9 Light and Refreshing Summer Salads

It’s salad season, and we couldn’t be happier! Here’s our best summer salad recipes. They’re ideal for picnics, lunches or as sides for dinner.

By
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Published July 19, 2021
Sara Bir
Light and Refreshing Summer Salads

Simply Recipes

Salads are great all year long, but they’re especially lovely in the summer, when the days are long, the produce is plentiful, and the temperatures can soar. It’s the time when branching out from the standbys of lettuce with bottled dressing is not only natural, but inevitable.

In my house, salads are summertime staples, often replacing heartier meals and determined in large part by what ingredients are on hand.

At the farmers market, I buy first and strategize later (one could have worse afflictions than impulse buying a drawer’s worth of local vegetables). When hunger strikes, I think of my favorite combinations—many are below—and feel free to improvise on those themes.

Many of these recipes lend themselves to making ahead, or can be assembled quickly at the last minute, needing only grilled steak, chicken or fish to round them out. Ease into the dog days with low-effort meals for maximum impact, and savor the flavors peaking now.

  • Greek Pasta Salad

    Gluten Free Greek Pasta Salad
    Sabrina Modelle

    Here’s a salad that can work as a main or a substantial side. The briny olives and feta you crave in Greek salad meet the ease and economy of pasta salad. Pack this one up and bring it to a friend’s BBQ—it’s a great make ahead recipe.

    Get Recipe

  • Fattoush Bread Salad

    Fattoush with summer vegetables and pita chips in a round bowl
    Sheryl Julian

    Bits of toasted pita soak up the tomato-laced dressing in this classic Middle Eastern salad. It’s ideal for sweltering days when you can’t be bothered to use the oven. Speaking of, if you don’t want to make your own pita chips, grab a bag from the store and use those instead.

    Get Recipe

  • Easy Cucumber, Peach, and Basil Salad

    Summer peach and cucumber salad in a bowl with a serving spoon. A blue linen is to the right and peaches, limes and basil are to the left of the bowl.
    Kalisa Marie Martin

    There’s something about the combination of sweet peaches, crisp watery cucumber, and aromatic basil leaves that’s utterly irresistible. This salad is a must try!

    Get Recipe

  • Lentil Salad with Summer Vegetables

    French Lentil Salad Recipe
    Sheryl Julian

    Here’s a terrific salad for picnics. It’s best the day it’s made, but you can toss the cooked lentils with the vinaigrette and add the greens and vegetables right before you depart.

    Get Recipe
    Continue to 5 of 9 below.

  • Caprese Salad with Tomatoes, Basil, and Mozzarella

    Caprese salad
    Elise Bauer

    Always popular, caprese salad sees its acme in the summer, when basil and big, luscious tomatoes are abundant. This one’s best assembled right before serving, but it requires very little effort.

    Get Recipe

  • Pasta and Bean Picnic Salad

    Pasta Bean Picnic Salad
    Sheryl Julian

    This is exactly the kind of salad everyone’s happy to see at a potluck cookout. With a base of pasta and canned beans and a dressing you can make with pantry staples, it’s just what you need for tossing together on short notice.

    Get Recipe

  • Arugula Corn Salad with Bacon

    Arugula Corn Salad with Bacon
    Elise Bauer

    Summer means sweet corn at its peak. Feature it in a salad like this and you have a starch and a veggie side all in one. Try this with a grilled flank steak.

    Get Recipe

  • Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint

    Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint
    Elise Bauer

    A hot summer night’s meal of a simple grilled salmon or chicken becomes memorable when you make cooling salad to go with it. The sweet watermelon, lively mint, and salty feta are a compelling study in contrasts. Best of all, it’s super easy to make!

    Get Recipe
    Continue to 9 of 9 below.

  • Green Bean Salad with Basil, Balsamic, and Parmesan

    Green Bean Salad with Basil and Parmesan
    Elise Bauer

    Here’s a salad that keeps well, so you can make it as a side for dinner and then dip into leftovers the rest of the week. It’s exquisitely simple. If you’d like to bulk it up, add some chopped toasted walnuts.

    Get Recipe