15 Healthy and Hearty Winter Salad Recipes

Kale-and-Chicken Salad with Jalapeño-Lime Dressing
Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Winter and the South really don’t go hand-in-hand. We don’t know the first thing about driving in a wintry-mix or God forbid: a blizzard. We aren’t sure what to wear because before we can get out the door we’re already sweating from all the layers we’ve put on to protect us from the cool 40 degree weather outside. However, our produce during these cooler months is certainly worth celebrating. Some of our most delicious vegetables from kale to collard greens are other-worldly delicious at this time of year. Citrus fruits like satsumas and lemons are also just about as perfect as perfect can be. So, while you’re trying to figure out how to defrost your windows or decide if you need salt to remove ice from your driveway, it might just be the perfect time to use some of nature’s goodies and make a salad. 

In the South, we’re huge fans of chicken salads and things that no where else in the world would consider a salad (we're looking at you Strawberry Pretzel Salad), but we love those green-filled salads, too. We’ve pulled together some of our finest, freshest salads that are sure to become favorites in your household. With these salads, you can mix-and-match your proteins and add some carbs here and there. Any and all of these salads will perfectly compliment your favorite cheesy casserole or any other rich dish you dream up. Even though winter might not be our favorite time of year, you can bet that we'll be tossing these salads even when we cannot bear to go outside.

01 of 15

Ann Taylor Pittman's Kale-Citrus Salad with Bacony Pecans

Ann’s Kale-Citrus Salad with Bacony Pecans
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Every note of this salad is perfectly paired to make each bite delicious. It's pretty, but all the ingredients combine into one symphony of flavor

02 of 15

Lemon Pork Chops with Quinoa Salad

Lemon Pork Chops with Quinoa Salad
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Mix in asparagus to this wholesome quinoa salad for a winter-worthy upgrade. A lemon garlic vinaigrette pairs perfectly with this salad.

03 of 15

Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs

Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

This classic Caesar salad inspired kale salad is one for the books. You can really find good kale year-round, but it's at its best when there's frost on the ground. This recipe also uses greek yogurt instead of egg to make it light and refreshing.

04 of 15

Crispy Chicken-and-Broccoli Salad

Crispy Chicken-and-Broccoli Salad
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

On your way out of the grocery store, you might just want to pick up five chicken tenders to make this salad. This kid-approved dish is the easiest way to convince your young ones to eat greens.

05 of 15

Steak-and-Bell Pepper Salad

Steak-and-Bell Pepper Salad
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

This is a classic steak salad, topped with Sourdough croutons and crumbles of blue cheese. However, the bright baby bell peppers give this salad an extra dose of bright flavor that will make you savor every bite.

06 of 15

Dianne's Southwestern Cornbread Salad

Dianne's Southwestern Cornbread Salad
Southern Living

This portable layered salad is packed with love and nostalgia. Mix-it-up by adding your favorite protein to make this salad extra filling.

07 of 15

Chicken-and-Quinoa Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing

Chicken-and-Quinoa Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

This salad is something you'll want to have in your fridge. It comes together in a meer 15 minutes and is filling enough to be the only thing you need on your dinner table.

08 of 15

Cast-Iron Salmon With Baby Kale Salad

Cast-Iron Salmon with Baby Kale Salad
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Salmon and kale are two superfoods that we'll hold onto until the end of time. Cucumber and chopped pistachios add just a little something to this salad that makes us want to go back for more.

09 of 15

Lemony White Bean Salad with Broccoli

Lemony White Bean Salad with Broccoli
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

This Lemony White Bean Salad is sure to brighten up even the coldest of wintry days. The bright taste of apple cider vinegar paired with mustard and peppery arugula is other worldly.

10 of 15

Apple-Cranberry Salad

apple cranberry salad
Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

This hearty salad has all the wintery foods we love from sweet potatoes to orange juice to cranberries to apples.

11 of 15

Orzo Salad with Shrimp and Lemon Dressing

Spring Shrimp-and-Orzo Salad with Lemon Dressing
Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Move over Shrimp Scampi, there's a new seafood dish that we want for dinner tonight. Shrimp are practically a year-round favorite, and this salad is a lot heartier than you might think. It's full of veggies and rich flavor that complement the brininess of shrimp. The best part is that it only takes 30 minutes to put together.

12 of 15

Kale-and-Chicken Salad with Jalapeño-Lime Dressing

Kale-and-Chicken Salad with Jalapeño-Lime Dressing
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

This main dish salad is one that you'll always want to have on hand. The recipe makes about eight cups, and you can switch up the protein to suit your tastes. We used Rotisserie Chicken in ours.

13 of 15

Tangy Potato-Green Bean Salad

Tangy Potato-Green Bean Salad
Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This is a healthier take on the classic potato salad, and we're not complaining. Instead of mayo we made a Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette that gives this salad the tang we love.

14 of 15

Breaded Chicken Salad with Grapes, Honey, Almonds, and Broccoli

Dixie Chicken Salad with Grapes, Honey, Almonds, and Broccoli
Hector Manuel Sanchez

This salad elevates fan-favorite chicken fingers, and we love seeing them all grown-up. The addition of spring mix, two kinds or grapes and hand-breaded chicken work together to make this salad oh-so-good.

15 of 15

Chicken Tortellini Salad

Chicken Tortellini Salad
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Some black eyed peas, arugula and your favorite refrigerated cheese tortellini make this recipe worth repeating. You can also make this salad ahead and dress it when you're ready to eat.

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