Fresh & Healthy Meal Prep Salads

Food

Fresh & Healthy Meal Prep Salads

admin

September 4, 2022

Let’s talk LUNCH. Or dinner, or really any meal you want something delicious and hearty. Today I’m bringing you over 40 fresh and healthy meal prep salads that make the absolute best lunches and dinners during busy work weeks.

After updating and re-sharing these amazing 4 mason jar salads, I wanted to put together an even bigger roundup of salad recipes that are protein-packed and easy to meal prep during the week. Each of these hearty salad recipes packs at least 8g of protein and plenty of fiber to keep you full and satisfied.

Get all of my tips for meal prepping salads below, and then scroll through and pick out your fav recipes to try!

Our favorite way to meal prep salads

We LOVE loading up mason jars to make cute, delicious salads in jars for the week! Get all of my tips & tricks for making mason jar salads, plus 4 great recipes to get you started right here.

Tips for meal prepping salad recipes

Salads are probably the easiest meals to prep ahead of time, which makes them perfect for busy weekdays. Here’s how I like to meal prep salads:

Cook your proteins: if you’re adding a protein to your salad that needs to be cooked, cook this a day ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble your salad. Learn all of the best ways to cook chicken here!
Chop your produce: do your fruits & veggies require dicing or chopping? Probably! Chop them all up one day and store them in the refrigerator for easy assembly.
Make your dressing(s): whether you’re making multiple salads or just one, I recommend making the dressings ahead of time and storing them in the fridge as well.

Once these are complete you can either keep the ingredients separated and quickly assemble multiple salads throughout the week, or add your ingredients together in a jar or meal prep container without the dressing for an even faster option!

What’s in these meal prep salads?

The flavor combinations are truly endless in these easy meal prep salad recipes, so you have TONS to choose from. Each salad follows a similar “formula” that makes it both delicious and satisfying:

Protein and fiber: to keep you full, of course! We have plenty of options for meat & plant-based proteins like chicken, chickpeas, nuts, seafood, beans, quinoa, pasta, and more. You can always add any of them to any salad. Yes, pasta packs a protein and fiber punch!
Healthy fats: additional ingredients to fill you up like avocado, nuts, and cheeses.
Fruits & veggies: is it even a salad without produce?! We love greens like spinach, arugula and romaine lettuce, veggies like broccoli, cucumber, bell pepper, carrots and red onion, and fruits like berries, peaches, tomatoes, mango, and more. This is where you can really get creative!
Dressing: each salad is tied together with a flavorful homemade dressing. Get all of my homemade salad dressings here!

How long do meal prep salads last?

Feel free to store your salad ingredients separately from the dressing in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. If you add dressing to your salad and have leftovers, the salad won’t stay as fresh, which is why I recommend storing your salad ingredients separately from the dressing until you’re ready to eat it.