Warm salads are your answer to staying fit and healthy during the colder months. Get your daily dose of greens with a satiating warm winter spinach salad. Or try an epic warm potato salad featuring jammy eggs. Of course, you can never go wrong with a roasted root salad hot out of the oven! Get your veggie fix all winter long with these substantial and savory warm salad recipes.
1. Warm Winter Salad
Here is my go-to warm winter salad when I desperately need a plate of greens. It entails roasting veggies with chickpeas, then adding a healthy dose of spinach and lemon garlic tahini sauce. While I love every single component, my favorite part is the roasted cauliflower. It might not make sense to you now, but it will after trying it.
2. Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad
A glowing bowl of roasted roots is the ideal winter salad. It highlights seasonal produce in all its glory, and it’s a sheet pan meal for no-fuss cleanup. Toss butternut squash, potatoes, parsnips, and onions in olive oil, then bake them until fork tender. Top it all off with balsamic vinegar and feta right before serving. Oh, and if you do want some leafy greens, you can add a handful of your favorite mix. Or go with kale. It’s in season after all.
3. Warm Salad With Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Peppers, and Mozzarella
What I love about this warm salad is it takes some of my favorite pizza toppings and turns them into a healthy dish. You saute artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and capers in balsamic vinegar. Then, serve it over a bed of crisp romaine with mozzarella cheese. It’s a fabulous combination of hot and cold ingredients with enticing flavors to match.
4. Warm Kale and Quinoa Salad
This quinoa salad is radiating deliciousness! Sauteed kale, carrots, and bell pepper pack the quinoa with veggies. Meanwhile, pepitas and sunflower seeds give it tiny bits of crunch. Drizzle on the lemon tahini dressing, add the avocado, and dive right in! For dinner or lunch, this wholesome warm salad will be your new weekly staple.
5. Warm Arugula Salad
A mere taste of this savory salad will have you begging for more. Each component is carefully crafted to create the ultimate bite. There is pancetta for fat, caramelized onions for sweetness, arugula for freshness, pine nuts for texture, and parmesan for sharpness. To enhance these flavors, all you need is quality olive oil and balsamic. Nothing more, nothing less.
6. Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
I could eat this salad for breakfast! It’s a savory blend of spinach, jammy soft-boiled eggs, tender mushrooms, and a warm tangy bacon dressing for smothering. All the flavors are spot on, and you can make it in 20 minutes tops.
7. Warm Rice and Pintos Salad
Rice and beans get a whole new meaning in this warm Tex-Mex salad. This perfect protein mixes with corn, chilies, cilantro, and salsa, then gets piled on leafy romaine greens. The lettuce is hearty enough to hold the ingredients without turning soggy.
8. Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette
In the mood for something festive, leafy, and warm? I’ve got just the thing! Almond slices and goat cheese speckle a leafy bed of kale. This is waiting ever so patiently for the warm cranberry shallot vinaigrette. You can also leave out the cheese for a vegan version that’s just as great.
9. Warm Mushroom Salad with Sesame Dressing
Stir-fry meets salad in this Asian dish. It’s a revitalizing assortment of mushrooms and mustard greens in an umami sesame dressing. While the earthy ingredients may sound very humble, there’s also a shot of sake tossed into the mix. It’s a fantastic side dish for Japanese meals like miso chicken and baked tonkatsu.
10. Warm Cauliflower Salad
Raw cauliflower may be neutral, but this warm salad isn’t. Roasting the cauliflower brings out its naturally sweet and nutty notes that are very addicting. If you can manage not to eat it all right then and there, you can reward yourself with this fresh, warm salad. Snack or light lunch, this warm keto salad is one you’ll want on repeat.
11. Warm Barley Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs
Winter is not just about warm greens, but it’s also about grain salads like this bowl of barley. Barley is not only filling, but it’s also a touch chewy with a slightly nutty taste. And this is an easy way to perk it right up. Dill and parsley make it pop, while shallots, lemon, and mustard add layers of flavor. It’s spring fresh with the cozy comfort of a winter dish. If you’re short on time, you can swap out the grains with quick-cooking farro or quinoa.
12. Warm Potato Salad
Jammy eggs and tender baby potatoes will give you a whole new perspective on the possibility of potato salad. Unmatched by the competition, this version takes classic tangy potato salad ingredients and showcases them in a new light. And it does it flawlessly! Brunch, lunch, or dinner, grab a plate and share this with your friends. They need to try this too.
13. Broccoli Spoon Salad with Warm Vinaigrette
You’ll be more than happy to eat your broccoli when it’s smothered in this warm, garlicky white balsamic vinaigrette. Underneath the obvious is a warming Moroccan seasoning called ra-el-hanout. A couple of tablespoons of this makes a world of difference. This warm salad is not only incredibly flavorsome, but it has a wonderful contrast of textures too. Lurking among those raw florets is a handful of pistachios, dates, and jalapenos. Give it a try, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
14. Warm Roasted Beet Salad
Warm beet salad is a winter gem! The earthy beets, nutty hazelnuts, and sharp blue cheese all have distinctive flavors that meld together when you add the orange dressing. On a side note, peel the beets after roasting. It’s much easier than busting out the potato peeler.
15. Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
Need a veggie component for your family holiday feast? This Brussels sprouts salad has the special touch you’ve been looking for. The sprouts get spruced up with hazelnuts, bacon, and shaved parmesan cheese. Meanwhile, the tangy, sweet dressing enhances all that goodness.
16. Warm Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Salad
Feeling ravished? This smoky citrusy salad will fill you right up. The salty bacon plays on the sweetness of the potatoes for a wonderful contrast of flavors. Meanwhile, sauteing the sturdy kale helps to soften it up. Douse it in a creamy chipotle lime sauce for an explosion of flavor. Who knew eating Whole30 could taste this good?
17. Warm Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Pesto Vinaigrette
Come winter, trade in your cold pasta salad for its warm version. Packed with roasted veggies, you can feel a little less guilty about loading up on the carbs. But between you and me, the flavors are so good you won’t even care. From the pasta to the tender roasted veggies, this salad will warm you inside and out. Click on a star to rate it!
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