How To Meal Prep Salads

Meal prep salads are a great healthy option for lunches and dinners during the week. The key to meal prepping salads is knowing how to batch prep and store. Keeping vegetables, different kinds of vegetables, fresh until you’re ready to eat is tougher than traditional meal prep dishes.

The method to meal prep salads

Follow these basic rules and you’ll be able to meal prep salads like a pro.

• Focus on hearty ingredients that store well.
• Prepare certain ingredients separately.
• Store dressing separately.
• Variety is important

Meal prep salads come in a lot of different styles. It is not just some lettuce with dressing and croutons. Variety is important in meal prepping but especially so with salads, so mix up the salads. Try different base greens, veggie mixes, toppings and dressings to keep your salad meal prep fresh.

How to meal prep salads

Prep your veggies as soon as you get home from the store. This helps you avoid food waste. If they’re ready to eat, you’re more likely to eat them. The same approach works for meal prep salads. Wash and cut the veggies first and then separate them when preparing to store. If you plan making the salads now, go ahead and portion out each set and make the individual salads. 

Use ziplock baggies or small containers for non vegetable ingredients, like nuts, fruits, cheeses, and protein. By keeping them separate you can maintain texture and flavors. This is important for particularly pungent ingredients. That smell can permeate the other ingredients and the flavors will blend in not necessarily a favorable way.

Potentially the most important part is to keep the dressing separate. Do not pre-dress your meal prep salads. This will wilt the greens, ruin the texture of toppings, and destroy the unique flavors of ingredients. Carry a bottle of dressing with you, keep a bottle of dressing in the work fridge, use one-time-use dressing packets, or buy small containers that are water tight. 

The next most important factor in meal prep salads is temperature control. It’s obvious that you don’t want your salads sitting out in the sun. It may be less obvious that you don’t want your salad to freeze either. Many fridges have a cold spot in the top shelves that will carry over freezing temperatures from the freezer. This will freeze veggies and destroy texture. It’s also annoying to have to wait for your salad to thaw to eat it.

Meal prepping salads

There are actually a few different methods to meal prepping salads. The first approach is similar to the store bought pre-made salads with everything in one container with the dressing separate. This is simple and effective if you plan to eat your meal prep salad within a couple of days of making it. Anything longer and you’ll find the freshness to lack crispness. It can also be limiting in the types of ingredients as everything needs to play well together.

The second method is to prepare your salads in separate parts. So the base, mixed veggies, toppings, and dressing is all separate. This can maintain freshness longer for each individual component but can be more work. This is a great option if you already have meal prep containers that have compartments.

The last option is the mason jar method, similar to the upside down salad. This popular method is pretty and fancy and can create great salads if you prepare it right. It starts with the dressing in the bottom with hearty veggies next topped with greens and toppings. This keeps the dressing off of the leafy greens so they won’t wilt or get soggy. When you’re ready to eat, you simply mix everything together with some shakes. This will coat the dressing over everything and you are good to go. It’s a cool method and can work well if you are the type of person who can plan this far in advance. One caveat, you can’t tilt or flip the container until you’re ready to eat. So if you plan on throwing it in a bag then perhaps another method is better suited.

There are other methods but these are popular methods that can get you started on meal prepping salads for lunch.

Picking the right ingredients

Meal prep often comes down to choosing the right ingredients and with meals that focus on vegetables is even more important. Meal prepping has a couple of rules to follow. Avoid overly wet ingredients and ingredients with delicate textures. Neither of these do well after a couple of days in the fridge and meal prepping is all about planning ahead for a busy week. To go further into specific ingredients, below is a list of meal prep salad ingredients

Start with the right greens

The base of most salads includes leafy greens of some kind. When you make meal prep salads you should use a hearty and sturdy leafy green. These options will act as a strong base that will store for days without losing flavor or texture.

• Romaine lettuce
• Iceberg lettuce
• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Cabbage

Vegetables in the mix

On top of the base of mixed, leafy greens is a combination of sturdy vegetables. These veggies add nutrients, flavor, and color to the salad. Consider these veggies for their storage and versatility.

• Carrots
• Celery
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Snow peas
• Artichoke hearts
• Cherry tomatoes

Good proteins for salads

All of those vegetables are healthy and you need a source of protein to finish your meal prep salads. Protein is critical in weight management and building a healthy body. Be sure to balance your protein, only ¼ of the salad should be protein.

• Ham
• Turkey
• Chicken (grilled or shredded)
• Ground beef
• Steak
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Chickpeas
• Nuts

Salad toppings

No meal prep salad is complete without the toppings. These ingredients bring a lot of flavor but can also be high in calories so limit the toppings and keep each portion minimal. 

• Quinoa
• Dried fruit
• Baked tortilla or pita chips
• Blue cheese
• Feta
• Roasted veggies
• Hard cheeses
• Corn and salsa
• Olives

Salad ingredients to avoid

Depending on how long you plan to store your meal prep salads before consuming less ingredients that will work well. Some of these ingredients are delicious salad options but don’t store well. Typically high water content is not great for meal prepping. The water leaks out destroying the texture of the ingredient as well as the rest of the contents of the container.

• Arugula
• Butter lettuce
• Spring mix
• Cucumbers
• Soft cheeses
• Avocado