watermelon, oranges, and dried fruits are some things that come to mind.

Fruits and vegetables are your way to make your salad visually appealing with their pops of color. If you go the DIY salad bar route, you could display vegetables in various color combinations.

Protein Picks

I tend to schedule salad bar night around leftover proteins. For example, if we are making something with grilled, roasted, or crispy chicken, I usually make extra to use in a salad night. I also batch-cook bacon for things like baked potatoes, quiches/breakfast tacos, and it’s a great treat in salads.

Here are a few ideas for how to pack your chopped salad bar with protein:

• Chicken – grilled, roasted, crispy fried
• Fish – canned tuna, marinated octopus, or grilled salmon
• Bacon
• Hard or soft jammy-boiled eggs
• Cheeses:
  • Grilled halloumi
  • Feta/chevre
  • Blue cheese/gorgonzola
  • Cubed hard cheeses
• Chickpeas – boiled or crispy roasted
• Beans – black beans, cannellini, lima, black-eyed peas, etc.
• Peas

Toppings and Additions

Make sure to include a bunch of textures in your salad items. Crunch is a must. As is something tangy. Nuts (like almonds or walnuts) and seeds (such as sunflower or pumpkin seeds) are great choices for crunchy toppings. Pickled vegetables and fruit help give a zip and add more fun colors. Fried chow mein noodles and peanuts are great Asian chopped salad bar items. And of course, croutons!

Including soft spreads or dips can add further interest to salad bar toppings. Things like cottage cheese, avocado/guacamole, hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki come to mind.

Crackers are also a nice addition, or breadsticks.

Prepare a few different dressings- Italian, balsamic vinaigrette, ranch, or zesty lemon tahini to suit everyone’s taste. Or use your family favorite. A classic French vinaigrette is my go-to.

Try not to ‘guild the lily’ with ingredients on your salad. If you add too many different salad bar items that do not pair well together, you’ll end up with a strange taste. Salad making is a bit like making art, you don’t want to mix too many flavors/colors or you will end up with a murky/muddy palate.

Think about what items taste good together when deciding the overall theme for your chopped salad bar. Again, I like to start with leftovers and build flavors around them.

Chopped Salad Recipe – Theme Night Ideas

These themed chopped salad bar ideas can add variety and excitement to your dinner table. Mix and match ingredients to create your favorite flavor profiles and enjoy endless combinations.

Speedy Salad Meal Prep Tips

Creating a chopped salad bar at home is all about convenience and customization. To make this meal prep process quick and efficient, consider these time-saving tips:

1. Wash and Chop in Advance: Wash and chop your greens, veggies, and proteins. If you know you will use leftovers from a previous meal, try to cut them when putting them away. Store prepped food in airtight containers in the fridge for easy access during mealtime.
2. Use Pre-Cut Ingredients: If you’re short on time, opt for pre-cut veggies, pre-grilled chicken strips, or canned beans. They’re excellent time-savers.
3. Make Dressings Ahead: Prepare dressings and store them in small containers. This way, you won’t need to fuss with making them during mealtime. Having dressings on hand will help with all kinds of other meals.
4. Involve Everyone: Get the whole family involved! Let each member choose their favorite ingredients and have them prep and chop them.
5. Clean as You Go: To avoid a big cleanup after dinner, encourage everyone to clean their prep area as they go along. This way, you can enjoy your meal without worrying about a mess.

Assembling Your Chopped Salad Bar

Now comes the fun part – assembling your Chopped Salad Bar! There are many ways to set up.

I like to assemble our salad in a large shallow bowl with the ingredients lined up across the salad greens. I serve family-style at the table with tongs or salad serving utensils. Everyone decides what goes on their plate.

Another way is to gather prepped ingredients in individual bowls, set them out on the table or kitchen counter, and let everyone create their salads by serving themselves.

Now Get to Chopping!

Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner, a healthy meal solution, or a fun way to connect, consider creating a chopped salad bar. It’s a versatile concept that’s bound to become a cherished tradition in your home like it is in ours.

Remember that there are no strict rules here. Experiment and have fun. The goal is to have a tasty, enjoyable meal that everyone loves.

Please share your chopped salad recipe creations and ideas with me, I’d love to hear them.

Chopped Cobb Salad

Enjoy a classic Cobb salad bursting with flavors and textures. This chopped salad combines crisp lettuce, smoky bacon, creamy eggs, and tangy feta, all tossed in a zesty vinaigrette. It's a delightful meal that you can customize to your liking!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main, Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: healthy, high fiber, leftovers, versatile

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Egg Cooling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: juiceofsevenlemons

Equipment

• large shallow serving bowl
• tongs

Ingredients

• 2 Crispy Leftover Escalope Chicken Breasts sliced or diced
• 4 whole Hard-Boiled/Soft-Boiled Eggs chopped
• 4 slices Crisp Bacon crumbled
• 4 ounces Sheep's Milk Feta crumbled
• 5 cups Spring Mix Lettuce torn
• 3 cups Romaine Lettuce chopped
• 1 cup Tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 cup Celery finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Carrots sliced
• 1/2 cup Cucumbers diced or sliced
• 1/4 cup Castelvetrano Olives pitted and sliced
• 1/4 cup Pickled Red Onion
• 1/4 cup Pickled Peppers sliced
• 2 tablespoons Sunflower Seeds
• 4 tablespoons Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions

Boil & Prepare Eggs

• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.
• Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, place eggs in a saucepan and cook for 7-9 minutes depending on how firm you want the yolk.
• Remove eggs from saucepan, place in ice water to cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Peel and chop or half eggs.

Assemble Salad

• In a large salad bowl, arrange the chopped Romaine lettuce and spring mix.
• Add the chopped hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, and crumbled sheep's milk feta on top of the greens in sections or lines.
• Continue to layer with cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots, and cucumbers.
• Garnish with Castelvetrano olives, pickled red onions, pickled peppers, and sunflower seeds.
• Drizzle your preferred vinaigrette dressing over the salad, or serve on the side.
• Either let other's serve themselves and add their own dressing or toss all the ingredients together until well coated with the dressing and serve immediately.

Notes

• Feel free to customize your Chopped Cobb Salad with your favorite ingredients. Avocado, grilled chicken, or blue cheese are excellent additions.
• To save time, you can use pre-cooked bacon or rotisserie chicken.
• Make the salad vegetarian by omitting the bacon or using a plant-based bacon alternative.
• Adjust the vinaigrette dressing according to your taste preferences. A balsamic or ranch dressing also complements this salad beautifully.
• Prepare the hard-boiled eggs in advance to streamline the salad assembly process.
• This salad is perfect for meal prep. Keep the ingredients separate until you’re ready to enjoy, and it will stay fresh for several days in the refrigerator.
• Experiment with different types of lettuce or greens to create unique variations of the Cobb salad.