Your Next Salad Party: Planned

Coming up with healthy lunch ideas can be challenging, especially if you’re pressed for time in the morning. And let’s be real—no one likes paying $7.99 for a store-bought salad, only to discover that it’s full of wilted lettuce and dry, chewy bacon bits.

Hosting a salad party is an easy and fun way to put together delicious salads for the week – and spend time with your favorite people too. In honor of National Salad Month, we came up with a plan for two salads to make at your next salad party!

Tips for a Smooth Sailing Salad Party
First things first, get a head count as soon as you can, and multiply the ingredients based on the number of attendees and the number of salads you want each person to take home. After you’ve figured this out, ask each guest to commit to bringing a specific ingredient or two, already washed and prepped beforehand to save time. Make sure to send a reminder before your party to make you aren’t scrambling for an ingredient last minute!

You’ll also want to have a big table to work on, and spoons on hand to use with the toppings. You can either provide mason jars for your guests as a gift, or remind them to bring their own. Make sure they know how many to bring.

Recipes for Your Party
The following portions are for 10 1-quart mason jar salads – so if you have 5 party attendees, each one would take home two jars of each salad. Plan for 2 cups of greens and 2 cups of toppings per jar.

Vegetarian Southwest Salad

• 2 ¾ cups Yogurt Fiesta Dressing -  ¼ cup per jar
• 5 cups black beans – ½ cup per jar
• 5 cups diced tomatoes – ½ cup per jar
• 5 cups corn – ½ cup per jar
• 10 diced green onions – 1 per jar
• 20 cups chopped romaine lettuce – 2 cups per jar
• 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese – ¼ cup per jar

To make the dressing, whisk together:

• 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
• 1 ½ tbsp taco seasoning
• 6 tbsp milk
• ¾ cup salsa

Start by adding the dressing to the jars, then follow on with the black beans to act as a barrier between the dressing and the rest of the jar. Then add the diced tomatoes, corn, green onion, and romaine lettuce. Finish the jar with a sprinkling of shredded cheese on top.

Mediterranean Salad

• 1 ¼ cups vinaigrette (optional – it’s quick to make, and some people prefer to add the vinaigrette right before eating the salad) – 2 tbsp per jar
• 5 cups chickpeas – ½ cup per jar
• 5 cups diced tomatoes – ½ cup per jar
• 5 cups diced cucumbers – ½ cup per jar
• 1 ¼ cups olives – 1/8 cup per jar
• 1 ¼ cups chopped red onion – 1/8 cup per jar
• 20 cups romaine lettuce or other salad greens – 2 cups per jar
• 2 ½ cups feta cheese – ¼ cup per jar

To make the vinaigrette (2 tbsp per jar), whisk together:

• 15 tbsp olive oil
• 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Add the vinaigrette, then the chickpeas; then add the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, greens, and finally, feta cheese on top. Each guest will go home with four hearty jar salads, ready for delicious and healthy lunches throughout the week!

Now get those invitations out and rest easy, because hosting and cleaning up will be a breeze. Your guests will prep the toppings, then bring the containers and jars home. The perfect kind of party!

Have you ever hosted a salad party? Which recipes did you make? Share in the comments below!