One of my favorite summer dinners is a salad. No normal tossed salads though; I’m making hearty and filling (yet light) ones. Here are a few Blue Ribbon salads that are packed with yummy ingredients and in my dinner rotation.
Lynnie Denton (Dublin, OH) Tuna Steak Salad is better than anything you’ll find at a restaurant. It’s ridiculously good.
“I love beautiful, colorful salads with a healthy dose of protein to make a perfect meal,” explains Lynnie. “I place the tuna onto the salad shortly after cooking to allow the juices from the warm tuna to flow down into the veggie mixture. Double or triple the recipe for your family and serve it up with a warm, toasty baguette to make it a meal.”
Slices of grilled tuna are placed on a bed of lettuce. The salad is filled with sliced onion, bell pepper, and avocado. Fresh Parmesan sprinkled on top adds saltiness and is the perfect last touch. This salad is hearty enough for a delicious meal and comes together in under 20 minutes.
Caprese salad is a classic recipe with its fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil. Peggy O’Brien used those flavors as a basis for her Caprese Salad With Quinoa and Brown Rice.
“This is a healthy variation of a Caprese salad with bowtie pasta,” says Peggy. “I decided to try something healthy as a change-up.”
Her version adds a little brown rice and quinoa for a heartier salad. Honey balsamic dressing gives the dish a slightly sweet and tangy flavor. Yum!
Michelle Tow (San Diego, CA) shared her Wedge Salad With Tarragon Blue Cheese Dressing that I think is fantastic.
“I love wedge salads and wanted to make a version that was all my own that was full of the crispness and flavor but with a twist,” reveals Michelle. Her twist? Adding tarragon to the blue cheese dressing. Tarragon has an almost anise-like flavor and really freshens up the blue cheese dressing recipe. It gives a nice zing to the salad.
BLT’s are a summer classic sandwich and Maya Turnor (Tumwater, WA) used those flavors in her BLT Salad With Greek Yogurt Dressing. Romaine lettuce and pasta are the base for the salad making this very hearty. Bacon and tomatoes are then tossed in.
What makes this recipe, though, is the dressing. It’s a mixture of Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and bacon drippings – a definite winner. You may want to prepare a little extra… it’s that good.
Debby DeRousse’s (Houston, TX) Mom’s Taco Salad has simple ingredients, but when you put everything together it creates a really tasty salad.
“My mother made this for our rather large family in the hot summers back in the early ’70s,” shares Debby. “I enjoyed it then, as well as today.”
Corn chips add crunch and flavor a little different than the average tortilla chip. Traditionally, taco salads have black beans and we loved the use of pinto beans instead. All the other ingredients are toppings you love on taco salad. This is a quick salad to throw together when you’re not sure what to do for dinner.
I highly suggest one of these divine salads if you’re looking for a lighter, but filling summer dinner.
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