Is salad safe + how to turn a healthy salad into a satisfying meal

Are your salads boring or leaving you hungry 20 minutes later? Wondering: Is salad safe? Get the details on leafy greens and safety + No more ho-hum salads! Use this 6-step blueprint to make a delicious, nutritious healthy salad that’s satisfying enough for a full meal.

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You know what’s dull? A bowl of plain lettuce sprinkled with little more than tomatoes and cucumbers.

A healthy salad is so much more than that.

And a main dish salad can be way more interesting than a hunk of dry grilled chicken over lettuce. If you want something simple and versatile, follow my blueprint to a delicious, nutritious, satisfying main dish salad.

Is salad safe?

First, let me assure you that salad is safe. Recalls of leafy greens and bagged salads have made many salad-eaters turn salad leery and weary. Yes, leafy greens are safe to eat. However, according to the CDC, 78 foodborne disease outbreaks linked to leafy greens caused thousands of illnesses between 2014 and 2021.

I’d like to believe that all food is safe to eat all the time. And certainly, it’s reasonable to expect vegetables to be among the safest foods. They may be, but no food is guaranteed safe – even if you grow it in your backyard.

How leafy greens get contaminated

Food can pick up germs that make you sick anywhere in the process from the farm to your table. Animal droppings and bacteria can get in the soil or irrigation water. Farm workers and equipment might introduce pathogens during harvest. Then more can be introduced in the processing plant or during packaging, transportation, and storage.

Don’t forget what might happen at the supermarket, in your car on the way home from the supermarket, in your refrigerator, and on your counter when you prep your salad.

So many opportunities to contaminate our foods, it’s amazing we aren’t sick more often. The more steps to processing and the more hands that touch the food, the greater the chances of contamination.

Keep your home-grown salad safe. Even lettuce from your backyard garden can make you sick. The CDC has this advice:

• Plant your fruits and vegetables away from animal pens, compost bins, and manure piles.
• Use only drinkable water in your garden.
• Keep storm runoff and other potentially dirty water away from the edible parts of the plant.

The best way to wash leafy greens to keep salad safe

Rinse them under running water.

The CDC says this:

• Rinsing is the best way to remove some of the germs and dirt on lettuce and other leafy greens. Unfortunately, however, no safe cleaning method can remove all germs.
• Do not soak leafy greens in water. This increases the likelihood of spreading germs from one leaf to another and introducing germs from your sink.
• Before washing your greens, remove the outer leaves of the heads of lettuce or cabbage, and get rid of any bruised leaves.
• Use clean hands to gently rub the leaves under running water to help remove the germs and dirt.
• Wash with plain water. Never use a bleach solution, disinfectant, soap, or detergent to clean produce.
• Organic lettuces are no less likely to be contaminated than conventional produce.

Should you wash prewashed vegetables?

You do not need to re-wash prewashed leafy greens or other vegetables. If the packaged greens are labeled ready-to-eat or triple-washed, they’re safe to eat without additional cleaning, says the CDC.

Pro tip: Not all packaged vegetables say ready-to-eat or triple-washed, so be sure to look for those words before plopping the veggies into your bowl.

Why make a healthy salad?

• You have so many creative options, you’ll never get bored. Just say NO to drab or ho-hum salads!
• You’ll have less food waste because salads are a perfect way to use leftovers.
• They keep the kitchen cool in the extreme heat of summer.
• You can get a healthy salad meal on the table lickety-split with the assistance of bagged salad greens and other wisely-selected convenience foods.
• When you shift the portion and proportion of ingredients around, salads are perfect for weight management (keeping your weight up or down), blood sugar control for people with diabetes or prediabetes, and managing other health concerns like cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Nutrition! My mantra, “more vegetables, more vegetables, more vegetables” becomes a reality with a healthy salad. Actually, a main dish salad can cover healthy food choices from every food group!

How to turn a healthy salad into a meal

A meal is a balance of several food groups that provide protein, fats, and fiber-packed carbohydrates. Think variety, more plants than animals, and more vegetables than anything else. Here are the 6 steps in my blueprint for a healthy salad.

1. Pick your greens

Work your way from arugula to watercress or combine common greens – like iceberg lettuce – with the less familiar – like kale or shaved Brussels sprouts.

Not sure what to pick? Iceberg lettuce is mild and crunchy. Arugula, escarole, and watercress are pungent and peppery. Romaine lettuce and spinach are in between. They all pack a nutritional punch. Even iceberg lettuce – with its potassium, vitamin C, and a hefty dose of vitamin K – isn’t the nutritional dud most people think it is.

How much? Aim for 2 – 3 cups

If you want a giant salad to manage your weight or your blood sugar, go heavy on these low-calorie, low-carb greens.

Keep your salad safe. Use the washing guidance above.

Pro tip: If you’re not a fan of leafy greens, a chopped salad is perfect for you. Forget the leaves, and chop all the rest. It’s delicious and nutritious. Or try the most popular salad recipe on my site: Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. Lots of goodness with no leafy greens.

2. Pile on the produce

Entice yourself and others with a variety of colors and textures. Enjoy – but think beyond – the usual carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers. Use whatever you have on hand. A few of my favorites are radishes, cauliflower, purple cabbage, snow peas, and jicama. And don’t forget the fruit. Liven up your dish with berries, sliced apples or peaches, citrus segments, or whatever is in season.

Look around your entire kitchen for yummy fruits and vegetables. I love adding jarred marinated artichoke hearts to a salad. Canned mandarin oranges have been a favorite in my house since my girls were little and ate a side salad with them while we were vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

How much? At least 1/2 cup. Perhaps up to 1 1/2 cups.

Again, when you add lots of non-starchy vegetables like radishes, jicama, and tomatoes, you’ll bulk up your salad without overdoing the calories or carbohydrates.

Your blueprint to a healthy main dish salad

3. Go wild with whole grains

Whole grains dish up flavor, fiber, and a host of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. I’ll toss in a couple spoonfuls of whatever is sitting in my refrigerator – leftover brown rice, quinoa, farro, wheat berries, barley, and even pasta. Add just a little grain for texture and taste or toss in a lot for a heartier salad.

Check out my Bean and Barley Salad for inspiration.

How much? About 1/3 – 1/2 cups for a typical veggie-based salad; more for a grain-based salad

4. Pick your protein

If your salads leaving you growling for more food, it’s probably because you skimped on the protein. Choose plant protein, animal protein, or both. I always have canned beans, tuna fish, frozen edamame beans, and lowfat cheese and cottage cheese on the ready. I’ll also use hard-boiled eggs, leftover salmon or tofu, or any protein food in my fridge.

Add grilled shrimp to Farro Waldorf Salad.

How much? About 3 ounces of animal protein or 1/2 – 1 cup of pulses

5. Add something crunchy or something fun

For a flavor and texture boost, sprinkle your salad with some nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or diced avocado.

How much? Be flexible and creative

6. Dress for success

For a homemade vinaigrette, whisk together oil with half as much vinegar or citrus juice. Add salt, pepper, garlic, your favorite herbs, and a touch of Dijon mustard.

How much? 2 tablespoons

Not sure which oil to use? Check out the healthiest oil to cook with.

Salad mistakes you can avoid

Mistake #1: Using wet lettuce

Ick. Talk about a soggy salad and one that spoils more quickly!

I use a salad spinner, but if you don’t have one, you can dry your leafy greens with a cloth or paper towel. Bon Appétit suggests you line a plastic shopping bag with paper towels, fill the bag with your greens, and tie a knot. Then, grab the handle and spin it in the air. I’ve never tried this, but it actually sounds like fun.

Mistake #2: Skipping the protein

Your salad can be all veggies if it’s part of a meal, but if you’re calling it a main dish salad, you’ve got to include the protein. Choose animal, vegetable, or both.

Mistake #3: Dressing too soon

To avoid a wet mess, dress your salad right before eating. Or, if appropriate, serve the dressing on the side.

Pro tip: Save calories with the dip and stab method. Instead of drizzling the dressing over your salad or plunking your salad into the dressing, dip the tines of your fork into the dressing, and then stab a bite of salad.

Mistake #4: Packing it wrong

Yay for packing lunch and double yay for packing a healthy lunch. But good intentions can turn to a soggy salad if you pack your ingredients wrong. Whether you take your salad in a mason jar or a plastic container, put the dressing on the bottom and don’t mix it until you’re ready to eat.

If you like the mason jar salad idea, add your ingredients in this order. When you’re ready to eat, shake the jar, pour the salad into a bowl, and mix with a fork.

• dressing
• hard produce like carrots, fennel, cabbage, and apple
• cooked beans and cooked grains
• softer produce like berries, avocado, tomatoes
• tofu and animal proteins like hard-boiled egg and chicken
• salad greens

And to keep your packed salad safe, keep it cold.

Mistake #5: Not using leftovers

Reach into your fridge for a bit of this and a bit of that. It’s a great way to waste less food and add pizazz to your salad. Depending on the other ingredients, a few bites of leftover chicken and a handful of penne pasta can be a win for taste, nutrition, and less waste.

Mistake #6: Being boring

Back to that salad of little more than lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. No. We can be more creative. Use the suggestions below to spark your creativity. Or simply google healthy salads and try something new.

Inspiration for Healthy Salad Meals

Here are some combinations that go together nicely. Add other components according to your tastes.

• Grapefruit, avocado, wheat berries and salmon
• Tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, jalapeños with black beans (add chicken if you need a little more protein)
• Artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cucumber, and chickpeas, feta cheese, and grilled shrimp, chicken or turkey
• Tomatoes, red onion, white beans, steamed broccoli and salmon
• Steamed green beans, red onions, walnuts and tuna
• Arugula, farro, lentils, orange segments and avocado

Got a healthy salad? What is it?