64 Quick Main-Course Salad Recipes for Busy Weeknights

It's easy to love a salad packed with such familiar ingredients as turkey breast, avocado, and Monterey Jack cheese -- and even easier with no-fuss buttermilk dressing.

A combination of half charred and half raw cabbage leaves gives this salad great texture. Thinly sliced pork, cucumbers, mint, peanuts, and a dressing made of red onion, fresh lime juice, fish sauce, and serrano chile take this Thai-inspired dish to the next level.

Here's a salad that, with its hearty chicken cutlets served next to crunchy blanched green beans, holds its own against any three-course meal.

What do you do with leftover steak? Why not make a beautiful, good-for-you salad with it? This springy version is lovely enough for company.

Toasted pistachios and spiced chicken elevate this winter salad to a special main course; salty feta complements the sweet oranges.

We've given the classic Caesar a down-home spin with homemade multigrain croutons and a buttermilk dressing used twice: once to marinate chicken breasts, then again to toss with the salad.

Our mixture of skillet-fried ground turkey, zucchini, bell pepper, and green salsa would be perfect for tacos, but for a slightly lighter approach, serve on a bed of lettuce and tortilla chips.

Salmon's a great go-to fish for leafy salads -- boldly flavored but still mild enough to pair with other ingredients like goat cheese, pecans, and tomatoes.

Pick up some rotisserie chicken to cut down on the cook time for this leafy salad of spinach and thinly sliced zucchini dressed with lemon juice, pecans, Parmesan, and mint.

There's always something yummy on your fork in a good chopped salad like this one, which combines chile-rubbed pork, romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes, corn, cheese, and a garlicky buttermilk dressing.

The classic steak and salad comes alive with a few easy, Latin-inspired twists like a fiery spice rub for the meat and a simple dressing of vinegar and store-bought salsa for the arugula.

Here's a salad that delivers a feisty protein kick from shredded chicken and black beans, and a little fire from ground cumin and a minced jalapeno.

Aromatic cumin, lemon, and scallions add Middle Eastern allure to this vegetarian salad. Chickpeas and whole-wheat couscous provide complete protein.

We use light mayonnaise and low-fat buttermilk in our blue cheese dressing, omitting the egg yolks to cut down on fat and calories in our version of this diner classic.

Once you've used our method to poach fillets of salmon, you'll never use another. The end result is creamy and supple, perfect for pairing with bold ingredients like the capers, parsley, and red onion in this salad.

Feel free to substitute pork or beef for the chicken in this recipe; our Asian dressing will add a sweet and spicy spin to any meat you like.

Amp up canned tuna in our version of the classic French salad. It's so elegantly dressed that you won't recognize the supermarket staple.

Crumbled bacon stretches the smoky flavor further than whole slices might, while light mayonnaise and crisp veggies add fiber without adding carbs in thissatisfying salad.

Dust shrimp with cumin, coriander, and oregano to give the skin a nicely spiced crust, then serve with a crunchy salad of hearts of palm and sliced cucumbers.

Soba noodles have a light, earthy flavor that complement crisp veggies like cucumbers and bell peppers and our sauce of sesame oil, lime juice, and vinegar.

There's a secret ingredient in this salad of leafy spinach, thick ham, and hard-boiled eggs: thinly sliced radishes, which add a peppery crunch to every bite.

White beans are a great source of fiber and protein. Their mild, creamy flavor is a perfect match for bolder meats, like these shrimp fried in bacon grease.

Cherries aren't only for jams and pies -- these juicy, ruby-red summer beauties are ripe for the picking in this refreshing salad of Boston lettuce, goat cheese, walnuts, and sliced chicken.

Water-packed artichokes, rather than oil-packed ones, will have a lighter flavor profile, giving you more control of the overall flavor in this mixed salad of pasta, greens, and beans.

Better than takeout, we promise! Thin slices of medium-rare rib-eye steak makes this refreshing salad feel downright luxurious.

We created this recipe with the busiest cooks in mind. Prep the meat, lettuce, and dressing early in the day, then assemble in the kitchen, or at the table, when it's time.

Chunks of mango and a dressing that incorporates Major Grey's mango chutney give this salad a distinctive orange hue, contrasting wonderfully with the bed of baby spinach.

The pasta water does double-duty here, boiling the noodles and then cooking the shrimp before both are tossed with cucumber, dill, and a lemony vinaigrette.

We've pared down the traditional Cobb salad to what are arguably its main components -- greens, egg, bacon, poultry, and blue cheese -- and then taken it one step further, using turkey bacon to cover two of those requirements.

An entire rotisserie chicken goes into this salad, but with so many other ingredients -- romaine, cabbage, bell peppers, cashews, cilantro -- it doesn't seem out of balance at all.

Feta and white beans provide plenty of protein in this main-course salad. If you don't have white-wine vinegar, you can substitute red-wine or balsamic vinegar.

Chunks of broiled salmon and crisp cabbage are tossed with an Asian-style dressing of sesame oil, honey, and rice vinegar in this colorful, flavor-packed recipe.

The dressing for a Caesar salad traditionally includes anchovies, and this one is no exception. You can omit them if you like, but their flavor is more subtle than you may think, so why not give them a try?

There's no reason why the boldly sour flavors of pink grapefruit should be consigned to breakfast. Break them free with a combination of spinach, supple shrimp, and a mustardy vinaigrette.

The crispness of the romaine lettuce and radishes contrasts nicely with the smooth richness of the ripe avocado slices and the saltiness of the tuna.

Not every steak entree can boast as much vitamin C as this one, with orange segments mingling with strip steak, red onions, and romaine lettuce in an OJ-based vinaigrette.

Grill the corn alongside the chicken to cut down on the prep time for this vibrant arugula salad.

Zesty shrimp turns up the volume on this lightened up version of Caesar salad.

Pound chicken breast into a thin cutlet, then top with a light, peppery watercress salad for a healthy supper.

Broiling the steak, rather than pan-frying or grilling it, leaves you free to blanch the green beans at the same time, cutting your cooking time to just 30 minutes.

Here's a quick and tasty pasta salad that's perfect for when gluten-free guests come over: soba noodles, red cabbage, shredded chicken, and scallions, tossed in a gluten-free soy-based sauce.

We like to heat white beans a touch before combining with the other, more pungent ingredients in this recipe, like tuna and olives. It helps to marry the flavors and makes the end result smoother and a little creamier.

Baked corn tortillas provide the perfect crunchy platform on which to serve melted cheese, crisp lettuce, creamy avocados, and tender rotisserie chicken. (Perfect for when you've got leftover breast meat in the fridge, too!)

The undisputed star of this rodeo is the vinaigrette, a potent combination of chipotle chiles, lime juice, honey, and juices from the cooked skirt steak.

Here's a dish that blurs the line between salad and stir-fry: sesame-crusted chicken and bok choy tossed in a tart ginger-soy vinaigrette and served on a bed of cucumbers.

Sometimes a surprising vinaigrette is all it takes to make a simple salad something special. This one, with lime zest, honey, minced chiles, and finely chopped pineapple, will certainly get tongues wagging.

Chopped veggies, crumbled feta, and a can of chickpeas are tossed with a red onion vinaigrette in a meatless salad so nourishing, we've repurposed the same ingredients to make a hearty sandwich as well.

Here's a meatless take on the taco salad that we've created with the harried shopper in mind. Most of the ingredients, like canned beans, frozen corn, and baked tortilla chips, are readily available year-round in grocery stores.

One of brunch's reigning combinations is served here in slightly different fashion on a crunchy salad of radicchio, red onions, and tomatoes.

Sauteed shrimp and strips of romaine lettuce get a bright, creamy blast of lime, buttermilk, and avocado in this summery salad, while toasted pepitas -- pumpkin seeds -- add an earthy crunch to every bite.

Soba noodles are Japanese in origin, but don't let that stop you from pairing them with non-Asian ingredients like feta cheese.

Don't worry about leftovers; with just a few adjustments, the tender steak and grilled onions that form the heart of this salad double the next day as the base of a yummy sandwich.

Serve your family a full-flavored steak-and-potatoes dinner without worrying whether there will be room for dessert. Shaved Parmesan and a thin vinaigrette of lemon juice and oil is all you need to marry the bold flavors.

With their robust flavor, lamb chops often benefit from a sweet counterpoint. This salad is no exception, with crunchy sliced pears providing a lovely foil to the gamy meat.

We've added a number of Asian-inspired touches that set this colorful and aromatic salad apart, including ginger, edamame, and sesame oil.