Healthy summer salads to batch cook

[Sourdoughnovice]

I’m looking for some healthy summer salads that I can batch cook and leave in the fridge for the week. I’d like to be able to pick and mix them at lunch time. I’d really like them to be filling and nutritious and low/no UPF. Can anyone share any recipes they have? Thanks!

I don't exactly have a recipe but last week I made a kind of slaw. Grated or finely chopped cabbage, carrot and apple with a sprinkle of dill. I mixed some lemon juice, Greek yog and mayo to make dressing (not too much) plus toasted seeds sprinked on top and a hard boiled egg on the side for more protein. You could do the seeds fresh each day and keep the dressing separate from the veg then assemble each day.

I make this couscous salad in batches and add cooked chicken or feta https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/couscoussalad_1921

This pasta salad recipe includes quickly making your own pesto so no UPFs https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pesto_pasta_salad_72323

Tuna potato salad https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/tuna-and-potato-salad/

No prepared salad is going to last more than 2 or 3 days. Even if they are still safe to eat, there will be degradation in quality and nutritional value.

Couscous, freekah (or other grains), pasta or potato salad, slaws, roast vegetables (honey roast tomatoes are my favourite), lentil (I love poached salmon and puy lentils) or bean salads will last quite well. You can pre prepare dressings, toppings (seeds, nuts, crispy onions, croutons, pancetta etc), proteins but it’s better to leave chopping and assembling until the last minute.

Waldorf salad is one where you could do all the chopping for a large batch, though three or four days would be the extent of its fridge life rather than a week.
You could add different protein each day, cubed cheese, fish, cooked chicken, hard boiled eggs. Hard boiled eggs left in their shells will keep for about a week in the fridge.
Mixed bean salad would also work, and would probably have a fridge life of about four days.

Thank you for the suggestions so far!

This lady makes amazing salad recipes.

I currently have this on repeat for my work week lunches - it stores perfectly all week if you keep the dressing separate

https://www.recipetineats.com/white-bean-tabbouleh-salad/

Also recommend her broccoli salad with creamy dressing, pesto pasta salad, lentil salad, brown rice salad and pearl couscous salad. All will store well especially if you keep the dressing separate.

Cabbage based salads also last for ages in the fridge if you keep the dressing separate.

Another vote for the fabulous Nagi. I would also take a look at Emily English’s Insta - she has quite a few prepable salad recipes that won’t wilt. Or just Google Emily English prepable salads and all the links come up.

Not only salads! Sooo many great recipes on Recipetin Eats.

The key is batch cooking or having to hand easy protein and carb sources. The veg you don’t want to do too far in advance cos it'll go mank).

So today I used some pre/cooked lentils and half a left over chicken breast. I added various veg (rocket, tomatoes, chopped pepper radishes courgette, grated raw beetroot). Dressing was a tablespoon of homemade mayo loosened with lemon juice and grainy mustard. Mixed it all together and garnished with some mint and kimchi. Delicious!

my go-to proteins/carbs are tinned beans/pulses, pouches of pre/cooked lentils (Merchant Gourmet), pearl barley, tinned tuna, tinned mackerel, chicken, prawns). I can’t eat dairy anymore :(, but feta was a favourite too.
Then add veg and dressing of choice. Things are always improved with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Toasted seeds are good too.

Some that I’m currently eating a lot:
Tuna crunch:
60g tin tuna
finely chopped celery, courgette and radish,
80g tinned chickpeas or cannellini beans
finely chopped flat leaf parsley
dressing: Tbsp mayo, 1/2 Tbsp white miso paste, lime juice, pepper

Tuna bean salad:
Tuna, chopped: avocado, feta, tinned mixed salad beans, tomatoes, sweetcorn, spring onion, basil
dressing: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, black pepper

mackerel slaw:
Finely shredded cabbages (red and pointed), finely sliced radishes, very fine batons of apple, mix with dressing (Tbsp mayo loosened with apple cider vinegar, grainy mustard). Toss well top with a tin of mackerel (or protein of choice). Add some coriander and/or mint

So true. I make her stuff a lot.