Many people think of salads as a side dish that consists solely of a bed of lettuce, but salads can be meals too! A salad can be anything you want it to be, not just lettuce. There are pasta salads, egg salads, grain salads, cucumber salads, tomato salads, slaw–style salads, chicken and tuna salads, fruit salads, and the list goes on. Remembering that salads can be a mix of fun, diverse ingredients, like grains and proteins, instead of just plain, wilted lettuce in a bowl will help you create a balanced meal full of protein, carbs, and greens that will fuel you through the day. 

Every person eats with their eyes first, so if you can create a beautiful, colorful salad, you might be more enticed to dive in. Not only is eating the rainbow pleasing to the eye, but it is also important for your diet. Eating fruits and veggies of different colors means you’re eating a variety of fruits and veggies. This ensures that you are getting a wide array of vitamins and minerals that are essential for your body to function optimally.

One of the main reasons salads are often bland is because they are unseasoned. Even if you are just throwing some raw veggies and lettuce together with dressing, seasoning your ingredients will greatly enhance the flavor of the veggies and your salad. Use your favorite spices and dried herbs to season each ingredient; just be mindful of how much seasoning and salt you are using to prevent over-seasoning.  

If you have the time, marinating toppings like veggies and protein is another great way to get more flavor in each layer. One easy way to do this is to have your salad dressing ready first and then chop up the ingredients you wish to marinate. Add them to your dressing to marinate while you prepare the rest of your ingredients. Once you have your other ingredients prepped, toss them with the dressing and marinated ingredients to marry everything together.  

Although a cool, crisp salad in the summer is refreshing, salads don’t just have to be cold. Adding in wilted greens, roasted veggies, grilled proteins, or warm grains will give your salads another flavor, texture, and temperature! When food is cooked, flavors can be intensified, allowing your salad to be as delicious and flavorful as possible. Adding warm ingredients to your salad can also make it feel like more of a meal and a great option for cold days.  

One way to elevate your salad is to create variety; this means with your choice of greens as well as your toppings. Using a variety of lettuces and leafy greens can help create dimension in flavor and texture. Kale, chard, arugula, frisée, romaine, iceberg, shaved brussels sprouts/cabbage, radicchio, mustard greens, carrot or beet tops, and spinach all vary in taste and texture and will mix and match wonderfully to create a more dimensional salad.  

However, sometimes more fibrous greens like kale, chard, or cabbage can be hard to consume and digest. Massaging your greens with a bit of olive oil before you toss everything together helps break down some of those fibers, creating a more desirable texture and tastier salad. Using clean hands, remove all tough stems then massage your greens with olive oil or even with your salad dressing for a minute or two or until you notice the leaves become softer and less voluminous.  

Fresh herbs like mint, basil, dill, parsley, and cilantro all offer the same health benefits as other leafy greens but with more flavor. Adding a generous amount of fresh herbs to your salad will give it a pop of flavor and freshness that will have you craving even more salad.  

Adding fruit to your salad is a great way to add an extra pop of flavor of sweetness and tang. The flavors will create more dimension and interest in your salad all while adding more variety to your veggie intake.  

Adding surprising textures and flavors to salads adds another layer of interest. Nuts, seeds, and croutons will create contrast in texture. Other toppings like olives, capers, feta, sharp cheese, pickled veggies, sauerkraut, or smoked fish will add an unexpected pop of flavor to create a salad with a wow-factor.  

Even though you already have a naturally flavorful salad from following the tips above, salad dressing will help marry everything together. Store-bought dressings are great, but making salad dressings at home is super easy! They will be just as delicious, if not more than store-bought, and will likely have less sugar and salt. Click here for some great, simple homemade salad dressing recipes.  

Tossing your entire salad in a large bowl with dressing before you dig in will also create a more delicious salad because the dressing will be evenly distributed and bring everything together.