Do you ever crave a nice, refreshing, tasty salad with lots of healthy vegetables but loathe the prep involved? These five nutritious, healthy salad recipes for weight loss are delicious, easy to make, and can help you meet your weight loss goals. They help you reduce calories in your diet and are quick and convenient options for planning healthy, filling lunches, and dinners ahead of time.
In ten steps or less, whip up any of these salads and stay on track with your long term weight loss goals without taking the joy out of mealtime:
1. Roasted Potato and Creamy Peanut Butter Salad
This salad is only 250 calories and works as a quick salad recipe for weight loss at lunch or as a side salad at dinner time. Feel free to cook extra potatoes and chop extra vegetables during this salad prep to save time on making it again later in the week. You can also double the potatoes for this recipe to make it more substantial without increasing the calories too much.
Ingredients and steps:
- 6 baby potatoes, halved with salt and pepper, and roasted for 60 minutes at 360 degrees
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach or other leafy greens spread onto salad plate.
- 1 cup of grated or spiralized zucchini sprinkled over greens.
- ½ cup green bell pepper sliced and distributed onto salad.
- ⅛ purple onion sliced and sprinkled over salad.
- Distribute the roasted potatoes over salad and toss.
- (dressing) Mix 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons water, pinch of garlic powder and onion powder, and a ¼ teaspoon maple syrup together. Drizzle over salad.
2. Sweet Potato and Blueberry Salad
At only 380 calories, this delicious and nutritious salad serves as a main dish and can be made even more filling if topped with some sliced almonds or a bit of grilled chicken for extra protein. Cook extra sweet potatoes as a proactive step toward having prepped vegetables already on-hand for meals later in the week.
Ingredients and steps:
- 1 medium sweet potato, sliced and sprinkled with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil, and roasted for 30 minutes at 360 degrees.
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach spread onto plate.
- Spread the roasted sweet potato over the greens.
- ½ avocado diced and added to the salad.
- ½ fresh blueberries sprinkled over top of all salad ingredients.
- (dressing) 1 teaspoon tahini, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons water, all mixed to a creamy consistency. Drizzle over the salad.
3. Honey Mustard and Chicken Apple Salad
This super filling, sweet and tangy salad is only about 400 calories and is nutrient-packed with protein, vitamins, and flavor. Prep extra chicken breasts to have this salad multiple times during the week or as a protein compliment to other meals. It tastes scrumptious and is a reliable, healthy salad recipe for weight loss.
Ingredients and steps:
- 1 chicken breast, ½ teaspoon mustard powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, ½ teaspoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice all tossed in the pan over medium heat until fully cooked.
- 2 handfuls cut romaine lettuce added to plate
- 1 apple cubed and added to greens
- 2 stalks celery chopped added to salad
- ½ cup grape tomatoes added to salad
- ⅛ sliced onion added to salad
- Add honey mustard chicken to salad
- Serve
4. Chicken Cucumber Avocado Salad
This salad is only 380 calories and works great as a small meal on its own because it’s so filling and nutrient rich. It’s crunchy, hydrating, creamy, and satisfying all at the same time. You can also prepare extra portions of the chicken breast so it’s ready to go for any other planned meals that call for chicken. It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Ingredients and steps:
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- ½ cup chicken breast, pan grilled with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and then cubed.
- 1 hard-boiled eggs, sliced.
- 1 cucumber, quartered and sliced.
- 10 grape tomatoes, halved.
- ½ avocado, skin removed, and diced.
- ¼ red onion, sliced.
- ⅛ cup parsley, chopped.
- ¼ cup black olives.
- (dressing) 1 lemon, juiced with two teaspoons of olive oil drizzled over salad.
- 1 pinch each of salt and pepper.
5. Chicken and Brown Rice Sesame Salad
Coming in at 450 calories, this dish is a great choice for when you’re craving a stir fry or other Asian-inspired meal but prefer the texture and health benefits of a nice filling salad. As with some of the previous recipes, prep extra chicken—or any other ingredients that will store well—with other meal planning in mind.
Ingredients and steps:
- 1 chicken breast, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ginger powder, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ½ teaspoon olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice all tossed in the pan over medium heat until fully cooked.
- 1 cup shredded cabbage spread onto plate.
- ⅓ cup grated carrot sprinkled over cabbage.
- ½ cup red bell pepper slices added over salad.
- ¼ cup green beans added to salad.
- ⅛ onion sliced and sprinkled over salad.
- ½ cup grape tomatoes tossed with all other salad ingredients.
- ½ cup brown rice added to salad (optional).
- Add cooked chicken and squeeze lemon juice over entire dish.
Of course, trying to shed weight with salads – or any other drastic weight loss method – isn’t a sustainable approach. Almost always, you will gain back lost weight quickly after the program is over. And strict elimination diets or extreme calorie reduction can be dangerous. That’s why you need a holistic weight loss program like Noom. With our help, you get far more than just recipes and restrictions. You get a well-rounded wellness support plan that gives you the accountability, community support, and expert coaching you need for long-term sustainable results.
