Salads at 4th of July cookouts and summer picnics tend to fall into a few worn-out categories. Mayo-laden potato salad. Greasy pasta salad. Maybe a tomato salad if you're lucky. Salads and side dishes get short shrift next to the blazing grill and charcoal taste of those cheeseburgers, or the splendor of the blueberry flag cake. Well, that shouldn't be so. Here are 15 summer salads that offer delicious summer taste, and something fresh, something new for your summer picnic table.
15 Fresh Picnic Salads for the 4th of July
The other benefit to many of these salads is that they don't involve a lot of mayonnaise. Many don't even have dairy! This is safer for salads that will be sitting out in the heat; mayonnaise and sunny picnic tables just shouldn't go together, at least not for very long. Most of these salads opt for olive oil or yogurt instead of mayo, and they all will hold up just fine in the summer heat.
Fresh Picnic Salads
Grain Salads
• Sweet and Savory Wild Rice Salad - Crunchy with red pepper and cucumbers, savory with wild rice and chives, sweet with dates, zesty with lime and orange juice.
• Warm Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Fontina - Carrots, mushrooms, gooey cheese, and nutty, tender farro.
• Meyer Lemon Grain Salad with Asparagus, Almonds and Goat Cheese - Sweet and citrusy, with crunchy almonds and mellow goat cheese.
Vegetable Salads
• The Perfect Tomato Salad - So easy! Just tomatoes, good balsamic vinegar, a flurry of basil.
• Crunchy Peanut Slaw - A real crowd-pleaser. Chopped cabbage, peanuts, a sweet and salty soy dressing.
• Broccoli Slaw - A modern version of that old-fashioned broccoli slaw, lightened-up and fresher.
• Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing - Even more addictive than the cabbage slaw, and so bright and attractive with its jewel-green kale.
• Herbed Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad - The essence of summer: sweet corn, tomatoes, a little goat cheese.
• Grilled Zucchini and Grape Tomato Salad - An even simpler summer salad. Just throw the vegetables on the grill, then toss with a little oil, salt, and pepper.
• Tomato Salad with Red Onion, Dill and Feta - A glorious Greek-inspired salad with herbs, feta cheese, and lots of red onion. Zesty!
Pasta and Potato Salads
• Potato Salad with Yogurt, Arugula, and Dill - Simple, fresh, and delicious. Tangy with yogurt, and fresh herbs.
• Mixed New Potato Salad with Sweet Basil and Shallots - Fresh basil, crunchy pink shallots, tender little potatoes.
• Kalamata Olive and Parsley Potato Salad - Purple potatoes! Very festive. With olives, parsley, and lemon.
• Potato Salad with Fava Beans and Fennel - If you have some late fava beans around, use them here! Lima beans or shelled edamame would also be delicious in this fresh green potato salad.
• Roasted Garlic, Olive and Tomato Pasta Salad - Roasted garlic, tomatoes, olives - yummy!
What is your favorite salad for a picnic? Do you like grain salads? Pasta salads? Just plain garden salads? Tell us!
(Thanks to Faith for pulling together this list while I'm deep in the cave of finishing up my book!)
Related: Recipe Roundup: Main Dish Salads
(Images: See linked posts for full image credits)
Comments (14)
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#16 - lime cole slaw
view the kosher foodies's profile
Those look so great. i can't wait to try them, because fresh salads for dinner are one of my favorite parts of summer.
Here is one of the best salads I know. It is more of a meal, but easily made in multiples.
http://picnicsinthepark.blogspot.com/2010/06/salmon-nicoise-sald-very-best-salad-for.html
Happy eating!
Greta
view gretagirl's profile
Wow thanks for posting! I have been trying to come up with something I can make ahead for a cookout party this weekend. These all look wonderful!
view RoxiGirl's profile
I made this Potato Salad with Pancetta, Rosemary, and Lemon last weekend to rave reviews:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Salad-with-Pancetta-Rosemary-and-Lemon-359731
And maybe my all-time favorite summer salad is this Fava Bean Salad from Martha Stewart (although I always make it was edamame, not fava beans):
http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/fava-bean-salad-with-roasted-garlic-vinaigrette
view Emily the Cat's profile
I make a smoked salmon pasta salad. It's really simple and delicious:
small pasta (bowtie, penne, rotini, etc.), smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, fresh arugula, all tossed together with olive oil and just a touch of lemon juice.
view Kim913's profile
I've been making a pearly barley and tuna salad with marinated peppers, olives, preserved lemon, and lots of chopped herbs.
view breezyslp's profile
Check out my:
Sesame-Ginger Slaw
and
Mediterranean Salad
view SecondFloorWalkup's profile
I've switched to making Swiss Potato Salad, which is much lighter than the traditional -- waxy potatoes are boiled in beef bouillon (should be a little firm); sliced (on the thin side), and then while still hot, doused (but not drowned) in white wine (Reisling perhaps), then tossed with a vinaigrette of good olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, chopped capers and parsley.
I also make a cucumber, yellow squash and cantaloupe salad that's great: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cucumber-cantaloupe-and-squash-salad
Also, I like to make bread salad...
view mschatelaine's profile
Wow--these look delicious. I could make one each night for the next two weeks and perfectly happy! Here's one to add to the list: a nice spicy-vinegary cucumber salad with toasted almonds that is a surprising taste for cucumber.
view sarah9876's profile
I make a Jamaican black bean salad with papaya, mango, avocado, and scotch bonnet peppers (among the many ingredients in this salad). The biggest problem with this salad is that you have to plan about 4 or 5 days in advance since some of the ingredients aren't always available in their ripened state in the market.
view k2yhe's profile
According to this article, you should be more concerned about those cheeseburgers than about the potato salad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/health/01real.html
Mmm... potato salad.
view chillrepute's profile
Lots of yummy sounding salads! David Lebovitz also posted a delicious sounding slaw that I think I'm going to try this weekend. If y'all haven't seen it, it's Chicken Mango slaw - http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2010/06/chicken_mango_cole_slaw_recipe.html
view misplacedtexan's profile
Watermelon/ricotta salata/mint tossed with a little fresh lime juice.
Cucumber/celery/red onion in vinaigrette.
view tahitianpearl's profile
watermelon, tomato, feta, greek olives, cucumbers, basil, mint, red onion optional = edible summer
view abby's profile