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  5. 20 Praise-Worthy Salads To Lighten Up Your Easter Spread

20 Praise-Worthy Salads To Lighten Up Your Easter Spread

Zoe Denenberg
By Zoe Denenberg March 19, 2020
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Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing
Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

When you've got a big Easter meal to prepare, the last thing you want to worry about is tossing together the greens. But we're here to prove that, just like that Honey-Glazed Ham, the salad can be a show-stopper in its own right. In true Southern style, we've done our Easter salads up with all the appropriate bells and whistles. That means homemade, ranch-inspired Buttermilk Dressing, peak-season heirloom tomatoes dusted with salt, and cobb salad tossed in an addictively salty bacon dressing. All of these salads are quick and easy to prepare, but they are by no means simple. A great salad is multi-dimensional, with various flavors and textures that balance sweet and savory. We love unexpected combinations like clementines and collard greens or watermelon and tomato. By the time Easter rolls around, the Southern heat has already started to crank up, so we've also included a few refreshing fruit salads to round out your meal.

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Quick Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Quick Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

Homemade, ranch-inspired Buttermilk Dressing elevates this quick salad to a new level.

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Fresh Fruit Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad
Credit: Jen Causey

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Salad

This recipe calls for a variety of fruits and berries, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. Just don't forget the orange juice-honey dressing!

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Herbed Cucumber-and-Tomato Salad

Herbed Cucumber-and-Tomato Salad
Credit: Greg DuPree

Recipe: Herbed Cucumber-and-Tomato Salad

This rustic salad combines large chunks of tomato and cucumber with a smattering of fresh herbs.

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Clementine-and-Collard Greens Salad

Clementine-and-Collard Greens Salad
Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Clementine-and-Collard Greens Salad

It's not a true Southern table without collard greens, and we've paired them with clementines and pecans to make a lighter rendition perfect for Easter.

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Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing

Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing
Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing

Piled high with shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, red onion, blue cheese, and much more, this salad exudes elegance and abundance.

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Best Waldorf Salad

Waldorf Chicken Salad
Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Best Waldorf Salad

With apples, grapes, pecans, and a no-fuss mayonnaise dressing, this salad is as simple and classic as it is delicious.

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Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Salad
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick

Recipe: Watermelon Salad

Keep your Easter spread light, bright, and refreshing with the help of this fruity Watermelon Salad.

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad
Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad

You can serve this fresh fruit salad alongside the mains or as a final course; either way, we doubt you'll have any leftover.

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Field Pea-Tomato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Field Pea-Tomato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Credit: Field Pea-Tomato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Recipe: Field Pea-Tomato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

A light lemon vinaigrette brings together all the components—peak-season tomatoes, fresh field peas, and fresh herbs—with stunning sophistication.

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Beet, Fennel, and Apple Salad

Beet, Fennel, and Apple Salad
Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: William Smith

Recipe: Beet, Fennel, and Apple Salad

Bright pink and yellow beets will bring a welcome pop of color to your Easter tablescape.

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Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad

Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad
Credit: Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele

Recipe: Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad

In the South, we love our peaches, and we'll do our best to incorporate them into every course of the meal, including the salad.

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Ombré Citrus Salad

Recipe: Ombré Citrus Salad

Not a fan of drab mixed greens? Shake things up with this lettuce-free, citrus-forward salad.

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Grilled Salmon Panzanella Salad

Grilled Salmon Panzanella Salad
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Grilled Salmon Panzanella Salad

Looking for a salad that doubles as an entrée? This salad, studded with pieces of grilled salmon and bread, fits the bill.

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Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes

Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes

These pre-portioned cups of chicken salad are playful, whimsical, and oh-so-satisfying.

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Shaved Carrot, Asparagus, and Apple Salad

Shaved Carrot, Asparagus, and Apple Salad
Credit: Antonis Achilleo; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke, Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Shaved Carrot, Asparagus, and Apple Salad

Use a vegetable peeler to achieve these ribbon-like, super-thin strips of vegetables.

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Lemon Dill Potato Beet Salad

Lemony Potato-and-Beet Salad with Dill
Credit: Lemony Potato-and-Beet Salad with Dill

Recipe: Lemon Dill Potato Beet Salad

In the South, our definition of "salad" often doesn't include greens at all: This recipe is one of our favorites, with large quarters of potato and beets and a creamy lemon dressing.

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Turnip Green Salad

Turnip Green Salad
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Katelyn Hardwick

Recipe: Turnip Green Salad

Turnip greens are the surprising heroes of this fresh summer salad, complemented by pretty watermelon radishes and heirloom grape tomatoes.

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Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad

Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad

Soak your fruit in a sharp, tangy lime-ginger-mint vinaigrette to infuse it with maximum flavor.

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Carrot-and-Fennel Salad

Cheese Sauce over Cauliflower
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling; Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Carrot-and-Fennel Salad

If your Easter meal skews on the heavier side, round out the spread with this combo of raw shaved carrots and fennel. It's the ideal precursor to the carrot cake that's sure to come for dessert!

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Grilled Steak Salad with Potatoes and Pickled Red Onion

Grilled Steak Salad with Potatoes and Pickled Red Onion
Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Grilled Steak Salad with Potatoes and Pickled Red Onion

We've transformed traditional steak and potatoes into light, warm-weather fare with this sustaining salad recipe.

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By Zoe Denenberg

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    Everything in This Slideshow

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    1 of 20 Quick Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
    2 of 20 Fresh Fruit Salad
    3 of 20 Herbed Cucumber-and-Tomato Salad
    4 of 20 Clementine-and-Collard Greens Salad
    5 of 20 Shrimp Cobb Salad with Bacon Dressing
    6 of 20 Best Waldorf Salad
    7 of 20 Watermelon Salad
    8 of 20 Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad
    9 of 20 Field Pea-Tomato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
    10 of 20 Beet, Fennel, and Apple Salad
    11 of 20 Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad
    12 of 20 Ombré Citrus Salad
    13 of 20 Grilled Salmon Panzanella Salad
    14 of 20 Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes
    15 of 20 Shaved Carrot, Asparagus, and Apple Salad
    16 of 20 Lemon Dill Potato Beet Salad
    17 of 20 Turnip Green Salad
    18 of 20 Marinated Watermelon Tomato Salad
    19 of 20 Carrot-and-Fennel Salad
    20 of 20 Grilled Steak Salad with Potatoes and Pickled Red Onion

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    20 Praise-Worthy Salads To Lighten Up Your Easter Spread
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