12 Green Salad Recipes, From Simple Sides to Hearty Mains

For many, green salads are a thrown-together afterthought… and that’s fine! No judgment! We’ve all been there. Perhaps you’ve expended most of your energy getting a laborious main course together, or maybe you just don’t have enough time to begin with. Our advice? When in doubt, stick with the basics—maybe keep a nice, citrusy vinaigrette around for last-minute scenarios—but if you have the bandwidth, try branching out.

There are many incremental improvements you can make to up your salad game, like sourcing several kinds of fresh, crisp greens and fragrant herbs, whipping up a rich, creamy dressing, or baking off a sheet pan of sourdough anchovy croutons. Try mixing and matching to your heart’s content or, for a more intentional approach, try one of these green salad recipes.