Think of this salad in a jar as a formula for a perfectly balanced meal. With endless combinations, say goodbye to boring salads & hello to easy meal prep, in a jar!
I know what you’re thinking, “salad in a jar, how is that even a complete meal?” It all comes down to what you put in the jar (of course). However, this ‘recipe’ gives you the base for how to start a balanced meal without having to think too much. Hear me out! I’ve done a couple of food demos this past week and while I’ve done the same ‘recipe’ each time, this salad in a jar really is a ‘recipe’ for a perfect less thought meal.
The saying ‘it’s all about the sauce‘ is a phrase I’ve referenced multiple times on the blog before. I truly do believe that many meals can have enhanced flavor by simply adding a sauce. I’ll make a couple of sauces up to have for the week, freeze some to have for future weeks and add the sauce to a pasta or grain dish and voilà, your meal is different by just adding a different sauce. The genius of ‘it’s all about the sauce‘ and a salad in a jar is that they’ve now merged. Bringing to you a formula/recipe for easy throw together meals!
Recipe: Salad in a Jar
- Sauce – Add your sauce/dressing to the bottom of the jar first. Your next ingredients will marinate in the sauce, so think of what will go next to make sure it won’t get soggy! Pesto, Chimichurri, Pico de Gallo, Vinaigrette,
- Marinate– Here is where the next ingredients will begin to marinate because they’ll come in contact with the sauce. I add my cheese here and any bean if I’m adding. Perfect way to add more flavor to the bean and cheese. If you’re adding any other protein, it can go right above the cheese and bean, so this is technically the protein layer.
- All the Veggies – As a dietitian, this makes my heart happy for a recipe to include as many veggies as you can. Add in ALL the veggies. You’ll add about a tablespoon or two of each, and if you don’t have that many to add, add more of the same one to make sure you’re getting your veggies at your meal! This example is a cold salad, but you could have roasted vegetables here and heat up this bowl combo too – I’ve tried it and it works well too!
- Grain– Grains might not be your 1st thought of what to add to a salad. With this recipe/formula however, this is what helps to make a ‘salad’/meal more sustainable. Think of it more as a grain bowl. And as I mentioned before this can be heated up. Because we are all different in our nutrient needs, you can always add in more or less when I list this below.
- Leafy Greens – Technically I don’t add my leafy greens to the jar. I pack them separate and add them to my bowl I’ll eat from. Then I dump my ‘salad in a jar’ on top to mix it all together. One more way to add more (or less) veggies if needed.
How To Make A Salad in a Jar
Let’s get started! All you need is to think of your favorite flavor combo. I’ll give you a couple of examples to get you started. I used a wide-mouth mason jar to make sure everything fit. Even though I said I kept the greens separate, you can always add those to the top of the jar since this is a great size. I make a couple up for the week as they will store in the fridge. Just remember, it’s all about the sauce, so switch it up and you won’t get bored!
Print Salad In a Jar – Greek
Think of this salad in a jar as a formula for a perfectly balanced meal. With endless combinations, say goodbye to boring salads & hello to easy meal prep, in a jar!
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill
Greek Salad Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons feta cheese
- 1/4 cup canned chickpeas, no-added salt
- 1–2 tablespoons of your choice: diced cucumbers, roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, black or green olives, pickled red onions, and anything else that sounds good!
- 1/4–1/2 cup whole wheat orzo, cooked
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Whisk in a bowl together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, dill, and pepper. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil. This will make extra dressing to have for other jars for the week and/or a salad dressing, and even makes a great marinade for shrimp!
- Cook your orzo according to the package directions. This is a ‘meal prep’ step, so make sure to make you have enough to use for the mason jars throughout the week. Orzo is a pasta, so worst case, you have another meal almost made, just add spaghetti sauce or pesto!
- Make sure to chop and dice all your veggies the size that you like before you’re ready to assemble one jar or multiple. The beauty in this recipe is that you can make one or have all the ingredients ready to go for more if you like!
- Add – to build the salad, add 2 tablespoons of the dressing to the bottom of the jar. (you can always add more if needed as a drizzle on the top). Add in 1-2 tablespoons of the feta cheese, 1/4 cup chickpeas, and then 1-2 tablespoons of the veggies you selected: I went with cucumber, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, pickled red onion. Add in 1/4 – 1/2 cup cooked orzo to top the jar off.
- Cover the jar with the lid and stick it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it (within 3 days!)
- Prep – when you’re ready to eat, cut up/bring with you some chopped romaine lettuce and throw that first into the bowl. Then dump your salad in a jar on top. Mix all together and eat up! If you need to add another tablespoon of dressing, now’s the time.
Notes
*Deconstructed sushi: I mixed a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a teaspoon of soy sauce, a little fresh ginger for my sauce added to the bottom. I then layered broiled salmon, diced cucumber, grated carrot, diced avocado, and rice. I kept the seaweed strips separate so they wouldn’t get soggy.
*Taco Salad – I use two jars for this one because I do heat this one up. 1st jar: I added a ton of pico de gallo/salsa at the bottom of the jar. Then add your ground meat, cheese, and beans. I also add rice in to make it more of a grain bowl. In my next jar I’ll add in the sour cream/greek yogurt, lettuce, and crushed tortilla chips (these two will get soggy, so you can add in the moment)
- Prep Time: 15
- Category: salad
1 thought on “Salad In a Jar”
Any way to make bringing your lunch to work easier, I’ll take it!