How to meal prep salads for the week using a simple formula. You will also find some meal prep tips and salad recipes.
Not all salads will be enjoyable when meal prepped days in advance. Some quinoa salads and pasta salads will work, but fresh leafy green salads don’t often work.
If you’re looking for a way to prepare fresh salads all week with minimal effort, there’s a simple strategy – Prepare all your salad components in advance and assemble them just before eating. This will help you create hearty and nutritious salads in less than 5 minutes during busy weeks.
Here are some ideas on how to prepare salad components for quick and balanced salads and bowls all week:
Chop Fresh Vegetables: Washing and chopping hearty vegetables in advance is a great way to save time during the week. This works well for kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts for example. I do recommend only washing and chopping delicate vegetables at the last minute as they will lose their freshness faster. To save time, you can also buy pre-washed and chopped vegetables, such as baby spinach or mixed greens. You can also roast vegetables in advance if making roasted veggie grain bowls.
Buy or Prepare a Salad Dressing: Using store-bought salad dressing is a great way to save time. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly and customizable option, I recommend preparing one or two batches of salad dressing during your meal prep. Many homemade salad dressings won’t last as long as store-bought, so I recommend using them within the week.
Prepare Your Protein of Choice: Many protein options can be prepared in advance to save time. Some easy plant-based favorites include chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, lentils, edamame, soy curls and more.
Add Some Toppings: This is a great opportunity to add flavor, texture and nutrition. Many toppings don’t require any meal prep. This could be roasted nuts, seeds, olives, cheese, nutritional yeast, croutons and more. You can also prepare some flavorful toppings at home, like toasted spiced nuts or flavored croutons for example.
Add Some Carbs: Carbs help to create more hearty and satisfying bowls. Great meal prep options include rice and quinoa. You can also use tortillas or pitas to make wraps using your meal prepped ingredients. Or serve your salads with crusty bread or pita for an easy balanced meal.
A Simple Meal Prep Salad Formula:
Here’s what I prepare during the weekend when I want to enjoy quick salads and grain bowls throughout the week. This formula helps me create a variety of salads and bowls for two people or about 8 servings. You can also use some of the meal prepped ingredients (vegetables and proteins) to create wraps when you want something different.
One to Two Salad Dressings: I like to prepare at least one salad dressing each week. Some of my go-to options are my nutritional yeast dressing, Caesar dressing or a simple tahini dressing. This vegan ranch dressing is also a favorite. If I only prepare one dressing, I will alternate between salads and wraps during the week (using mayo and mustard in the wraps). Store-bought dressings are of course a great way to save time when meal prepping salads.
Two Proteins: I like to prepare one batch of shredded tofu each week. My other protein will either be another form of tofu or roasted chickpeas. Choose your protein sources of choice.
One to Two Flavor Boosters + Other Toppings: I like to prepare one to two flavor boosters each week, plus use roasted nuts or seeds for more variety, texture and nutrients. My favorite meal prep toppings have been from the Big Vegan Flavor cookbook. You can see the quick pickled veggies and cheesy crunchies in these photos. Other go-to toppings will be hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, chopped pecans, walnuts or simply nutritional yeast or vegan cheese.
Two Carbs: I cook a large batch of rice or quinoa and freeze them in individual portions to use later in the week. I also use whole wheat wraps to make wraps using the proteins and vegetables I prepared. Less often, I might roast some potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Chopped Vegetables: If I have hearty vegetables, such as kale and cabbage, I will chop them in advance. I do wait to chop more delicate leafy greens before use, or buy pre-washed leafy green packages (spinach, mixed greens, etc.).
Putting the Formula Into Practice:
Here’s an example of what a week could look like when using this meal prep strategy.
Toppings: Pickled veggies, cheesy crunchies, roasted pumpkin seeds (or other nuts and seeds you already have at home)
Vegetables: Leafy greens, cucumbers, bell peppers
Meal options for the week:
Rice bowl with nutritional yeast dressing, roasted chickpeas, pickled veggies, roasted pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, cucumbers and bell peppers
Rice bowl with ranch, shredded tofu, pickled veggies, cheesy crunchies, leafy greens, cucumbers, bell peppers
Wraps with ranch, crispy chickpeas, pickled veggies, leafy greens, cucumbers
Wraps with mayonnaise, mustard, shredded tofu, pickled veggies, leafy greens, cucumbers, bell peppers
And many other combinations.
Additional Tips:
For proper food safety, I recommend only preparing food 3-4 days in advanced at the most. Some foods, such as rice and other grains, can be frozen in individual servings and reheated before use for a safer option. Some toppings, like quick pickled vegetables and roasted nuts, can of course be stored longer. Always follow proper food safety guidelines when meal prepping.
If you find that salads leave you feeling hungry soon after, you can find my tips on creating a filling saladhere. I find that the combination of carbs, protein and fats from this meal prep strategy really helps with creating more filling salads and bowls.
You can also find my general meal prep tips in this post.
Make-Ahead Salad Recipes:
If meal prepping salad components is not your thing, here are some salads who can be completely (or mostly) prepared in advance and that will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a few days. Quinoa and pasta salads tend to work best for this.