Salad recipes

A playful Hanukkah fruit salad the kids will love: banana halves standing in pineapple rings to look like candles, topped with orange gumdrop flames and green pepper handles. No cooking, just crafting and snacking.

A two-layer Jello salad with a cherry pie filling base topped by a creamy lemon layer of cream cheese, pineapple, whipped cream, and marshmallows. Serves 12 from a 9x13 pan.

Mediterranean-style minted potato salad with olive oil, lemon juice, scallions, and parsley. No mayo, served chilled with warm pita bread on the side.

Orange Jello salad with just cottage cheese and whipped topping. No boiling, no setting, no cooking at all. Dry Jello powder dissolves straight into the cottage cheese for a fluffy potluck side.

Confetti rice salad starts with chicken-flavored rice pilaf tossed with green onions, pimentos, and a sweet vinegar dressing. A colorful, make-ahead cold side dish for cookouts.

Fresh pear salad with halved pears on lettuce, filled with cottage cheese and topped with a chilled pear-orange fruit dressing thickened with cornstarch. A vintage composed fruit salad.

Pecan cheese gelatin salad with pineapple, cottage cheese, whipped cream, marshmallows, and sour cream set in a fruity mold. A classic Southern potluck side.

Pineapple-peach salad with pinwheel-arranged peach slices on fresh pineapple rings, garnished with strawberries, peppery watercress and a dab of mayonnaise. A retro ladies-lunch classic.

Pine nut pasta salad with butter-toasted pine nuts, alphabet pasta, bell peppers, parsley, and a lemon-olive oil dressing topped with Parmesan. A colorful chilled side dish.

Miso potato salad with baby potatoes simmered in a sauce of white and red miso, sake, ginger, and honey. A Japanese-inspired side served hot or cold, no mayo needed.

Spinach and radicchio salad with sliced mushrooms, red pepper, black olives, and Parmesan in a red wine vinegar and lemon dressing. A crisp, bitter-sweet Italian-style side.

Papaya lamb salad pairs stir-fried lamb chops with sweet ripe papaya, roma tomatoes, bean sprouts, and warm rice for a tropical-meets-Asian main-course salad. Served with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

OK Corral salad, a hearty cold pasta-and-tuna toss with pasta wheels, canned tuna, crisp radishes, and green bell pepper. Make-ahead potluck friendly.

Moroccan eggplant salad (zaalouk-style) with sauteed eggplant, grated tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley. A warm, smoky appetizer served with lemon wedges.

Frozen fruit salad with strawberry Jello, pink lemonade, whipped topping, peaches, grapes, bananas, and cherries. Molded in a loaf pan and sliced to serve. A retro potluck classic.

Italian-style green bean salad tossed with thinly sliced onions, red wine vinegar, olive oil, basil, and Parmesan. A low-calorie make-ahead side dish that gets better the longer it chills.