Best Summer Salad Recipes
Enjoy the sunny days of Summer with these 20 Best Summer Salad Recipes and host a backyard barbecue with friends and family. Whether you’re serving hot dogs and hamburgers, ribs, steaks or chicken there’s a picnic perfect salad in this round-up to accompany you favorite entrees. Celebrate the lazy days of summer with these top rated salad recipes.
Best Summer Salad Recipes
Warm weather brings with it the universal desire to create easy no fuss meals with classic accompaniments. Versatility is key, and these make ahead best summer salad recipes certainly fall into the versatile side dish category. During the Summer months, outdoor entertaining is one of our favorite past times. It’s the time of year that people gather with backyard chefs all over the nation to share in fun, great food, and festivities. I’ve rounded up 20 of the Best Summer Salad Recipes to add to your picnic table that are sure to satisfy your hungry eaters.
Links to all of the Best Summer Salad Recipes above each image.
1 Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
This pasta salad features cavatappi pasta tossed with a creamy dill pickle dressing that’s infused with the bright flavor of fresh dill. Get the Dill Pickle Pasta Salad Recipe Here.
2 Waldorf Chicken Salad
This fruity chicken salad doubles as a side dish or a light meal. Serve it with crackers or on croissants for a fresh lunch option. Get the Waldorf Chicken Salad Recipe Here.
3 German Potato Salad
This potato salad variation is believed by food historians to have originated in Germany and brought to the US by immigrants. The sweet and tangy vinegar based dressing makes it a tasty option for warm weather outdoor dining and it can be served hot or cold. It’s since evolved into an All-American side dish that deserves a place of honor on every summer picnic table. Get the German Potato Salad Recipe Here.
4 Pizza Pasta Salad
Thrill pizza fans with this pasta salad that’s perfectly mouth watering when served alongside grilled flatbread, grilled pizza, stromboli, chicken, pork or steaks. Get the Pizza Pasta Salad Recipe Here.
5 Chicken Bacon Ranch Layered Salad
This stunning salad features layers of rotisserie chicken, crisp salad greens, cheddar cheese and tons of fresh crunchy veggies. It can be layered using my homemade Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing or you can use a prepared Ranch dressing to save time. Get the Chicken Bacon Ranch Layered Salad Recipe Here.
6 Italian Spaghetti Salad
This cold spaghetti salad is flavor packed. It can be served-up as a side dish or a busy day meal for the pasta lovers at your table. Get the Italian Spaghetti Salad Recipe Here.
7 Carrot Raisin Salad
This retro carrot salad never loses its charm. It brings both color and texture to the menu. Serve it with your favorite grilled entrees to round out the meal. Get the Carrot Raisin Salad Recipe Here.
8 Tomato Cracker Salad
This unique cracker salad just may be the most delicious salad you’ve never heard of! It’s a must-try and complements most any main dish in the summer and it’s equally delightful in chilly weather with a bowl of soup. Get the Tomato Cracker Salad Recipe Here.
9 Kickin’ Crab Salad
You can pick how you serve this seafood salad. You can enjoy this jumbo lump crab salad with crostini, crackers or veggies for dipping, made into sliders or stuffed into buttery croissants. It’s a terrific way to serve crab meat to a crowd as a starter and filled with the flavor of the sea. Get the Kickin’ Crab Salad Recipe Here.
10 Pesto Pasta Salad
This Mediterranean-inspired pasta salad uses a combination of basil pesto and mayonnaise for the easy dressing. It features fresh mozzarella pearls, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, olives and red onion for crunch. Get the Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe Here.
11 Green Bean Salad
In this make ahead recipe fresh crisp green beans are tossed with cherry tomatoes and tangy red onions. The vinaigrette gives it just the right amount of twang. Get the Green Bean Salad Recipe Here.
12 Strawberry Pretzel Salad
I love making retro salads that I grew-up eating. This salty and sweet pretzel salad is one such example and it never gets old. You may opt to top it with whipped cream for a sweet and salty dessert or as presented as a side dish. Get the Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe Here.
13 Cilantro Lime Cole Slaw
This coleslaw features the twist of fresh cilantro and lime in the dressing. It’s a stellar option for shrimp tacos, atop hot dogs or barbecue. Get the Cilantro Lime Cole Slaw Recipe Here.
14 5 Bean Salad
This mixed bean salad is a refrigerator salad you can make well in advance of serving it to save time. As a matter of fact, the flavor gets better the longer it sits! Get the 5 Bean Salad Recipe Here.
15 Layered Southwestern Cornbread Salad
This cornbread salad is filled with southwestern flavors. It’s an edible centerpiece certain to add interest and color to your table. You can serve it as a side dish or with tortilla chips for dipping. Get the Layered Southwestern Cornbread Salad Recipe Here.
16 Spinach Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
This crisp salad features fresh baby spinach leaves topped with smoky bacon, feta cheese, boiled eggs, crisp Granny Smith apples and candied pecans with other vegetables for crunch. Add steak, chicken or shrimp and make it a meal. Get the Spinach Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe Here.
17 Watermelon Salad
This watermelon salad has that sweet and salty vibe that’s so enticing. It’s simple to make and it’s warm weather friendly. See the Watermelon Salad Recipe Here.
18 Egg Salad
Stuff this homemade egg salad into fluffy Italian bread or artisan bread for an easy meal on days there’s no time to cook. You can also enjoy it with crackers as a starter or between meal snacking. Get my Southern Egg Salad Recipe Here.
19 Loaded Baked Potato Salad
This loaded potato salad is delicious alongside steak, seafood, chicken or pork. It’s filled with bacon, cheddar cheese and green onions for a fresh flavor. Get the Loaded Baked Potato Salad Recipe Here.
20 Grape Salad
This grape salad was all the rage in the ’70’s. It was featured on buffets and served at potlucks far and wide. My love of retro salads moves this one to the front of the line. Get the Grape Salad Recipe Here.
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