Who said your lunchtime salad has to be boring? There’s a whole world of ingredients to explore, even when you’re watching your waistline and ditching the double-stacked sandwiches for a change. Fruit is one of our favourite salad boosters to give dull leaves a juicy revival. The combination of sweet, sour and savoury is enough to make your mouth water. And we have some of the best salad recipes that can be made with fruit from our fruit boxes.
If you thought some sad-looking lettuce was all you had to look forward to come noon, you’re wrong. Here’s a collection of the tastiest salad recipes with fruit in them - yum!
Classic Waldorf salad
This traditional salad has remained a favourite for a reason. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savoury, and brings together a multitude of textures for an exciting mouth-feel. Crunchy, crisp and creamy, it’s a fantastic lunchtime pick-me-up. The salad also pairs well with chicken for those who want some added protein, or can be eaten on its own as a vegetarian meal. Made with apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise (and sometimes grapes), it’s simple and sophisticated at the same time.
Parma ham and melon salad
Another rather grown-up and rather sophisticated ‘restaurant style’ salad you can rustle up for lunch is parma ham and melon. It takes no time at all, and can be prepped in advance without the fear of the fruit turning brown. The juices of the melon will soak the leaves in a natural, sticky, lip-smacking dressing, and the saltiness of the ham will create a delicious contrast. Add some mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of honey to give your Italian lunch a flavour upgrade. This recipe works best on a bed of rocket leaves and watercress.
Asian chicken and pomelo salad
One of the tastiest salad recipes with fruit is celebrated in various countries in Asia. In China, it’s a famous New Year dish. In Vietnam, it’s a popular street food. While in Thailand, it’s doused in lime and garnished in crushed peanuts or fried shallot sprinkles for added texture. However you make it, it’s going to be a taste explosion. Experiment with flavours such as citrus, coriander, chilli, mint and Thai basil to get the yin and yang of palate teasers.
Pomegranate and feta salad
If you love Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flavours, a pomegranate and feta salad is a loving marriage between both cultures. The pomegranate fruit hails from Iran and is grown all over the Med, while feta is the national cheese of Greece. This is a lovely leafy salad (best with rocket, spinach and watercress) with crumbled up feta pieces and a sprinkling of pretty pomegranate seeds. Finish with a splash of olive oil and lemon juice.
Strawberry balsamic salad
A strange but sumptuous combination that is both colourful and healthy. Strawberries are one of the lowest sugar and lowest carb fruits you can eat, and combined with sweet, sour balsamic, they are out-of-this-world tasty. Toss them in with spinach leaves, a dollop of honey, some Dijon mustard and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar for a salad recipe with fruit that will change your lunch breaks forever.
Pear and blue cheese salad
The perfect pairing, and a nice lunchtime treat for cheese lovers. While cheese can be fattening, it’s good in moderation. And blue cheese is one of the healthiest choices as it’s loaded with calcium. Toss your cheese and leaves in advance then grab a pear out of our premium fruit boxes come lunchtime - prepping your pear slices just before you eat will prevent them from turning brown!
Thai mango salad
It doesn’t get any more exotic than a Thai mango salad. Sweet, spicy, juicy and full of crunch, it’s like a party in your mouth. Ingredients include shredded mango, cos lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, chopped coriander, fresh mint, lime juice, sweet red pepper, red chilli, crushed cashews or peanuts, and whatever else you fancy throwing in there. Add chicken or prawn for extra protein, or leave it be for the perfect vegan feast.
Grilled peach salad
Want salad recipes with fruit that can satisfy your sweet tooth? By grilling your peaches, you can bring out their juiciness and intensify the sugary sweetness. Arugula lettuce, watercress and peppery rocket are all great leaves to serve with peach, and adding cheese can help to create a yummy flavour contrast. When it comes to balance, the sweeter your fruit, the riper and stinkier you can go with the cheese. So smelly blues or meaty washed rind cheeses can be a mouth-watering match in your lunchbox.
Fig and goats cheese salad
Another fruit and cheese combo to make you salivate before lunchtime. Figs are notoriously sweet, syrupy and pulpy when ripe. The tart, earthy and pungent goat’s cheese is a fantastic way to balance out the fruitiness of this salad. While some people believe that salads are a summer lunch option, this palatable fusion is extremely autumnal. Walnuts can be a great addition too if you’re looking to add something that’s rich in antioxidants and a good source of omega-3.
Vietnamese noodle salad
Asian salads are a fantastic way to mix it up in the lunch department. A vietnamese noodle salad can be sweet, spicy, citrusy, bitter, salty, and bursting with colour and texture. Use vermicelli rice noodles, which can be prepared the night before in boiling water. After they are drained and cooled, you can toss them into your salad. The key veggies that make this a signature Vietnamese salad are carrots, cucumber and spring onions (all thinly chopped), lots of coriander, sweet chilli sauce and freshly squeezed lime juice. This is 100% vegan-friendly, but you can add anything you want from prawns and meat to tofu chunks.
Tabbouleh salad
This trendy Levantine salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, chopped tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur wheat, olive oil and lemon juice. Another popular ingredient is pomegranate seeds, but there are many different variations of this. Tabbouleh can also be made with dried fruits, fresh fruits and cheeses such as feta. Devour it on its own, or box it up as a healthy accompaniment to chicken shawarma.
