Salads

There was a time when salads consisted of either a lettuce-tomatoes-and-dressing concoction or either egg-, tuna-, or potato-salads.

But that's so limiting – and boring! If you'd like a salad that's so much more, check out these salads, including Apple Pecan Chicken Salad and Fluffy Cran-Raspberry Salad. Enjoy!

PUTTANESCA CHICKPEA-TOMATO SALAD

This is from Ali Slagle in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yummy recipe, Ali wrote, "This recipe turns tomato salad into a meal by marrying creamy beans with some of the briny, salty ingredients found in pasta puttanesca, like tomatoes, capers, olives and garlic. While Parmesan isn’t traditional to puttanesca, coarsely chopped pebbles of it add bursts of umami to this salad. Feel free to omit the cheese for a vegan dish, or embellish the mix with fresh or dried chile, tinned fish or more vegetables. This recipe is not only adaptable but also improves as it sits: The tomato juices mingle with the oil, olives and capers — and the beans drink it all up."

Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 4 to 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023396-puttanesca-chickpea-tomato-salad. While you're there, sign up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, if you haven't already.

Also, check out Melissa Clark's helpful guide "How to Cook Beans". Even if you've been cooking beans for a while, you're bound to find some useful info.

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes of any size, cut into 1- or 2-bite pieces

3 cups cooked, rinsed chickpeas, white beans or a mix (homemade or from two 15-ounce cans)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves and stems

1-1/2 ounces Parmesan, coarsely chopped or crumbled (about 1/3 cup)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup kalamata olives, torn in half and pitted

3 tablespoons drained capers

1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

Kosher salt

Preparation

In a large bowl, stir together the tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, Parmesan, olive oil, olives, capers, lemon juice and garlic. Season lightly with salt and stir once more. Let sit for 10 minutes or up to 2 hours at room temperature.

Before serving, taste and add more salt and lemon juice until it tastes bright. The balance is largely dependent on your tomatoes. (This salad keeps for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

HOT CHICKEN SALAD CASSEROLE

This is from Better Homes and Gardens.

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: 30 minutes; Stand Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hr; Servings: 6

To view this online, go to https://www.bhg.com/recipe/hot-chicken-salad-casserole/.

Ingredients

3 cup cubed cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)

2 stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)

1 large yellow or red sweet pepper, chopped (1 cup)

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)

1 10.75 ounce can reduced-fat and reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup

1 6 ounce carton plain low-fat yogurt

2 green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup crushed cornflakes

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl stir together chicken, celery, sweet pepper, cheese, soup, yogurt, green onions, lemon juice, and black pepper. Transfer to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish.

In a small bowl stir together cornflakes and almonds. Sprinkle evenly over chicken mixture.

Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

APPLE PECAN CHICKEN SALAD

This is from Linda Larsen, who wrote for About.com and The Spruce Eats. Linda wrote, "Apple pecan chicken salad is a fan-favorite main dish salad recipe. The combination of tender chicken, crisp pecans, tart apples, and a creamy honey mustard dressing is fantastic.

"Like all chicken salads, using a rotisserie chicken often brings the best results. Most other chicken cooking methods do not come close to matching the tender result of these grocery store birds. There is just something about roasting chickens while on a spit that results in the most tender and flavorful meat. Remove the meat from the bird and cut it into large chunks.

"You can double or triple this recipe if you would like. When hot summer weather is at hand, there's nothing nicer than having a huge batch of fabulous apple pecan chicken salad in the fridge, ready and waiting for you. Just add some bakery muffins or breadsticks, some iced tea or white wine, and you have a fabulous meal with absolutely no cooking at all."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 0 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/apple-pecan-chicken-salad-481444.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons honey mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt (to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

3 cups cooked chicken (chopped)

1 Granny Smith apple (chopped)

1 cup small pecans

1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, honey mustard, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the cooked chicken, the chopped apple, pecans, and dried cherries or cranberries to coat.

Cover and chill the salad for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Tips

Store any leftovers of the salad, well covered, in the refrigerator for up to three days.

You can cook your own chicken for this apple pecan chicken salad recipe. Try baking chicken breasts, on the bone or off, in parchment paper, or simmer them gently in water until they just reach 160 F. When the meat stands after cooking, the temperature will rise to 165 F, which is the safe final temperature for chicken breasts.

Or try cooking a whole chicken on a rotisserie on your grill; you need special equipment and instructions for that task. You can cook large batches of chicken this way, let the meat cool, cube it, then store it in the freezer in 2 cup portions for recipes like this one.

CHICKEN PAILLARDS WITH CORN SALAD

This comes from Florence Fabricant in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Florence wrote, “This recipe brings together leafy herbs, the whisper of sweetness in fresh corn and summer squash, a ripe tomato, and a splash of lemon, creating a salad with farm-stand allure. It is served it with chicken paillards, and the meal would go great with a bottle of dry German riesling.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “A Salad With Farm-Stand Allure”, and can be found online here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, about 1-1/4 pounds, pounded thin

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 ears corn, kernels stripped

1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced

1 medium-size yellow summer squash, diced

Salt and ground black pepper

1 medium yellow tomato, diced

1/3 cup flour

2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves

Preparation

Mix mustard and 1/4 cup lemon juice in a shallow dish. Cut each chicken breast in half (lengthwise, so you have two thin filets) and place in the mustard mixture. Turn to coat both sides and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet, add onion and sauté on low a few minutes, until softened. Add corn, chile and squash and continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, fold in tomato, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade, dust with flour and season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan on medium-high heat and sear chicken, turning once, until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes a side. Arrange on a serving platter. Add cooking oil to salad, fold in cilantro and spoon over and around chicken.

FLUFFY CRAN-RASPBERRY SALAD

This is from My Food and Family, and begins, "Introduce our sweet Fluffy Cran-Raspberry Salad to the Thanksgiving table this year. This brightly colored Fluffy Cran-Raspberry Salad gets its delicious flavor from vanilla pudding, COOL WHIP topping and frozen raspberries."

Of course, there's no reason to save it only for holiday meals. Give it a try ant time.

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour; Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Makes 12 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/209820/fluffy-cran-raspberry-salad.

Ingredients

2 cups frozen raspberries

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1 can (14 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1-1/2 cups JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows

Directions

Microwave raspberries in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or just until thawed.

Add dry pudding mix and cranberry juice; stir 2 min.

Add cranberry sauce; stir until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP, then marshmallows.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Kitchen Tips

Tip 1

Note

This festive salad can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Just stir in the marshmallows just before serving.

Tip 2

How to Thaw COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Place unopened tub in refrigerator. An 8-oz. tub will be completely thawed in 4 hours. Do not thaw in microwave.

Tip 3

Special Extra

For a touch of color, garnish with fresh mint sprigs before serving.

TUSCAN TORTELLINI SALAD

This comes from Rian Handler on Delish. Rian wrote, “This hearty pasta salad might be better than a trip to Tuscany.”

Yields: 6; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbsp. honey

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 c. chopped salami or prosciutto

1/2 c. baby spinach

1/2 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and transfer to large serving bowl.

Make dressing: Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey and season with salt and pepper.

To bowl, add prosciutto, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and dressing and toss until well combined.

Garnish with Parmesan.