Meat Lovers' Salad Recipes (2024)

Southwestern Steak Salad

Lunch salads featuring meat are light and nutritious, yet still substantial enough to power you through the afternoon. Find classic recipes and those with a twist, including chefs salad, taco salad, and Thai-style steak salad.

This flavor-packed salad can be on the table in only 20 minutes. Thin slices of seared skirt steak are tossed with a romaine lettuce salad and creamy avocado, then topped with a spicy-sweet dressing featuring minced chipotle chiles in adobo.

Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Pecans

Onions and tomatoes cooked in bacon fat make a luxurious vinaigrette for this spinach salad. The spinach leaves are tossed with the hot dressing just until they are wilted, then topped with crunchy pan-roasted bacon and toasted pecans.

Cucumber and Mango Salad with Chili-Spiced Pork

Slices of pan-cooked boneless pork loin chops complement a refreshing combination of mango and cucumber. The salad is accented with a spicy-sweet dressing of lime juice, honey, and chili powder. Feel free to use boneless chicken breasts or turkey cutlets in place of the pork.

Grilled Steak and Onion Salad

Caramelizing on the grill brings out the natural sugars in both the onion and the skirt steak. These deep flavors are complemented by mustard vinaigrette, parmesan croutons, and baby arugula. In summer, you can make this salad on the grill outside, but enjoy it year-round using a grill pan or cast iron skillet.

Romaine Salad with Crispy Prosciutto and White Beans

In this sophisticated salad, crunchy romaine is joined by creamy white beans and roasted prosciutto. This 15-minute recipe serves one, but the quantities can be easily multiplied. Make cleanup just as quick by roasting the croutons and prosciutto on the same baking sheet.

Steak-and-Egg Salad

This satisfying main-course salad gets a double protein punch with skirt steak and hard-cooked eggs. Romaine lettuce provides a refreshing crunch, while radicchio brings a hint of bitterness and a burst of color. Try substituting seared mahimahi fillets for the beef.

Chopped Salad with Spicy Pork and Buttermilk Dressing

Rub pork tenderloin with a mix of chipotle chile powder, salt, and pepper before broiling. Cut the cooked pork into chunks and toss with romaine lettuce, pepper Jack cheese, corn kernels, and cherry tomatoes, along with the creamy buttermilk dressing.

Thai-Style Steak Salad

This recipe transforms everyday ingredients into an easy Thai lunch. The tasty marinade of soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, and red pepper flakes does double-duty as a dressing for boneless rib-eye steaks. Fresh mint, peanuts, and bean sprouts add extra texture and flavor.

BLT Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

This salad has everything you love about the classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, including the bread, which makes an appearance as croutons. The addition of buttermilk creates a thick, creamy dressing without using a lot of mayonnaise.

Steak Salad with Spinach

Thin slices of broiled skirt steak are served with a salad of spinach, chopped walnuts, grapes, and crumbled blue cheese. As this recipe serves one, the steak can be cooked in a toaster oven, but if you choose to scale up the recipe to increase the serving size, we suggest you use an oven broiler.

Chef's Salad

Prepare the ingredients for this salad in the morning to get it on the table in minutes. The trio of bacon, ham, and turkey -- along with Swiss cheese -- makes a rich combination, so save calories by using lower fat sour cream and mayonnaise for the dressing.

Flank Steak and Arugula Salad

A rub of chili powder, oregano, and cumin coats seared flank steak in this Tex-Mex salad. A dressing of prepared salsa and balsamic vinegar is a smart way to punch up the flavor without adding extra oil, while crumbled goat cheese adds a hint of creaminess.

Spinach Salad with Ham and Egg

This easy main-course salad is a good way to use leftover ham, but deli-sliced ham or turkey will also work. Toss spinach, ham, and radishes with a warm dressing of sauteed onion, oil, mustard, and vinegar and garnish with quartered hard-cooked eggs.

Citrus Steak Salad

A generous portion of seared strip steak gives this salad substance, but the fresh oranges, carrots, red onion, and romaine lettuce keep it light. A dressing of honey, ginger and orange juice adds a refreshing zing. This satisfying meal can be prepared in just 20 minutes.

Lentil Salad with Bacon and Frisee

Smokey bacon infuses this hearty lentil salad with flavor and adds extra crunch. Finely chopped carrots and onions lend sweetness to the frisee's pleasantly bitter edge. Feel free to substitute baby lettuce for the frisee.

Steak Salad with Goat Cheese

Lightly blanched green beans add a welcome crunch to this broiled skirt steak salad. Crumbled feta or Gorgonzola would work just as well as the goat cheese.

Taco Salad

This salad calls for our ground-beef taco filling, but ground turkey can be easily substituted for the beef in this mixture. Crushed tortilla chips add crunch to a salad base of romaine lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and diced avocado. If you like, garnish the salads with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and dollops of sour cream.