3 Easy Meal Prep Salads (that stay fresh all week!)
EASY MEAL PREP SALADS
In the past, I never thought salads kept very well, so I never really bothered with meal prepping them, apart from 1 or 2 go-to recipes that I had.
But recently, I moved to Houston, and it’s so hot here that sometimes all I want is a salad. The problem is that making a salad can take a long time, as there’s a lot of washing and chopping involved. So, it’s not always practical to make a salad from scratch whenever you want to eat it. It’s way more time-efficient to make a big batch of it and then have salad ready to go in the fridge for the next few days whenever you want to eat it.
So, over the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with prepping salads a lot more, and I have found that it’s all about the ingredients you use and how you put all of those ingredients together.
Here are some of my favorite salads to meal prep right now that actually keep well, up to 5 days in the fridge! These recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan (well they can be if you use dairy-free cheese and gluten-free pasta).
Hope you enjoy!
Liezl
It’s really easy to put these salads together, you can see how in my video (above)!
WATERMELON + CUCUMBER SALAD
I like this one as a side salad or snack, especially in the summer – it’s really refreshing! I prefer using dairy-free feta to make this salad last longer (dairy tends to make salads spoil faster). Additionally, I usually add the dressing right before I eat it so that nothing goes soggy.
Ingredients (salad):
– 4 cups diced watermelon
– 2 cups diced cucumber
– 1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
– 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (roughly chopped)
– 100g feta cheese (about 1 cup, I use dairy-free)
Ingredients (dressing):
– 1/4 cup olive oil
– 1 tbsp lemon juice
– 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
– 1 tsp sweetener (I use maple syrup)
– salt and pepper
How to make it:
– Chop up the watermelon, cucumber, onion, basil and feta (I use dairy-free feta as it lasts longer in a salad).
– Toss all of the salad ingredients together, store in airtight containers and keep in the fridge.
– Mix all of the dressing ingredients together and store in a separate airtight container in the fridge (optional, you can also make this fresh on the day).
– Toss a serving of salad in the dressing right before you eat it!
– Enjoy!
Portions: Serves 4 (in 4 x 20 oz containers)
Calories: 250 calorie per serving
How it keeps: 2-3 days with dressing stored separately (lasts longer with dairy-free feta cheese)
MEDITERRANEAN PASTA SALAD
This is one of my favorite things to meal prep right now. It’s filling, yet it still feels light, and it tastes so good that it feels restaurant-worthy. I use dairy-free feta to ensure it keeps better, and during meal times, I just eat it straight out of the container with a fork!
Ingredients (salad):
– 14oz spiral pasta (I use gluten-free)
– 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (from a jar, soaked in oil)
– 280g cherry tomatoes (10 oz)
– 2 big handfuls baby spinach (roughly chopped)
– 1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
– 100g feta (about 1 cup, I use dairy-free)
Ingredients (dressing):
– 6 tbsp olive oil
– 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
– 1 tsp dijon mustard
– 1 tsp maple syrup
– 2 tsp dried herbs
– salt and pepper
How to make it:
– Cook the pasta and then let it cool.
– Slice up the sun-dried tomatoes, halve the cherry tomatoes (optional), roughly chop the spinach and feta (I use dairy-free as it keeps better in a salad), and finely chop the onion.
– Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix.
– Combine all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with the dressing.
– Serve between big or small containers to store, cover with airtight lids and store in the fridge.
– Enjoy!
Portions: Serves 6 (in 6 x 30 oz containers)
Calories: 450 calorie per serving
How it keeps: 5 days (lasts longer with dairy-free feta cheese)
CRUNCHY THAI PEANUT SALAD
This is one of the few salads I have been meal prepping for years! I used to include chicken in it, but more recently, I’ve been using chickpeas for the protein, so that the salad lasts longer (I find they keep better without dairy or meat). The dressing is my favorite part of this salad – that’s where all the flavor comes from!
Ingredients (salad):
– 1 red bell pepper (diced)
– 2 medium carrots (shredded or grated)
– 1/2 small head of red cabbage (shredded)
– 1/2 small head of green or napa cabbage (shredded)
– 1 cup snap peas (cut into long strips)
– 1/2 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
– 1/2 cup spring onion (finely chopped)
– 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
Ingredients (dressing):
– 1/2 cup peanut butter
– 1 tbsp fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ginger powder)
– 3 tbsp rice vinegar
– 2 tbsp lemon juice
– 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
– 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
– 1 tbsp sesame oil
– 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
– Salt and pepper
Optional topping:
– 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts or cashews (not included in calories)
How to make it:
– Wash all of the vegetables and make sure they are really dry before chopping them up (so they keep better).
– Shred the cabbage and carrots, slice the snap peas, dice the bell pepper, and finely chop the cilantro and spring onion.
– Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
– Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
– Start serving out the salad into 4 meal prep containers by adding some of the dressing to the bottom of each container.
– After adding the dressing, add the chickpeas on top and then layer all of the vegetables into each container (so that they don’t go soggy from the dressing – see my video).
– Cover with airtight lids and store in the fridge.
– Before eating, toss the salad in the dressing and enjoy!
Portions: Serves 4 (in 4 x 34 oz containers)
Calories: 450 calorie per serving
How it keeps: 5 days with salad stored in layers (see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf8lOrMsgxo&t=8s)
Video and recipes by Liezl, photos by Rob Williams for liezljayne.com
