Salad recipes

Chicken pasta salad with fusilli, steamed zucchini, tomatoes, Greek olives, and pine nuts, all tossed in a garlicky basil vinaigrette. A bright, hearty summer dish ready in 30 minutes.

Grilled portabello caps loaded with creamy spinach-artichoke ricotta filling, finished with Parmesan and served alongside a rustic tomato bread salad. A quick vegetarian main that's ready in under 30 minutes.

Quick and easy way to make a plateful refreshing and flavorful salad. Mixed greens, cucumber, and radish are mixed with basil balsamic dressing, topped with shaved parmesan.

Skip store-bought packets and make your own Italian dressing mix that will keep in the pantry for up to a year.

Marinated tomatoes with basil and balsamic vinegar layer sliced ripe tomatoes and soaked red onion with a garlicky dressing and fresh basil. A bright vegetarian side built for summer tomato season.

This is called the Giuseppe Taco, we got the recipe from El Gastronomo Vagabundo taco truck.

Pasta salad with fresh basil, ripe Roma tomatoes, parmesan, and a lemon-olive oil toss. A summer-ready cold pasta that lets a handful of garden ingredients shine.

Creamy spinach pesto dip with Parmesan, walnuts, basil, and garlic blended with sour cream. No cooking required, ready in 5 minutes flat.

Pounded chicken breasts stuffed with fresh basil and Roma tomatoes, coated in Parmesan breadcrumbs, and pan-fried golden. Served on a bed of peppery radicchio and watercress tossed in vinaigrette.

Quick microwave chicken pasta primavera loaded with broccoli and carrots, tossed in a creamy ranch-parmesan sauce over fettuccine. Dinner on the table in under 10 minutes.

Making croutons is a great way to use up your day-old bread, and croutons are an excellent accompaniment with salad, especially for casar salad. This quick, easy, flavorful and crunchy croutons take you no time to have some delicious crunch.

Grilled chicken romaine vinaigrette, a Caesar-style main course salad with herb-marinated grilled chicken, romaine, Parmesan, water chestnuts, and croutons.

Fish fillets are cooked on a bed of mushroom-bread stuffing in this dish. Just add a salad or vegetable, and dinner is served.

Chunky pesto with two kinds of basil, leftover chicken, pecans, and anchovies for depth. A no-cook sauce that turns pasta salad or hot pasta into a full meal.

This is an old Ruthenian peasant dish, very popular in the Carpathian Alps, as well as here in Fair Oaks, CA. Great for warming the tummy on a cold winter day. This is easy to prepare, and good as a luncheon dish served with salad, or as a first course soup prior to a lighter entree.

Here is a kind of throw together recipe I came up with: If you are entertaining you can garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a caesar salad, garlic bread and a nice chablis. The vegetables can vary. I've used mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower etc. Grouper works well with this because it has a lot of flavor. I've used fresh tuna and halibut but prefer grouper.