Salads are summer staples, but these nutrient-dense, low-maintenance meals are also perfect for fall and cold-weather months. With seasonal favorites, like kabocha squash, Brussels sprouts, beets and grains, you can whip up a hearty and delicious dish. Add these insanely satisfying winter salad recipes to your vegetable dish repertoire.
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16 Winter Salad Recipes to Eat Green All Season Long
1.Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing
If you’re not getting enough protein, you’re probably feeling a bit slow by the time the afternoon rolls around. The fix: This flavor-packed shrimp salad. Shrimp is seasoned with chili powder and cayenne to warm up your tummy, and antioxidant-rich spinach and kale delivers essential vitamin K and fiber. Avocado will fill you up with good-for-you fats for lasting power. Top the whole thing off with a miso dressing, which is made with fresh ginger and lime juice to help you fight colds and boost your immunity. Photo and recipe: Lindsay Ostrom / Pinch of Yum
2.Roasted Kabocha Salad with Goat Cheese
This wonderfully colorful salad is dressed with spinach, ruby-colored pomegranate seeds and kabocha squash. Roasting the kabocha squash helps caramelize its flavor and makes it sweeter. Creamy goat cheese packs in some protein, and superseed pomegranates offer vitamin C and other winning antioxidants. Photo and recipe: Nicky / Kitchen Sanctuary
3.Winter Greens and Citrus Salad RecipeLooking for sunshine on a grey winter day? This dish is sure to perk things up! A little can go a long way when you add bold-flavored foods to your dish.Citrus fruits, including oranges and grapefruit, are in season during the wintertime and impart sweetness and tanginess. Radicchio and sliced fennel offer a sharp, peppery note. Pro tip: Slice your citrus into wheels if you’re looking to create a nice meal presentation, but if you’re on-the-go, chop up the fruit into smaller cubes for easier mixing. It will still look pretty in pink! Photo and recipe: Renee Blair / Life by Daily Burn
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4.Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
No need to fit your apple cravings into pies and muffins. This recipe features apples and apple cider vinaigrette, in addition to squash, dried cherries and energy-boosting pepitas. The pumpkin seeds are full of iron, which is great for runners who tend to be deficient. Photo and recipe: Megan Kohrs / With Salt & Wit
5.Sweet Potato and Soft Egg Quinoa Salad
If you’ve always feared that salads wouldn’t be filling enough, this creative salad answers the dilemma of how to add protein without including meat. Here, quinoa and eggs serve as excellent protein sources. When teamed up with seasonal ingredients, such as sweet potato, this dish is an instant fall hit! Make it for dinner or whip it up for brunch on the weekend. Photo and recipe: Erin Alderson / Naturally Ella
6.Winter Cobb Salad
Your average cobb salad just got a seasonal upgrade. Roasted butternut squash, cinnamon-maple chickpeas and apples lend this salad all the comforts of fall. In place of blue cheese, this recipe calls for creamy avocado and salty pecans add a crunchy, heart-healthy alternative to bacon. Photo and recipe: Cristina Cavanaugh, RD LDN / Begin Within Nutrition
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7.Warm Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Salad
Brussels sprouts are the classic greens of winter. In this recipe, they’re shredded instead of chopped to keep a bit of their crunch. Instead of a honey-Dijon dressing you often see with many Brussels sprouts recipes, the greens are sautéed with the comforting taste of bacon and tossed with walnuts and freshly grated Parmesan. If you want an extra hit of protein, add grilled chicken. Photo and recipe: Alaina / The Belle Vie
8.Winter Chopped Salad
The good news about this salad is that your oven does half of the work. Butternut squash, green beans and pears are roasted together until they’re nice and tender. Toss them with arugula, feta and sunflower seeds, and you’ve got yourself an easy weeknight meal. Photo and recipe: Allison Day / Yummy Beet
9.Mean Green Detox Salad
A perfect nutritional reboot recipe for winter, this recipe is packed with antioxidant-rich foods, including grapefruit, broccoli, chickpeas, avocado, kale and purple cabbage. But it gets better: Vegan Parmesan adds a nutty flavor, while superseeds hemp and chia lend healthy fats, protein and fiber. Drizzle with the lemon tahini dressing for a final touch. Photo and recipe: Tieghan Gerard / Half-Baked Harvest
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10.Beet, Carrot & Quinoa Spinach Salad
It’s impossible to ignore the beauty of this colorful bowl, but it also happens to tastes amazing, too. Quinoa, raw beetroots, carrots and baby spinach form the base of the mix and edamame and almond slivers make delicious toppers. If you’re craving a sweet salad bowl, the sweet and spicy honey Dijon and apple cider vinaigrette is the bold flavor that ties it all together. Photo and recipe: Kate / Cookie and Kate
11.Skirt Steak with Caramelized Pears
If you’re a steak lover, this salad is sure to hit the spot. While it can be challenging to find the right mix of flavors for a steak salad, it comes through beautifully in this recipe, which features caramelized pears, walnuts and a sprinkling of gorgonzola cheese. Resting on a bed of peppery arugula, this bowl has all the comfort-food flavor without going over the top. Photo and recipe: Ashley Manila / Baker By Nature
12.Winter Brussels Sprouts Salad RecipeFun fact: Just one cup of Brussels sprouts will fill your daily vitamin C and K quota. Pair it with apple slices (Gala recommended), crushed walnuts and dried cranberries — all of winter’s classic ingredients. Add a squeeze of lemon juice for extra zest. Photo and recipe: Evan Thomas / Life for Daily Burn
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13.Warm Zucchini Salad
This creative salad is the perfect fix for a warm and comforting vegetable dish. Instead of leafy greens, this recipe opts for basil-scented grilled zucchini, red peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. Who says it needs to be summer to grill? Use a grill pan on your stovetop. Top with balsamic and olive oil to round out the flavor. Photo and recipe: Julia / Vikalinka
14.Winter Beet Caprese Salad
Here, pan-fried halloumi cheese steps in for mozzarella. (Never heard of it? Halloumi is traditionally made with goat’s and sheep’s milk, so it may be easier to digest than cow’s milk.) Cumin-marinated beets serve as the vegetable base in this winter remix of caprese salad. Topped with a sprinkling of arugula, hazelnuts and apple chutney, this recipe is perfect for entertaining or as a starter salad before dinner. Photo: Sofia Eydelman / From the Land We Live On
15.Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad
Sometimes the best meal is an easy one. Made with just five ingredients, this flavor-packed salad is perfect for a weeknight meal. Sweet potatoes, black beans and avocado offer hearty fiber and filling fat, while quinoa offers plant-based protein. Photo and recipe: Christine McMichael / Jar of Lemons
16.Kale and Blood Orange Salad
The secret to softening kale is massaging it with olive oil. This helps break down its fibrous structures and makes it easier to eat and digest. But the stars of this salad are the blood oranges, which lend a tangy flavor and zest. And for a hit or savory goodness: thinly sliced shallots will balance out your bowl. Photo and recipe: Sarah Yates Mora / A House in the Hills
