5 Meal-Prep Salads for Healthy & Quick Lunches

Studies show that meal planning and prep is one of the best ways to stick to healthier eating habits – but this doesn’t just apply to dinner. Lunch can often fall by the wayside when it comes to meal prep, leaving you reaching for whatever is most convenient – whether that’s something that isn’t the healthiest or spending more money than you’d like on a bought lunch.

That’s why we’re firm believers in meal prepping a big salad on Sunday to set us up for the week. By building salads with grains and legumes at their base, they not only stay fresh but also keep you feeling full for longer – all while being budget-friendly. We like to mix up the protein throughout the week – or simply adding some dinner leftovers to keep things interesting.

These are 5 salads we’ve been meal prepping and loving lately – all designed to hold up for 3-4 days in the fridge without compromising on taste or texture.

Cauliflower, Carrot and Quinoa Salad with a Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
• 1 brown onion (cut into wedges)
• 4 carrots (cut into rounds)
• ¾ cup red or white quinoa
• ⅓ cup fresh coriander (finely chopped)
• 100g feta cheese (crumbled)
• ¼ cup almonds (roasted and roughly chopped) 
• Olive oil 
• Salt and paper 

Sun-dried Tomato, Almond Pesto 

• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 4 dried dates
• ¼ cup almonds (roasted) 
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 garlic clove

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
2. Add the cauliflower to one baking tray and the onions and carrots to another. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven to roast for 30-35 minutes.
3. While the veggies are roasting, cook the quinoa as per the packet instructions.
4. To make the sun-dried tomato pesto, simply add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until combined but not completely smooth.
5. Add everything to a large mixing or salad bowl and toss well to combine.
6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Beetroot and Carrot Salad

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 large beetroot (julienned or grated)
• 2 carrots (julienned or grated)
• ½ red or white cabbage (finely sliced)
• ½ cup coriander (roughly chopped)
• ½ cup parsley (roughly chopped)
• ¼ – ⅓ cup raisins, currants, or chopped dates
• ½ cup nuts and seeds of choice (toasted) or our tamari nut and seed topping

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
2. To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat evenly.

Warm Broccoli, Grain Salad with Feta and Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 x broccoli heads (cut into small bite-sized florets, and slice the stems)
• ½ bag of rocket
• ½ cup black rice (uncooked)
• 1 x 400ml can lentils (drained)
• 100g feta (crumbled)
• ¼ cup coriander (roughly chopped)
• 3 spring onions (finely sliced, white and green)
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (toasted)
• ¼ cup dried dates (finely sliced)
• Handful of rocket or spinach
• Olive oil

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground coriander

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (fan bake).
2. Add broccoli to a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and roast for 20–25 minutes.
3. While the broccoli is roasting, cook the black rice according to the packet instructions.
4. Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl and shake well.
5. In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, lentils, roasted broccoli, feta, coriander, spring onions, and pumpkin seeds.
6. Pour over the dressing and toss well. Add the rocket or spinach just before serving to prevent wilting.

Asian Inspired Tuna Brown Rice Salad 

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 cup brown rice 
• ½ cucumber (seeds removed and finely diced)
• 1 green capsicum (finely diced)
• 1 red or yellow capsicum (finely diced)
• 1 carrot (julienned or grated)
• ½ cup fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
• ½ cup cashews (roasted and roughly chopped) 
• 200g spring water tuna (drained)

Dressing

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 2 Tbsp tamari
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp ginger (grated)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)

Method

1. Cook the brown rice as per packet instructions. Once the rice has cooked, spread it over a large plate and set aside to cool.
2. While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables and the salad dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients into a glass jar and shake well to combine.
3. Add everything to a large mixing bowl; pour over the dressing and toss to combine.

30-Minute Summer Veggie Orzo Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 eggplants (diced)
• 2 capsicums (diced)
• 2 zucchinis (diced)
• 1 red onion (diced)
• 1 cup orzo 
• 100g feta (crumbled) 
• ½ cup fresh coriander (roughly chopped)  
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts (toasted) 
• Olive oil 
• Salt and pepper 

Dressing 

• 3 Tbsp olive oil 
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, fan bake.
2. Add the eggplant, capsicum, zucchini and red onion to a large baking tray (you may need to spread across two trays), drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop into the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until golden and starting to crisp up.
3. While the veggies are roasting, cook the orzo as per packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and drizzle with a little olive oil; toss well and set aside.
4. To make the dressing, add all the dressing ingredients to a small jar and shake well to combine; set aside.
5. Time to assemble the salad. In a large salad bowl, add the cooked orzo, cooked vegetables, feta, coriander and pine nuts; pour over the dressing and give the salad a good toss. 

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