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6 lettuce-free recipes that will make you love salad

Tired of leafy greens? These flavorful, nutritious dishes will be right up your alley.

Updated on May 18, 2022

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Your salad can be more than a big bowl of leafy greens. In fact, a healthy and filling salad doesn’t have to include lettuce at all. You can toss tasty mix-ins like nuts and cheese with your favorite fruits, veggies, and whole grains to create tasty, satisfying, and 100 percent lettuce-free meals.

Worried about missing out on necessary nutrients? Don’t be! FoodsShow More

Salad with tofu
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Greek salad

This tangy, low-calorie salad combines a few flavorful ingredients for a taste of the Mediterranean in the comfort of your own home.

Start with a whole cucumber, which contains just 45 calories, for a crunchy base. Then, add 1 cup of chopped tomatoes. It contains 30 calories and is loaded withShow More

Zucchini salad
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Tomato and avocado salad

Ditch the bread to enjoy the flavors of a classic deli sandwich with a fraction of the sodium, fat, and calories.

Start by combining a chopped tomato and cucumber slices with chunks of avocado. Avocado contains fiber, vitamin K, and lots of healthy fats, which can help reduce “bad” LDL cholesterolShow More

Watermelon fruit salad
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Watermelon and feta summer salad

Who said salads had to be savory? This light and refreshing recipe can be enjoyed at snack time or topped with a few grilled shrimp and eaten as a complete meal.

The star of this salad is juicy watermelon, which contains vitamins A and C and has just 50 calories per cup. Just add a small handful ofShow More

Salad with beets, oranges and soft cheese
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Crunchy beet salad

This salad comes together with almost no effort—and tastes great!

Feel free to boil your own beets, but the canned kind work just as well. Just give them a good rinse to get rid of any excess sodium. A cup of beets contains only 60 calories, but also delivers fiber, a bit of protein, and potassium,Show More

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Colorful vegetable and quinoa salad

Shake up your salad routine by filling your bowl with 100 percent whole grains, like quinoa or brown rice.

Measure out 1 cooked cup of quinoa, which is loaded with protein, fiber, and manganese. Next, chop up and toss in your favorite veggies and beans; red onions, black beans, and bell peppersShow More

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Fiesta bean salad

Beans are good sources of protein, fiber, and iron. A 1/2-cup serving of black, garbanzo, or red kidney beans offers about 7 grams of protein and more than 10 percent of the daily recommended amount of iron.

Toss your favorite legumes with a bit of diced onion and splashes of vinegar and olive oil.Show More

Slideshow sources open slideshow sources

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. March 23, 2022. Accessed May 12, 2022.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Consumers. March 26, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2022.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin K: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. March 29, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2022.
American Heart Association. Polyunsaturated Fats. June 1, 2015. Accessed May 12, 2022.
American Heart Association. Monounsaturated Fat. June 1, 2015. Accessed May 12, 2022.
American Heart Association. Go Nuts (But just a little!) November 1, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2022.
American Heart Association. Hyperkalemia (High Potassium). October 31, 2016. Accessed May 12, 2022.
MedlinePlus. Potassium. October 20, 2017. Accessed May 12, 2022.
MedlinePlus. Cooking without salt. May 26, 2020. Accessed May 12, 2022.
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Fiber. 2022. Accessed May 12, 2022.

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