13 Creative Ways to Enhance Store-Bought Bagged Salad

We’ve all been there — you buy a bag of salad leaves at the grocery store with the intention of serving up a healthy dinner, then despair at the thought of finishing your meal and still feeling hungry. Salad is a brilliant way to add extra veggies into your diet, but it doesn’t need to leave you feeling like you’re eating rabbit food, and it certainly doesn’t have to be boring.

As a keen home cook and health enthusiast, I make salads as main meals virtually every day, and I don’t ever get tired of them. No two salads should taste the same, and the bag of leaves is really just a blank canvas that allows you to express your creativity. Eating well shouldn’t mean depriving yourself of your favorite ingredients, and there are plenty of ways to make a salad taste just as satisfying as your usual midweek meals. Let’s take a look at 13 delicious ways to spruce up your bag of salad leaves.

If there is one thing that can make or break a salad, it has to be the homemade dressing. Without it, all you really have is dry leaves on a plate, and that is just not going to be the same experience. Store-bought dressings can do the job, but they are often full of sugar, meaning your well-intentioned salad may miss the mark. Plus, it literally takes less than a minute to make a delicious homemade dressing, so there is absolutely no need to reach for a bottle of expensive store-bought mix.

The basic ratio for an easy homemade salad dressing is 3 parts oil to 1 (or 2) parts vinegar, depending on how acidic you want it. Balsamic is a great option, but red wine or apple cider vinegar works beautifully, too. If you want to go beyond the basic option, you can add a touch of Dijon mustard, some crushed garlic, or even a drizzle of honey for sweetness. The combination you use may change depending on what else is going on in the salad.

The key to enjoying salads regularly is to add variety to them, and switching out the oil you use in the salad dressing is an easy way to achieve that. While extra virgin olive oil is a popular choice, avocado, walnut, or even flaxseed oils all have distinct flavors that will complement the leaves and give the salad a bit of character.

Whenever I chat with someone who doesn’t agree with me on how awesome salads are, their staple reason tends to be that they don’t fill them up. Adding high-quality protein to your salad is an excellent way to make it more filling and up the flavor profile at the same time, and changing the protein can make your salad into a completely new meal.

If you are a meat eater, then you can add virtually any of your favorite proteins to your salad to make it into a meal. Sliced chicken, pan-fried steak, or crumbled bacon bits over the top will all add bags of flavor and make it feel like a more substantial serving. My personal favorite is grilled shrimp, which works especially well with a base of arugula leaves.

For a plant-based protein boost, marinated tofu that is then baked or fried makes a great meat-free option. Lentils are also high in protein, and can add a boost of plant-based iron, too. If you feel that your salads have been lacking, adding a generous portion of protein on top will turn them from a bland snack to a filling and delicious main meal.

Soft, delicate salad leaves are all very well, but every home cook knows that contrast of texture is essential, and there is no reason for your salad to miss out. Once you have dressed your salad, the crispness of the leaves will be reduced, so adding texture on top will help to make up for this.

I can’t remember the last time I made a salad without adding seeds, and once you have tried it, you will understand why. Tiny seeds such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, or pumpkin seeds are packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fats and add a delightful crunch without altering the texture too much. They have a nutty, slightly earthy flavor when you bite into one, but overall, they won’t compete with the rest of the ingredients in your salad.

If seeds are a bit too subtle, adding crushed nuts to the salad will provide the same health benefits, with even more contrast of texture. Walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds all work well, and toasting them beforehand increases the satisfying crunch even more. If nuts and seeds are not an option, homemade croutons can create the same effect. Fry little cubes of bread in hot oil for a few minutes, or crisp up some sourdough or ciabatta in the oven instead. Whatever option you choose to add texture to your salad, don’t add it until you are ready to serve to prevent it from going soft.

One surefire way to get flavor into your salad is to pack it with a variety of veggies, and there is no reason they need to be cold. Adding freshly cooked hot vegetables to your salad will give it a unique contrast of temperatures and textures, and the hot veggies will make it feel like more of a meal.

Roasted root vegetables are a delicious ingredient to sweeten up the salad leaves, as well as an excellent source of carbs to fill you up. Carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash can all easily be roasted while you are preparing other things and then added to your salad as soon as they come out of the oven. I also love to add traditional salad vegetables to the oven at the end of the cook, such as cherry tomatoes or bell peppers, to soften them a little and bring out the natural sweetness.

If you really don’t like the idea of hot salad ingredients, you still don’t need to eat everything raw (unless you want to, of course.) Blanching is a great technique for salads that involves cooking the veggies for a short while and then plunging them into cold water to prevent them from overcooking and cool them down. Green beans, asparagus, and tenderstem broccoli all benefit from this short cooking method, and it helps to retain the nutrients and keep the colors vibrant.

Fruit may not be your first thought when you open a bag of salad leaves, but trust me — it’s a game changer! Sweet fruit alongside savory salad ingredients will lift the whole dish and create a symphony of flavors and textures that will amaze your palate.

Stone fruits are the most obvious choice and a big favorite of mine. In my years of making salads for dinner, I turn most often to fresh peaches or nectarines, both of which pair brilliantly with creamy cheese such as mozzarella. Both of these fruits can be grilled or baked beforehand to extract even more sweetness, and the chargrilled flavor will complement any meat or fish on the salad, too.

For a different approach, pomegranate seeds create a burst of tangy flavor throughout any kind of salad, or dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries can work well, too. You can tailor the fruit you use depending on your choice of protein: apple slices are a crispy option that complements pork, citrus such as orange or grapefruit can work well with fish, and fresh figs are brilliant alongside prosciutto and goat’s cheese. The key to using fruit in a salad is balance — we’re not making a fruit salad, just enhancing the savory elements with a burst of sweetness.

If you’re worried about your salad leaves being a bit bland and boring, there is one surefire way to prevent that — add a little sliced chili for heat. If the rest of your salad ingredients are mostly rich and smooth, the chilis will cut through them and make the whole thing more exciting. If you are anxious about the heat of chilis, there are plenty of mild options that can add a hint of spice without destroying your taste buds.

My personal favorite is to add a little jalapeños to a fresh salad. Jalapeños are at the lower end of the spiciness scale, with a Scoville rating around 2500 to 8000 units. This gives a burst of heat that can make your salad much more interesting but without overwhelming the palate. Removing the seeds and white membrane makes it even milder, as these parts contain higher concentrations of capsaicin, which is what gives the pepper its heat.

If you’re in the mood for more heat, habanero chilis packs a much bigger punch, with a Scoville rating of up to 350,000 units. Be sure to slice it very thinly, and if you are cooking for others, check with them first before adding it to their salad.

As fabulous as homemade hummus is, if you thought that was the only use for the jar of tahini in your fridge, think again. The nutty, creamy paste can be put to great use in your salad, too, to give it a totally different dimension, and is an excellent way to add a creamy element to a plant-based salad.

Tahini is a sesame seed paste that also has health benefits. It’s packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, as well as various antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, meaning it can supercharge your already healthy salad.

To make a delicious tahini salad dressing, add a little olive or sesame oil, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and some salt and pepper, and whisk them together with the tahini. If the jar of tahini has been sitting for a while, you will need to give it a good stir first, as the oil will have naturally separated out. If you can handle a bit of raw garlic, crush a clove and whisk it to add a potent flavor punch. Once you have made a batch of tahini dressing, you can add it to so much more than just your bag of salad leaves. Drizzle it onto roasted veggies, grains such as quinoa or couscous, or as a fancy condiment on your next sandwich or wrap.

Hard-boiled eggs are a salad staple, but if you want to take your egg-based salad to another level, try serving them runny instead. Cutting into a just-cooked egg and letting the yolk create a sauce over the leaves will take your salad to restaurant levels of presentation, with a flavor experience to match.

My egg of choice for a salad is a poached egg, and making one isn’t as intimidating as you may think. The key is to crack the egg into a ramekin first, rather than straight into the hot water. Bring your pan of water to a rolling boil with a splash of white vinegar, then stir to create a vortex, and slide the egg from the ramekin into the spinning water. The swirling motion helps the egg white to wrap itself around the yolk, and the vinegar helps the egg white solidify more quickly, meaning it will be ready while the yolk is still runny. I personally never cook them for more than 3 minutes to make sure the yolk is perfectly runny, but you can keep them in for 4 minutes if you prefer them a bit more done.

Adding protein to your salad doesn’t always have to mean meat, and incorporating cheese is a delicious way to keep the meal vegetarian and add a fabulous umami hit at the same time. My absolute favorite on a salad is Parmigiano Reggiano. Literally named “The King of Cheeses,” real Parmesan tastes nothing like the dried powder you find in the dried goods section and has a fantastic, nutty flavor that goes with almost any other ingredients you may choose. Use a vegetable peeler to create elegant shavings, or grate over the top after you have plated the rest of the salad.

Another great alternative salad cheese is feta. Made from goat or sheep milk, this salty cheese is both crumbly and creamy and is the star of the famous Greek salad. A refreshing summer combination is to add juicy watermelon and creamy avocado to the tangy feta for the ultimate palate-pleasing salad.

If you feel that your salad needs a bolder touch, a few cubes of blue cheese are the way to go. For me, nothing can match the intense umami hit that blue cheese can provide, and the fresh, bitter leaves will contrast it brilliantly. Try a creamy gorgonzola dolce for a subtle touch, or go for broke with a pungent Stilton if you’re feeling adventurous. The classic accompaniments to blue cheese are walnut and pear, so why not try them together to create a restaurant-quality salad in your own kitchen?

One of the best ways to create a more filling salad is to add grains to the leaves, and there are plenty of tasty options to choose from. Whole grains contain fiber, which slows down the digestion of your food and keeps you fuller for longer.

If you don’t eat meat or want to increase your protein intake, quinoa is one of the best grain options. Since it contains all nine essential amino acids, it is considered a complete protein source, making it an excellent addition to a plant-based diet. It has a nutty flavor and satisfyingly chewy texture that makes it a fun ingredient to include in your fresh salad.

Other tasty grains that work well in salads are bulgar wheat, which is a quick cook option if you are short on time, or barley if you’re happy for it to simmer away while you work on other things in the kitchen. Whatever grains you choose to add, they will bulk up your salad and make it feel more like a substantial meal.

As a home cook, fresh herbs are such a brilliant tool to have at your disposal. There is barely a dish they won’t enhance, and when it comes to adding them to your salad, the only question is which ones to choose.

Since I make salads for main meals regularly, I switch up the herbs I use often, as they can dramatically change the overall flavor profile, which keeps things interesting. Basil is one of my favorites, and I tend to add it to virtually every dish I make. In a salad, it adds delicious aromatic notes with a hint of sweetness that will complement tomatoes if you use them. If you love all things Mediterranean, basil is the herb to go for.

Cilantro is a herb that causes division in many houses, but if your family are fans, it works really well in a fresh salad. The fragrant notes it brings work well with citrus or chilis, especially seafood. Parsley is another all-rounder that has a really fresh flavor that most people enjoy, and all of these herbs go well together if you want to try more than one. Chop the herbs right before you serve them to keep them as fresh as possible, and experiment with different combinations until you find one that excites your palate.

If legumes make up a regular part of your midweek meals, there is no reason you can’t include them in your salads, too. Packed with both protein and fiber, legumes help to keep you full for longer, meaning that your salad will keep you going further than you may expect.

Garbanzo beans, or chickpeas, are one of my favorite options to add both flavor and texture. Roasting them in the oven crisps them up beautifully, and although it takes about half an hour, it’s hands-off cooking that can happen while you prepare other things. Rinse a can of garbanzo beans to get rid of the excess aquafaba — save the rest from the can to make a great homemade mayo — then coat in olive oil and your choice of herbs and spices before sticking them in the oven.

If you want something a bit heartier, lentils are a great choice, too. Toss them in a little of the vinaigrette to give them a zing before scattering them over the top of the salad. By adding legumes, your salad will benefit not only from added nutrition and flavor but will feel less like a bowl of green leaves and more like a main meal that will keep you satiated.

If you were ever worried about your salad leaves tasting bland, there is a very simple solution — add some pickles. They may usually be saved for burgers or sandwiches, but they have a vibrant part to play in your salad game, too.

If possible, making your own pickled veggies is a total game changer. If you are thinking it sounds like far too much effort, I thought the same, but once you have pickled your own onions, you’ll never look back. They only take a few minutes to prep — add sliced red onions to a mixture of vinegar, water, sugar, and salt — and then you can leave them in the fridge to transform. You can even heat the pickling liquor to speed up the process if you wish. Once you have a jar of homemade pickled onions, you will be looking for an opportunity to add them to everything you can. Scatter them on top of your salad to add a zingy kick, then try to resist eating the rest straight out of the jar!