Salad recipes

It's quick, easy to make, and tastes refreshing and flavorful.

Bitter greens salad with radicchio, peppery arugula, and chicory tossed with Italian dressing. A bracing four-ingredient side that cuts through rich pasta or roasted meats.

Five-green salad with iceberg, Boston lettuce, romaine, chicory, and spinach, each dressed separately in Italian dressing and arranged in strips with Parmesan.

Rice pilaf tossed with Italian dressing, soy sauce, fresh spinach strips, scallions, and crumbled bacon. A make-ahead potluck salad that serves 50 and gets better as it chills.

Cold spaghetti pasta salad tossed with diced cucumber, red bell pepper, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, and bottled Italian dressing. A potluck classic that travels well and tastes better the second day.

Halloween hairball salad: walnut-sized balls of mashed avocado and alfalfa sprouts rolled up and perched on grated carrots, finished with Italian dressing. Kid-friendly ghoulish fun.

Cucumber and radish salad marinated in zesty Italian dressing with sweet onion and parsley. Crisp, refreshing and low-carb, it gets better as it chills, a make-ahead side that needs no cooking.

Tex-Mex spinach salad with black beans, bacon, mushrooms, and red pepper in a spicy picante-cumin dressing. A no-cook salad with bold San Antonio flavor.

Quick microwave Italian potato salad with new red potatoes, olives, bell peppers, and fresh tomatoes tossed in zesty Italian dressing. Ready in 25 minutes with no stove required.

Marinated cucumber and red bell pepper salad: crisp cucumber, sweet pepper, and slippery bean thread noodles tossed in Italian dressing and basil, chilled until they soak up the tang. A light, make-ahead salad.

Celery and peanuts not only added some nice crunch, but also gave the salad some delicious tang and nuttiness. Very easy to prepare, for the best result, put it in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight to allow the flavor to combine. Tasty and refreshing!

Two-ingredient spicy Italian dressing made by mixing picante sauce with Italian dressing. Use it on salads, as a veggie marinade, or tossed with shrimp. Ready in 10 minutes, makes 3/4 cup.

Marinated vegetable toss with tomatoes, radishes, red onion, celery, and cucumber in Italian dressing, chilled overnight. A crunchy, make-ahead side salad with no cooking required.

Marinated shrimp kabobs with picante sauce and Italian dressing, threaded with broccoli florets and cherry tomatoes. A make-ahead cocktail appetizer with three-color visual punch.

Skillet BBQ pork chops marinated in Italian dressing, barbecue sauce, and chili powder. Just 4 ingredients and ready in about an hour with minimal hands-on time.

Quick no-cook pita pockets stuffed with cubed Spam, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, and tomatoes tossed in Italian dressing. Ready in just 10 minutes for an easy lunch.