Best Make Ahead Salad Recipes

MAKE AHEAD CAULIFLOWER SALAD

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Chop into small pieces.
• Layer iceberg lettuce, cauliflower, red onion, bacon, mayonnaise, sugar, and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl, in that order. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place a heavy pan on top of the salad to press it down.
• Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, checking occasionally that salad is still pressed down.
• Toss salad; season with black pepper.

MAKE-AHEAD SPAGHETTI SALAD

Steps:

• In a large pot of salted boiling water cook pasta until al dente. Drain and cool under cold water.
• Combine cooked pasta with Italian dressing, Italian salad seasoning, green onions, cucumber, tomatoes and black olives. Toss to coat and refrigerate overnight before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD CREAMY FRUIT SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the yogurts, whipped cream and lime juice. Gently fold in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.

MAKE-AHEAD HEARTY SIX-LAYER SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. , Place the lettuce in a 2-1/2-qt. glass serving bowl; top with pasta and eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer with chicken and peas. In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients until blended; spread over top. Refrigerate, covered, for several hours or overnight. , Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

MAKE-AHEAD BROCCOLI SALAD WITH BACON AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Toss broccoli, cooked bacon, Cheddar cheese, and onion together in a resealable container. Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and cider vinegar together in a separate container until well blended. Refrigerate both until chilled, 30 minutes or up to 1 week.
• Just before serving, add dressing to the salad and toss to coat.

MAKE-AHEAD BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD

Steps:

• Place peas into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak, 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
• Mix bell peppers, onion, celery, and scallions with peas in a large bowl.
• Mix oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Add to pea mixture and toss to coat.
• Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight. Add parsley and basil just before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD BROCCOLI SALAD

Steps:

• Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Combine with bacon, raisins, almonds, Cheddar cheese, and onion in a large bowl.
• Combine mayonnaise, sugar, and red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Pour dressing over the broccoli mixture and mix well.
• Refrigerate for 8 hours to overnight. Stir again before serving.

CRUNCHY RAMEN NOODLE SALAD - MAKE AHEAD

Steps:

• Mix all veggies, nuts and fruits together.
• Break up DRY noodles (**do not boil) and add to veggie mix before serving.
• Make dressing. Whisk together all the ingredients listed, until sugar dissolves. Set aside if making ahead.
• At this point you can refrigerate overnight.
• Toss with dressing, serve and top with chicken or shrimp, if desired.

MAKE-AHEAD COLLARD CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• For the collards: Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, anchovy paste, lemon juice, garlic and Worcestershire sauce together in a large mixing bowl. While continuously whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until homogenous.
• Add the collard greens to the dressing and massage to coat. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
• For the croutons: Preheat an air fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the olive oil, garlic powder and black pepper in a medium bowl. Gently toss the crackers in the olive oil until coated. Place the crackers in the air fryer and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• When ready to serve, mound the greens on a serving platter. Cover the greens with the Parmesan. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper. Crush the cracker croutons over the salad and serve.

MAKE-AHEAD BROCCOLI SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine broccoli, dried fruit and onion. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, honey and salt. Pour over broccoli mixture; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or overnight. Just before serving, top with bacon.

MAKE-AHEAD SUMMER BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine sugar, vinegar, oil, and pepper for sauce in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium-low to low heat until sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• While sauce is cooling, gently mix kidney beans, wax beans, green beans, bell pepper, and green onions together in a large bowl.
• Pour slightly cooled sauce over veggie mixture and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before serving or freezing, stirring once or twice if possible. To serve, drain and serve with a slotted spoon.

MAKE-AHEAD SPINACH SALAD IN A JAR

Steps:

• Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Whisk orange juice, vinegar, orange zest, salt, curry powder, and pepper together in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking continuously until well blended.
• Line up 5 pint jars in an assembly line fashion.
• Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of dressing into the bottom of each jar. Place 1/2 cup cooked quinoa into each jar, and top with 2 tablespoons cherries. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons goat cheese on top of the cherries. Top with 1 cup of spinach per jar and pack down tightly to remove air pockets; jars should be filled to the top. Finish each jar with 1 tablespoon walnuts. Cover jars and refrigerate until ready to eat.

MAKE-AHEAD LAYERED GREEK CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Layer all ingredients except dressing and zest in large bowl.
• Mix dressing and zest until blended. Add to salad just before serving; mix lightly.

TOFU SALAD - EASY VEGAN - MAKE AHEAD (MOOSEWOOD)

Steps:

• Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
• Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and add it along with the salad veggies into the marinade. Stir gently.
• Cover and let marinade at room temperature for at least two hours. You can prepare this a few days in advance, in which case just keep it in the fridge.
• Serve cold or at room temperature, sprinkled with all or some of the toppings.

MAKE-AHEAD SPINACH AND BOSTON LETTUCE SALAD

Steps:

• In large bowl, toss spinach with lettuce. Top with onion and mushrooms. (Salad may be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours).
• Mix together dressing ingredients.
• Pour dressing over greens. Add cheese and nuts if using. Toss to coat.

SPINACH MAKE-AHEAD SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Layer the first five ingredients in order in a large glass salad bowl.
• 2. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, juice, and sugar. Add the onions, stirring well. Spread the mixture over the salad, sealing to the edge of the bowl.
• 3. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Sprinkle with the bacon just before serving.

SPINACH MAKE AHEAD SALAD

Steps:

• Arrange torn up clean spinach leaves in bottom of medium size glass bowl. Put shredded cheese or cubed cheese on top. Spread mushrooms over cheese. Cover with sliced eggs.
• In small bowl cream together well, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lemon juice and sugar. Stir in onions. Spread over top of salad right to the sides of bowl. Cover. Chill overnight. To serve, remove cover, sprinkle bacon over top.
• ROMAINE MAKE AHEAD: omit spinach and use Romaine lettuce in above salad. Every bit as good.
• VARIATION: Omit mayonnaise and sour cream. Add 8 oz. cream cheese mixed with 1/2 cup sour cream.
• Company's Coming Salads.

MAKE-AHEAD MEATBALL SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine beef and bread crumbs. Shape into 3/4-in. balls. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain. Cool for 15-30 minutes. , Place Italian salad dressing in a resealable plastic bag; add meatballs. Seal and refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard marinade. On a serving platter or individual plates, arrange greens, onion, cheese and olives. Top with meatballs. Drizzle with dressing.

MAKE AHEAD VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, green pepper, onion and cucumber; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon.

MAKE AHEAD GERMAN POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. In the drippings, saute onion and green pepper until tender. Stir in flour, salt, mustard and pepper. Add soda and vinegar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil and stir for 1 minute. Gently stir in potatoes and bacon; heat through.