Keto Chopped Salad Recipes: Delicious and Nutritious Options

Maintaining a ketogenic lifestyle doesn't mean sacrificing flavor or enjoyment. Keto chopped salads are a fantastic way to pack in essential nutrients, healthy fats, and satisfying protein while keeping carb counts low. These versatile salads can be customized with various ingredients and dressings, making them a perfect choice for lunch, dinner, or meal prep.

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Chopped Salad

Recreate the flavors of a restaurant favorite with this low-carb version of the Cheesecake Factory chopped salad. This recipe maintains the essence of the original while aligning with keto principles.

Ingredients:

• Avocado
• Grilled chicken
• Roma tomatoes (cherry tomatoes can be substituted)
• Bacon
• Keto-friendly vinaigrette dressing (recipe below)

Keto-Friendly Vinaigrette Dressing:

This slightly sweet dressing with robust Italian flavors complements the salad perfectly. Double the recipe and store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Preparation Tips:

• To maintain freshness, store ingredients separately if meal prepping and combine just before serving.
• The salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days, but it's best enjoyed immediately after mixing.

Keto Greek Salad

This refreshing Keto Greek Salad is a healthier, low-carb take on classic Greek salad, but with all the deliciousness of a traditional recipe! This salad is full of low carb vegetables, a little feta cheese, and uses a simple homemade keto salad dressing made with olive oil, oregano, red wine vinegar, and salt. This recipe is one of the best go-to options for lunch or a light dinner. This salad is incredibly easy and ready in just 10 minutes. It’s perfect for a quick meal or meal prep.

Ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Green bell peppers
• Red onion
• Cucumbers
• Capers
• Kalamata olives
• Feta cheese
• Olive oil
• Oregano
• Red wine vinegar
• Salt

Preparation:

1. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place them into a mixing bowl.
2. Dice the bell pepper, thinly slice the red onion, and cut the cucumber into even cubes.
3. When ready to serve, transfer the salad to a serving dish and top it with the diced feta cheese.

Tips:

• Use the freshest vegetables possible.
• Stick to cherry or grape tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes to avoid a watery Greek keto salad.
• Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
• The salad dressing can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Adjust for Lower Carbs: If you’re following a strict keto diet, reduce the tomatoes and onions for even fewer carbs to suit your macros.
• Different Cheese: Use another kind of cheese, like goat cheese or fresh mozzarella. I have even substitute the feta with vegan cheese to make the salad completely vegan.
• Add More Protein: Try making my simple keto Greek salad with chicken breast, grilled steak, or any lean meat for a higher protein option.
• Dressing Variations: I love to enhance my homemade Greek dressing by adding fresh herbs like oregano or basil, garlic (either fresh or powdered), black pepper, or crushed red pepper.

Serving Suggestions:

• With Bread: Pair this salad with a slice of keto-friendly bread or even with almond flour tortillas.
• With Soup: Soup and salad is one of my favorite classic combinations!
• With Sandwiches: Enjoy the salad on the side of a sandwich or wrap for added veggies and fresh flavor.
• As A Side: Serve this salad as a side dish for just about any main course.

Storage:

• Transfer the salad to an airtight container and the dressing to a separate airtight container. Store both in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• If the salad is too salty, add more fresh vegetables to balance it out. If it’s too acidic, add a little more olive oil.
• Store the feta cheese in a brine solution in the refrigerator. When ready to use, pat it dry with a paper towel before crumbling it into the salad.

Keto Chopped Salad with Italian Dressing

This salad is a great way to get in a lot of vegetables, high quality fats, and proteins without having to do a lot of cooking. This keto salad recipe is nutritious and full of so much flavor. This salad packs a veggie punch, are super filling, and don't break the calorie budget.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Keto Italian Dressing (in the recipe card below) - If you are short on time, you can use a store bought Italian dressing.
• 12 cups chopped romaine - Use romaine for this recipe as it is a hearty lettuce and can stand up to all of the toppings.
• 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half - You can have tomatoes on keto!
• ½ cup sliced black olives - Feel free to omit these.
• ⅓ cup sliced pepperoncinis - A little goes a long way.
• ½ cup chopped provolone cheese

Italian Dressing:

• olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• sweetener
• garlic
• dijon
• italian seasoning
• salt
• pepper

Preparation:

1. Make the dressing. I like to add all of the dressing ingredients to a measuring cup or small bowl and then combine with a whisk. You can also add all of the ingredients to a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake it to emulsify the dressing.
2. Layer the chopped romaine in the bottom of a large bowl. Place the rest of the toppings on top of the lettuce, then pour the dressing over top. Finally, toss the salad with salad tongs and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tips:

• Make sure your ingredients are all bite size.
• Check for seasoning at the end. The dressing does have salt and pepper but that is a lot of lettuce in this keto salad.
• Use a store bought dressing if you are short on time.
• Making a dressing really doesn't take up that much time but I know sometimes we are not in the mood to mix up a dressing.
• Some store bought Italian dressings are keto friendly and only have 1 or 2 carbs per serving.

Storage and Meal Prep:

• If you know the whole salad isn't going to be consumed in one sitting, do not toss the salad with dressing.
• To meal prep this keto salad, separate the chopped romaine into a meal prep bowl. You can put the toppings on top of the lettuce, or you can separate them into their own bowl or zip top bag. The dressing can be stored in a small portable dressing cup.

Keto Chopped Salad with Cruciferous Vegetables

This Keto Chopped Salad is perfect to make for Food Prep and then you have salad ready to eat all through the week! This Keto Chopped Salad quickly turned into a staple in my fridge. This salad is great to keep a container of the cut-up veggies in the fridge so it’s easy to grab a healthy salad any time during the week. And nothing keeps me on track with my eating than having something healthy like this Keto Chopped Salad in the fridge to start out the week!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets (blanched optional)
• 2 cups cauliflower
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup green OR black olives, sliced
• 1 cup pepperoni, diced or sliced
• 1 cup salami, diced or sliced
• 1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced
• 1/2 cup mozzarella pearls or cubed mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Italian Salad Dressing

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
2. Toss with about 1/4 cup Italian Salad Dressing
3. Chill about 15-20 min before serving

Tips:

• For this chopped salad, cutting the vegetables finely is the key to the texture, and using fresh herbs is the key to the flavor.
• We love the idea of making this recipe your own by using different fresh herbs or chopped vegetables.
• For more of a traditional green goddess flavor, try swapping 1-2 tablespoons basil for fresh tarragon. Or use a combination of cilantro, basil, and parsley for a more earthy flavor profile.
• Instead of using all green vegetables, you could use red cabbage, and red bell pepper for a red and green color combo reminiscent of the holidays.
• Wash veggies in a salad spinner if needed and chop into bite-sized pieces.
• Store the salad mix in the fridge in a large container with a snap-tight lid. (Some people use a Ziploc bag for salad as well, but I've had better luck with a container like the one in the photo.)
• When you can a salad take out the desired amount, toss with dressing, add toppings as desired, and enjoy!

Dressing Suggestions:

• BYU Creamery Ranch Copycat Recipe.
• Blue Cheese
• Green Goddess
• Caesar
• Low-carb Asian ginger dressing

Toppings Suggestions:

• slivered almonds
• peanuts
• sunflower seeds
• walnuts
• grated cheese
• crumbled Feta
• crumbled blue cheese
• chopped hard-boiled eggs

Keto Green Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh cabbage, shredded
• 3/4 ea fresh cucumber, with skin
• 1/3 cup fresh green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 cup fresh scallions, tops & bulb, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh chives
• 1 ea fresh avocado
• 1 ea fresh garlic cloves
• 1 fluid ounce Real Lemon lemon juice, 100%
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground

Preparation:

1. Into a medium bowl, combine finely chopped green cabbage, diced cucumber, thinly sliced scallions, and diced green bell pepper, tossing to mix.
2. In a food processor, combine avocado, basil, chopped chives, olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth and well mixed, scraping down the sides if needed. Pour over the chopped vegetables.
3. Toss vegetables and dressing until evenly coated. Serve immediately, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

General Tips for Keto Chopped Salads

• Prioritize Freshness: The fresher the ingredients, the better the salad will taste.
• Chop Finely: Uniformly sized, bite-sized pieces enhance the texture and eating experience.
• Customize: Feel free to adjust ingredients based on your preferences and what you have on hand, tracking changes in net carbs.
• Dress Lightly: Use just enough dressing to coat the ingredients without making the salad soggy.
• Consider Texture: Combine crunchy and soft elements for a more satisfying salad.
• Meal Prep Wisely: Store ingredients separately and combine just before serving to prevent wilting.

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

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