Mason Jar Salads Recipe: A Healthy Meal-Prep Idea for Lunch or Dinner by Terri Kendrick

I love salads and used to make a big bowl at the beginning of each week, but that meant I had to eat the same salad with the same ingredients every day. Boring! With these handy mason jar salads, I can still make several salads at once, but I’m now able to easily vary what’s included in each one.

Mason jar salads are perfect for grab-and-go dinners or lunches. They look pretty in your refrigerator, too! To make mason jar salads you will need your favorite salad dressing; crisp fresh vegetables; grains, beans or a protein like shredded chicken or diced deli meats; grated cheese; and leafy salad greens to round it all out.

Keep these healthy mason jar salads handy for lunch or as a side dish with dinner. Get creative and come up with your favorite combinations!

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 small salads or 1 very large one per jar (24-ounce, wide-mouth jars pictured)

Ingredients

• salad dressing
• crisp vegetables (carrots, celery, tomatoes, red onion, sweet peppers, etc.)
• grains, legumes and protein (quinoa, rice, farro, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, etc. and any protein you choose)
• grated cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, mozzarella, etc.)
• leafy greens (butter lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, etc.)

Helpful Products

• Mason Jars
• Salad Dressing Cruet
• Grater
• Mandoline Slicer
• Vegetable Peeler
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Salt and Pepper
• Grater
• Airtight Containers
• Kitchen Towels
• Pepper Grinder

Recipe Notes

• I used 24-ounce, wide-mouth jars, but any size can be used.

• Most jar salads will last several days in the refrigerator, but of course, some ingredients will remain fresher in the fridge for longer than others.

• Do not shake the jar until you serve the salad to keep the dressing from saturating the vegetables and grains.

• You can omit your salad dressing from the jar and add it to your salad when you serve it.

• Crunchy ingredients like croutons and tortilla strips should not be stored in the jar and added before serving.

Here’s how to make it:

1. Chop your vegetables. Cook any grains, legumes or proteins you’d like to include.
   
2. Now you’re ready to layer your ingredients in the mason jars. Add ingredients in the following order so that everything stays fresh and doesn’t get soggy (bottom to top): salad dressing; crisp vegetables; grains, legumes and proteins; grated or shaved cheese, and last in the jar is leafy greens.
   
   
   
3. Store the mason jars in the refrigerator.
   
4. When you’re ready to serve, shake the jar to mix the ingredients and pour the salad into a bowl.
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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