Healthy Recipes Nutrient-Focused Diets High-Protein Recipes High-Protein Salad Recipes 22 Gut-Healthy Salads That Are High in Protein By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 3, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Close Stop your search for a satisfying salad that’s also delicious, because you’ll find one right here in this collection. These veggie-packed mixes offer at least 15 grams of protein per serving to help you stay full for longer, promote muscle recovery and maintain healthy digestion. They’re also chock-full of prebiotic-rich foods like artichokes, chickpeas and pears, plus probiotic-rich ingredients like kimchi, tempeh and yogurt to support a healthy gut microbiome. You’ll love every refreshing bite of recipes like our Green Goddess Salad and Forbidden Rice & White Kimchi Steak Salad for lunch or dinner any day of the week! 01 of 22 Smoked Salmon Salad Niçoise This twist on a classic Niçoise salad uses smoked salmon in place of tuna and adds extra vegetables in place of hard-boiled eggs and olives. View Recipe 02 of 22 Green Goddess Salad Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell This gorgeous green goddess salad combines fresh shrimp, cucumber, artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes with homemade dressing. View Recipe 03 of 22 Forbidden Rice & White Kimchi Steak Salad This steak salad doesn't feature a typical dressing, but tangy kimchi, savory pan-fried shallots and lemon juice pack it with flavor. Forbidden rice helps add more color and nutrition to this tangy dish. View Recipe 04 of 22 Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender. View Recipe 05 of 22 Chopped Salad with Chicken & Creamy Chipotle Dressing Photography / Jennifer Causey, Styling / Melissa Gray / Kay Clarke This chopped salad with chicken is smoky and zesty thanks to the creamy chipotle dressing. Cilantro adds a pop of freshness to each bite. View Recipe 06 of 22 Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing Deep-fried falafel can be a total grease bomb. But these pan-seared falafel still get crispy in just a few tablespoons of oil with equally satisfying results. Be sure to use dried, instead of canned, chickpeas in this healthy recipe—canned chickpeas add too much moisture. View Recipe 07 of 22 Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken. View Recipe 08 of 22 Mâche & Chicken Salad with Honey-Tahini Dressing Photography / Jenny Huang, Food Styling / Tyna Hoang, Prop Styling / Nicole Louie If fresh peas aren't available, thawed frozen peas make an excellent substitute. Look for tender mâche at farmers' markets and natural-foods stores. View Recipe 09 of 22 Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad with Wild Rice This fresh take on chicken salad features a creamy yogurt-balsamic dressing and plenty of fresh herbs. It's a great option for leftover cooked chicken. View Recipe 10 of 22 Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup! View Recipe 11 of 22 Grilled Salmon Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Homemade raspberry dressing? You bet. Prep it a day ahead and this easy salmon salad will come together in no time. View Recipe 12 of 22 Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables. View Recipe 13 of 22 Salmon Caesar Salad This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too. View Recipe 14 of 22 Orzo Salad with Chickpeas & Artichoke Hearts Photography / Fred Hardy, Styling / Kady Wohlfarth / Kay Clarke This hearty orzo salad features feta, lemon and dill, three ingredients often found in Greek cuisine. Enjoy for lunch or dinner. View Recipe 15 of 22 Tempeh "Chicken" Salad Eating probiotics--live bacteria in raw fermented food, such as tempeh and miso--can rev up the good bacteria in your body, which may help you with weight loss. Look for tempeh near the tofu in the produce section. Try vegan mayo for a completely plant-based lunch. View Recipe 16 of 22 Spinach Salad with Steak & Blueberries Combine steak, walnuts, blueberries and feta cheese in this simple salad and you have yourself a healthy and satisfying supper. Serve with grilled baguette and a glass of rosé. View Recipe 17 of 22 Lobster Niçoise Salad Steamed lobster is a luxurious swap for tuna in this otherwise-classic, veggie-loaded Niçoise salad. In a pinch--or if you don't want to deal with a giant pot of boiling water on a steamy summer day--many supermarkets have freshly picked lobster meat at their seafood counter or in the freezer case. Serve with a warm baguette for lunch or dinner. View Recipe 18 of 22 Curried Chicken & Pasta Salad This crowd-pleasing pasta salad is potluck-perfect for barbecue season. View Recipe 19 of 22 Classic Niçoise Salad This colorful platter salad with origins in the south of France makes a well-balanced and satisfying hot-weather meal. Coating the potatoes in dressing while they are still hot helps them absorb the flavors. View Recipe 20 of 22 Chicken Waldorf Salad Leftover cooked chicken makes this chicken Waldorf salad, loaded with apples, grapes, celery and walnuts, a snap to assemble. If you use rotisserie chicken, keep in mind that it's salty and omit the salt in the dressing. Serve over watercress, with a chunk of whole-grain baguette. View Recipe 21 of 22 Quinoa Deli Salad This healthy version of a deli salad combines hearty quinoa and chickpeas with small amounts of ham and mozzarella, so you get all of the flavor without overdoing it on the sodium. This healthy quinoa salad is great as dinner and doubles as a delicious lunch the next day. View Recipe 22 of 22 Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette Inspired by the classic warm party dip, this simple salad can be served up right away or divided into small lidded containers for a week of delicious lunches. To keep the hard-boiled eggs tasting fresh, we suggest adding them to your salad just before serving or in the morning before packing your lunch to go. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit