Winter Salad Recipes for Dinner

Want to get more greens in your diet? Board of the same old side salad? Looking for something warm and cozy for dinner while eating healthy?

I have some delicious warm winter salad recipes that are hearty enough to have for dinner. Warm winter salads and veggie-packed soups are two of my favorite ways to pack more vegetables well satisfying the desire for warm cozy food in the winter.

What’s a Warm winter salad?

I am defining warm winter salad as a salad that serves primarily warm ingredients over salad greens. These recipes are sheet pan dinners served over hearty greens. Other served pan-fried elements over salad greens.

These recipes are sheet pan dinners served over hearty greens. Other served pan-fried elements over salad greens.

There’s a time and a place for monochromatic, but most of the time I like a variation in colors to highlight the fresh vegetables in my salads.

What makes a good salad?

Color- we eat with her eyes before we eat with our mouths. I’m a ceramic artist and teacher- not surprising I think it’s super important to consider how meals look. There’s a time and a place for monochromatic, but most of the time I like a variation in colors to highlight the fresh vegetables in my salads.
Texture- The variation in textures can make the most out of your salads. I love a mixture of creamy, crispy, chewy, and crunchy.
Flavor boosters- Homemade salad dressings, toasted nuts, and fried cheese, these salads are packed with a variety of flavor-boosting elements to bring your dish to the next level.
Contrast – whether it’s contrasting colors or contrasting the texture, I think salads work best when there is some variation that balances out the elements. The heat of a harissa sauce works great with a cooling nutty tahini sauce. A shallot vinaigrette's sharp and bright flavors are delicious with pan-fried feta cheese. The soft and creamy texture of sweet potatoes is balanced with the crunch of toasted pepitas and the chewy texture of dried cranberries.

The heat of a harissa sauce works great with a cooling nutty tahini sauce.

Homemade salad dressings, toasted nuts, and fried cheese, these salads are packed with a variety of flavor-boosting elements to bring your dish to the next level.

Winter Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Toasted Pepitas — The soft and creamy texture of sweet potatoes is balanced with the crunch of toasted pepitas and the chewy texture of dried cranberries.

The Best Winter Salad Recipes for Dinner:

Looking for more hearty and healthy winter recipes try these Hearty and Healthy Vegetarian Soup Recipes.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Za'tar Chickpeas Warm Salad (with Pesto vinaigrette)

This hearty and warm salad is full of delightful and surprising flavor combinations greater than the sum of their parts. Zaatar-covered roasted chickpeas, roasted sweet potatoes, and topped with buffalo-style hot sauce and pesto vinaigrette- this hearty warm salad will keep you full and satisfied. I know the combination of buffalo-style hot sauce and pesto seems odd- but something about it just works.

Check out this recipe

Fried Feta and Rotisserie Chicken Salad for Dinner

Fried Feta and Rotisserie Chicken Salad for Dinner

This fried feta salad with rotisserie chicken is an amazing dinner meal that whips together in 15 minutes. The biggest shortcut is using leftover chicken or just buying a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Frying the feta makes the dish so amazingly delicious you’ll forget you’re eating a salad and that it only took you a few minutes to whip it together.

Check out this recipe