Make-Ahead Salad Recipes for Dinner and Lunch

Make-ahead salads aren’t just for workday lunches anymore. These hearty, protein-packed recipes are designed to be made in advance, so dinner comes together in minutes—and leftovers taste just as good the next day. Like our No-Mayo Tuna Salad, made Italian-style with tender olive-oil packed fillets, peppery arugula, and creamy white beans. Or this Green Goddess Harvest Salad, hearty with kale, sweet potatoes, apples, and savory roasted tofu, all coated in a herb-filled dressing. Don’t miss the sky-high Crunchy Veg Salad With Dates and Fried Shallots, a towering portion of crispy-crunchy cabbage, sweet raw fennel, and buttery walnuts drizzled with mustardy vinaigrette. Or reimagine a deskside classic with our Nuoc Cham Chicken Salad, which pairs shredded rotisserie chicken with the spicy-tangy flavors of the Vietnamese dipping sauce.Looking for more leafy green mains? Browse our complete collection of dinner salad recipes.Nuoc Cham Chicken SaladThis just-creamy-enough chicken salad is great as a large salad or in lettuce cups, topped with tender herbs and a handful of fried shallots, but that’s only the beginning. Try it dolloped onto slices of sourdough, alongside cold soba noodles and cucumbers, or over warm rice with half an avocado.No-Mayo Tuna SaladUse tuna packed in olive oil—not water—for the silkiest fillets, and opt for jarred over canned for larger pieces of fish. To pack for lunch, just scoop the tuna mixture into a container, then top with greens and cover. Refrigerate until ready to eat, then flip over onto a plate to dress the greens.Green Goddess Harvest SaladBlue-green Tuscan kale (a.k.a. lacinato or dinosaur) can be quite tough when raw (even after slicing), so give it a nice massage before dressing the leaves. A few pinches of salt act as an abrasive, helping your hands quickly and easily break down the earthy roughage into pleasantly tender greens.Crunchy Veg Salad With Dates and Fried ShallotsFrizzling your own shallots is worth the time: As the slices gently fry, they become delightfully crisp while also infusing the oil you’ll use for the mustardy vinaigrette. Bonus: You can fry them up to a week ahead (find detailed Do Ahead tips with the recipe).