5 Vegetarian Salad in a Jar Recipes

Healthy Salads in a Jar

If you love a healthy salad in a jar as much as I do for easy meal prep, then you’ve got to check out these 5 amazing salads. They are vegetarian salads packed with lots of vegetables and so much amazing flavor and textures.

From Tex Mex and Greek Veggie, to Candied Pecan & Apples, there is something for everyone!

Easy Meal Prep Salad Recipes

The great part about meal prepping salads is that you can add a little bit of variety to each one without buying a ton of new ingredients. Add bits of cheese and vegetables that you already have in your refrigerator, along with a homemade dressing made from your pantry, for a delicious meal.

You will notice a few of these salad in a jar recipes include a baked crunchy element. The best part is that they are all baked at 400°F for 10-15 minutes. So toss the tortilla strips, pita wedges and cubes of bread on one sheet pan and bake them off together for an easy meal prep shortcut.

How to build a salad in a jar

It’s important when making salads in a jar to layer them properly. You can’t just throw everything in a jar, or the more delicate ingredients will wilt and be mushy. Here is the order in which you should layer salad in a jar ingredients

Dressing – Liquids should always go on the bottom

Hearty Vegetables and meat – Cucumbers, beans, olives, corn, etc. and any meat should go on top of the dressing

Delicate vegetables and fruits – It’s important to create a barrier between the more delicate produce and dressing so they don’t become soggy.

Greens – the lettuce should go on top of all the fruits and vegetables so it stays nice and crisp.

Nuts, Bread and Crackers – Any crunchy element or additions like falafel should be layered on the very top keep their crunch. I like using cleaned out fruit cups screwed on the top of mason jars to store crunchy elements like in this Chicken Peach Salad with Pistachios. This way they are completely separate from the produce and dressing.

• Chicken Peach Salad with Pistachios

Vegetarian Salads with Protein

All of these salad recipes are vegetarian, but would also be great with the addition of meat if that’s your jam. Here are just a few suggestions for increasing the protein in the salads if you are looking for a heartier meal.

Apple & Candied Pecan Salad – This balsamic chicken would make a great addition or add some diced rotisserie chicken in a pinch.

Tex Mex Salad – This salad has so many possibilities. Shredded chicken, diced steak or pork carnitas are great options and will add great flavor.

Greek Veggie Salad – Roasted chickpeas, diced chicken or quinoa are easy ways to make this salad more substantial.

Panzanella Salad – These bread salads don’t typically have meat, as they are filling with the carbs, but you could add some chicken or shrimp if you want some meat.

Falafel Salad – This salad is already loaded with protein packed hummus and falafel, but roasted chickpeas would be another great addition.

• balsamic chicken
• pork carnitas
• quinoa

What type of container should I use for salads in a jar

When it comes to layering salads in a jar, you can use just about any glass jar with a lid. I like using glass because the beautifully layered salad entices me to grab it for lunch as opposed to opaque containers that you forget about in the back of the refrigerator.

Realistically, any container that holds about 20 ounces of volume will work well though. If you really want to be resourceful, you could use recycled quart tubs from yogurt or cottage cheese.

Here are some of my favorite products to use when making salads in a jar.

1/2 liter Weck glass jars – These are the jars that I used for these vegetarian salads in a jar

Wide mouth quart mason jars – It’s important to get wide mouth jars if you are using mason jars so you can easily get your salad out. Mason jars are great because they can be utilized for so many things.

Empty fruit cups – After your kids demolish these fruit cups, clean and save a few for salads in a jar. Place the crunchy bread or nuts in these and top with the flat lid on a wide mouth jar. Flip onto the top of the jar and screw the lid on to store the crunchy elements separately from the salad.

Plastic jar lids – If you are using mason jars without the fruit top addition, these plastic lids are a nice clean lid for salads.

Vegetarian Salad in a Jar Ingredients

If you want to meal prep all 5 of these vegetarian salads in a jar for a full week of delicious salads, you will need the following ingredients. This is a complete list of groceries you will need to make the Apple & Candied Pecan, Panzanella, Greek Veggie, Falafel and Tex Mex salads.

Shopping List

Mixed Greens

Apple

Cherry Tomatoes

Cucumber

Avocado

Corn

Olives

Red Onion

Apple & Candied Pecan Salad

This sweet apple salad is made with with crunchy apples, candied pecans, goat cheese and an easy Red Wine Vinaigrette.

You can grab a bag of candied pecans in the grocery store next to the croutons or you can easily make your own. Just saute the pecans in a little butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar and a pink of salt. Stir constantly and cook or a few minutes. Remove from the heat and allow them to cool and harden.

Tex Mex Salad

This amazing salad is layered with tons of delicious Mexican inspired flavors. It starts out with an easy dressing inspired by this Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette and is topped with tomatoes, avocado, corn, black beans, shredded cheddar and toasted tortilla strips.

You can grab some pre-made tortilla strip toppers by the croutons in the grocery store or you can quickly make your own. Brush a flour tortilla with olive oil and cut into thin strips. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Allow to cool to room temperature before packaging them with the salad in a jar.

• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Panzanella Salad in a Jar

Panzanella is a chopped Italian salad with stale bread, tomatoes, cucumber and onions. Its a great way to use up a chunk of bread that is a little past it’s prime. Cut the bread into cubes, toss it with a little olive oil and oregano and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, until the bread is crunchy.

If you don’t have any bread on hand or need a quick shortcut, croutons are a good substitution. Grab some hearty and delicious croutons though, not the cheap little guys you get at the cafeteria.

Layer the Panzanella salad with a simple vinaigrette made from olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Top it with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, fresh basil and mixed greens.

Falafel Salad in a Jar

If you are a rockstar and make homemade Falafel, more power to you! For the rest of us, we can use some frozen falafel from Trader Joe’s or use an easy Falafel Mix for a quick shortcut.

After your falafel are made, transform them into this Middle Eastern inspired vegetarian salad that you will adore.

It starts with a homemade tahini dressing made from lemon juice, garlic powder, tahini, salt and pepper. It is topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, falafel, hummus and toasted pita chips seasoned with za’atar.

Make the pita chips by brushing a pita round with the olive oil and sprinkle with the za’atar. Cut into 8 wedges, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes until the chips are lightly golden brown. Cool to room temperature before storing.

Greek Veggie Salad

These vegetable packed salad starts with a Lemon Oregano Vinaigrette. It is topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives and feta for a Greek inspired salad with fresh flavors.

Add some chicken, roasted chickpeas or pita chips to this salad to make it a hearty meal you will love.

Notes

Seal and store jar salads refrigerated for up to 5 days. Serve the salad by dumping all of the contents of the jar into a large bowl and tossing it so all of the ingredients are evenly coated with dressing.

Calories: 300 kcal