A great salad shouldn’t be an afterthought or a bowl of leaves you force yourself to finish.
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you → force → yourself
It needs weight, contrast and purpose.
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It → need → weight
For me, assembling a salad is about building layers: pairing hearty bases such as grains, roasted root vegetables or noodles with sharp herbs, big-hitting proteins, and a dressing strong enough to hold all the elements together.
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assembling → assemble → elements
Once you stop treating salads like a diet requirement and start treating them like an actual meal, the options open up fast.
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options → stop → meal
The recipes below from Wholesome Made Easy reflect that exact approach – generous, textured and punchy enough to take centre stage at the table.
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recipes → make → table
Nuts, seeds, croutons, crispy noodles, fried shallots or even crushed tortilla chips can completely change a salad.
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Nuts → fry → salad
- A great dressing matters.
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dressing → matter → ?
It’s what brings everything together, but add it gradually.
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what → ’ → it
You want to coat the ingredients, not drown them.
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You → want → them
Grains, noodles, potatoes, roasted vegetables and legumes can turn a simple salad into a really satisfying meal.
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Grains → roast → meal
- Use what you have.
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you → use → what
You don’t need to follow a salad recipe religiously.
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You → need → recipe
Swap the herbs, vegetables, grains or protein depending on what’s in the fridge.
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what → swap → fridge
I love having something fresh, something creamy, something crunchy and a little acidity or sweetness.
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I → love → something
That combination makes you want to keep going back for another bite.
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you → make → bite
If you’ve never tried it, you simply must give this salad a go to understand how fresh, zesty and crunchy it really is.
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it → try → go
It uses just a handful of ingredients, comes together quickly and tastes so much better than you would ever expect.
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you → use → ingredients
Serves 4
Storage tip: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Chargrilled zucchini and broccoli salad with corn and rocket
The crunchy parmesan, seed and pine nut topping on this salad will change your life.
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topping → store → life
Seriously, it’s so moreish you’ll find yourself sneaking some straight from the pan, and it works beautifully on other salads too.
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it → ’ → salads
This vibrant and utterly delicious salad is the perfect combo of textures and flavours, and I love that it’s easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for weekend entertaining.
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it → love → entertaining
Add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, processing after each addition, until a nice thin consistency is reached.
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consistency → add → addition
This salad is best served while the chargrilled vegetables are still slightly warm.
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vegetables → serve → ?
Serves 4
Storage tip: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Classic Mediterranean pasta salad
Everyone loves a good pasta salad.
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Everyone → store → salad
I think the best ones are where all the ingredients come together – the juicy tomatoes, salty olives, crunchy capsicum, fresh herbs and creamy cheeses – to create the perfect mix of flavours and textures.
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ingredients → think → flavours
It is full of the Mediterranean flavours I adore and is always a crowd-pleaser, wonderful for family meals, picnics or summer entertaining.
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I → adore → meals
Pour the dressing over the top, season with salt and pepper and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
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everything → pour → salt
Serves 6-8
Storage tip: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Roasted carrot salad with almond harissa crunch
Carrots are such an underrated and very affordable vegetable.
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Carrots → serve → crunch
I’ve made this salad so many times recently because it is easy, uses very few ingredients and comes together quickly to create a beautiful side dish.
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it → make → dish
Plus, it is ideal for entertaining or taking somewhere – simply prep all the parts separately and pop them together just before serving.
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it → entertain → them
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg small carrots, washed and halved lengthways
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp dukkah or zaatar
- salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Almond harissa crunch
- 155g (1 cup) whole almonds (honey-roasted almonds are even better), roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
Creamy dill base
- 250g (1 cup) Greek yoghurt
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp finely chopped dill, plus extra to serve
- pinch of salt flakes
To serve
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- handful of mint leaves
- 100g soft goat’s cheese or feta, crumbled
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
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almonds → wash → 200C
Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the carrots are tender and caramelised.
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carrots → roast → minutes
- Meanwhile, make the almond harissa crunch.
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harissa → make → ?
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the almonds and butter and toast for 5-8 minutes, until the nuts are golden.
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nuts → heat → minutes
Storage tip: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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Leftovers → store → days
This is an edited extract from Wholesome Made Easy by Sarah Pound, photography by Mark Roper.
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This → edit → Roper
The Aporia
