Food Recipes Salads Main Dish Salads 20 Main-Course Salads for Fresh, Satiating Meals By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 9, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Greg DuPree When the right combination of fresh ingredients is tossed together with a complementary dressing and the heft of beans, grains, cheese, and/or protein, the resulting salad is a medley of textures and flavors uniquely suited to be a main course masterpiece. This is a collection of salad recipes that easily fit that bill, from a Hawaiian-style cold ramen and pork salad to Caesar variations and an Italian take on pasta salad. Read on for these recipes and other satisfying entrée-worthy salads. 01 of 20 "Caesared" Salmon Salad Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell In this creative salmon Caesar salad, Caesar dressing gets spread on the salmon before grilling, creating a rich crust that keeps the fish succulent while picking up delicious smoky flavor from the grill. For a perfect wine pairing, Master Sommelier Andy Myers says to reach for a bottle of Roero. Get the Recipe 02 of 20 Butter Bean, Tuna, and Celery Salad © Antonis Achilleos Big, creamy butter beans give a tuna and celery salad terrific heartiness. The salad would also be delicious spooned over slices of warm grilled country bread. Get the Recipe 03 of 20 Juicy Steak and Tomato Salad Con Poulos This summery salad from F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple is quick and easy to pull together, and a total crowd-pleaser. It's ideal served with his Grilled and Chilled Beef, but any leftover steak will be delicious here. Get the Recipe 04 of 20 Charred Shallot and Arugula Salad with Sunny-Side-Up Eggs Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva This hearty salad combines spicy arugula, cracked black pepper, Parmesan, prosciutto, sunny-side-up eggs, and shallots. The shallots are charred under the broiler, where they develop umami and subtle sweetness. The potent, garlicky dressing tastes great alongside the spicy greens, salty cheese, rich eggs, and fatty meat, where the richness of the runny egg yolk mingles perfectly with the pungent dressing. Get the Recipe 05 of 20 Black-Eyed Pea and Watercress Salad with Corn Bread Croutons © Christina Holmes Chef Sean Brock seasons his black-eyed peas with hot sauce, lemon juice, and vinaigrette before tossing them with crackling corn bread and peppery watercress for a Southern main-course salad. Get the Recipe 06 of 20 Warm Escarole Salad with Snow Peas and Sausage © Stephanie Foley This savory main-course salad is as satisfying as it is restorative. "According to Thai belief, both peas and pea shoots are revitalizing, as well as good for digestion," restaurateur and cookbook author Su-Mei Yu says. "And escarole strengthens muscles and bones." Get the Recipe 07 of 20 Cold Saimin Salad with Soy-Ginger Grilled Pork Victor Protasio This Hawaiian-style cold ramen noodle salad is topped with slices of savory, crispy pork shoulder, crunchy bean sprouts, tender ribbons of egg, shredded nori, and slices of Japanese pickled cucumber. A cooling dressing of dashi, rice wine vinegar, and sake brings it all together. Get the Recipe 08 of 20 Ginger-Miso Grilled Chicken Slaw © Tina Rupp Coleslaw gets a little flavor twist from a delicious ginger-miso paste, which is used to both coat the chicken as well as dress the salad. The slaw has great texture from snow peas, cabbage, carrots, and grilled chicken. Get the Recipe 09 of 20 Peppery Greens Salad with Avocado, Chicken, and Tortilla Croutons Greg DuPree Crispy, pimentón-dusted tortillas stand in for the flatbread traditionally found in the Lebanese bread salad fattoush. Make this recipe with easy homemade Tex-Mex Tortillas or use your favorite store-bought version. Get the Recipe 10 of 20 King Crab Salad with Grapefruit and Avocado © Fredrika Stjärne This lovely seafood salad was an improvisation. "I made it with what I had in the house," Italian winemaker Piero Incisa della Rocchetta recalls. "Scarcity breeds creativity." He uses grapefruit juice both to glaze the crab and to make the sweet-tangy salad dressing. Get the Recipe 11 of 20 Warm Puttanesca Pasta Salad Victor Protasio Most tomato varieties are at their peak in the summer, but cherry tomatoes are reliably good all year. Combine them with crispy prosciutto, fragrant herbs, anchovies, shallot, and olives for a vibrant pasta salad that's delicious warm or at room temperature. Get the Recipe 12 of 20 Chicken Salad with Zucchini, Lemon, and Pine Nuts © Tina Rupp Chef Armand Arnal uses ingredients from his restaurant's enormous organic garden to create seasonal Provençal dishes like this salad of chicken tossed with pine nuts and lemon-marinated zucchini. Get the Recipe 13 of 20 Spicy Lobster Noodle Salad © Cedric Angeles This cellophane noodle salad, with creamy avocados, crunchy peanuts, and a chile-honey dressing, is an excellent showcase for Caribbean spiny lobsters. Also known as rock lobsters, they are sweet but can be slightly dense. This recipe uses Maine lobsters; they're more tender than spiny lobsters — and just as delicious. Get the Recipe 14 of 20 Charred Broccolini Caesar with Kale and Chickpeas Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Smoky, charred Broccolini and chickpeas give this take on Caesar salad the heft it needs to be a main course. Texture is the secret to a salad's wow factor. Here, Little Gem lettuces, hearty kale, and crisp-tender Broccolini bring three levels of crunch, providing plenty of leafy nooks and crannies to catch the thick, anchovy-laced dressing. Get the Recipe 15 of 20 Corned Beef Salad with Thousand Island Dressing and Rye Croutons © Evi Abeler You've probably eaten a sandwich with a salad inside; now try a salad with a sandwich inside. Strips of corned beef are tossed with lettuce and rye bread croutons, then topped with Thousand Island dressing — the real old-fashioned kind with "islands" of pickle relish, hard-cooked egg, and chopped scallion. Get the Recipe 16 of 20 Antipasto Salad with Bocconcini and Green-Olive Tapenade © Greg DuPree Chef Nancy Silverton is an Italian cooking expert, getting the biggest flavor from the simplest ingredients. She does just that with this hearty salad, which combines crisp iceberg lettuce, milky mozzarella, spicy-tangy peperoncini, and salty olives and salami. Get the Recipe 17 of 20 Fiery Grilled Beef Salad with Oranges and Crispy Shallots © James Ransom Although chef Charles Phan says you can use any leafy green in this spicy main-course salad, he suggests watercress because it adds another subtle, peppery layer of heat to the dish. He also says it's fine to partially cook the shallots ahead of time (even the night before) until they're golden, then let them cool; when you refry them before serving, they'll become extra crispy. Get the Recipe 18 of 20 Greek Salad with Shrimp and Kamut Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Kamut, an ancient variety of wheat, adds hearty chew to this entrée inspired by a classic Greek salad. Soak kamut overnight to help it cook faster or, for an even easier dish, cook the kamut in advance to trim day-of prep to 30 minutes. Get the Recipe 19 of 20 Caesar Salad with Crispy Tofu Croutons © Stephanie Foley In this creative remix of a classic Caesar, former F&W editor Melissa Rubel Jacobson pan-fries tofu cubes until they become crisp and crouton-like. Plus, she blends soft tofu with olive oil, lemon juice, and anchovy to make a terrific Caesar-style dressing without the standard raw egg yolks. Get the Recipe 20 of 20 Chile-Lime Crab Salad with Tomato and Avocado © Anna Williams The mix of fresh crab, avocado, and juicy heirloom tomatoes here is a classic combination. But chef Sue Zemanick makes it seem new by tossing the salad with a vibrant, spicy dressing spiked with jalapeño. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit