Favorite Summer Salad Recipes

Warm weather brings thoughts of cool food and recipes that don’t require a lot of indoor cooking. Who wants to tend a long, slow cooked meal when the sun is out and the warm weather beckons?

Here are three warm weather salads that have become some of my favorite summer salad recipes.

None of them require you to be any where near an oven or hot stove except to boil some water, and all are perfect for even the hottest summer days.

Serve them as side vegetable dishes or as a light lunch with a green salad and crusty bread.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

This is a lovely salad recipe that is great as a side salad or as a light luncheon recipe. Serve it in lettuce cups for lunch along with some fresh crusty bread and a great dessert. Just perfect!

1 pound frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Combine the shrimp, celery, Italian dressing and mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill, covered until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, peel and dice the avocado. Mix immediately with the lemon juice to prevent the avocado from going dark. Add to the shrimp mixture and mix gently.

Serves 6

Cucumber Salad

This recipe is delicious, but oh so easy. It’s a great recipe to serve company at a barbecue because it gets made ahead and sits in the fridge for a few hours until you are ready for it. The ideal summer pleasing recipes are ones that don’t require the host and hostess to be in the kitchen cooking while guests lounge outside.

3 massive cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 head of lettuce, shredded
1 containerful honey
good pinch black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Toss all the ingredients thoroughly in a massive salad bowl. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

That’s it!

Lime Jello Cottage Cheese Salad

This is a lovely light salad recipe that is perfect for a summer barbecue but also works well all year on a buffet table. The addition of cottage cheese might sound odd, but it is a great flavor mix with the Jello. The crunch of the celery and green pepper add another layer of flavor and fresh taste.

1 – 3 ounce package lime jelly powder
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped

Blend with beater and chill until firm 1″ from edge of dish. Turn it into a bowl and beat it until it becomes light and fluffy. Fold in 1 cup cottage cheese, celery, onion and green pepper. Chill fully before serving.

Don’t forget that most of your favorite summer salad recipes are great all year round too.

Favorite Summer Salad Recipes

Karen Ciancio is a fan of all things cooking related. Her website Cookingnook.com contains recipes, cooking tips, diet and nutrition information. Visit the site for a free copy of our Holiday Gift Guide, with great ideas for everyone on your list.

Cold Pasta Salad Recipes: Tuna Pasta Salad

Cold Pasta Salad Recipes: Tuna Pasta Salad

This pasta salad receipt features everybody’s favorite: tuna with savory stuffed tortellini pasta.

2 (6 1/2 oz.) cans tuna

1 (8 oz.) pkg. Tortellini pasta, filled with Parmesan cheese

4 boiled eggs, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup sweet salad pickle cubes

1/2 cup celery, chopped

Mayonnaise

Directions

Cook pasta in 2 1/2-quart of boiling salted water for approximately 25 minutes; drain and let cool.

Add other ingredients to cooled pasta. Mix in the mayonnaise to taste.

=> Pasta Salad Recipes: Pasta Salad with Spam

Got some canned Spam sitting around in the cupboard? Use it to make this deliciously creamy pasta salad. A cheap and simple recipe for pasta salad.

1 (12 oz.) pkg. pasta curls

1 (12 oz.) can of Spam

1 medium zucchini

1 medium yellow or green pepper

10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 green onions

1/4 cup cucumber salad dressing

1/3 cup light vegetable oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chopped olives

Paprika

Directions

Cut vegetables and Spam into julienne strips.

Prepare pasta; drain and place into a medium bowl. Combine the Spam, pasta, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, olives and onions. In a small bowl, combine dressing, oil and pepper.

Add to salad mixture, then toss. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Cover and chill. Stir gently before serving.

=> Summer Pasta Salad: Seafood Pasta Salad

Here’s a great crab pasta salad that will be a hit at any gathering.

Salad

4 ounces pasta, uncooked

8 ounces crab surimi seafood chunks

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup bell peppers, chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chili sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

In a massive bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

In another bowl, stir together the salad dressing ingredients.

Toss dressing into crab mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

=> Pasta Salad Italian Dressing: Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni

You can’t beat this zesty Italian American pasta salad featuring your favorite noodles, mushrooms and pepperoni.

7 ounce box pasta noodles

1 small can sliced ripe olives

1/4 cup green pepper, diced

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 ounce pepperoni, chopped

1 small can sliced mushrooms

Italian salad dressing

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Drain the juice from the olives and mushrooms; add to pasta. Add in peppers and onions; stir. Mix in the Italian dressing to thoroughly coat salad.

Add in the pepperoni and Parmesan cheese to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cold Pasta Salad Recipes: Tuna Pasta Salad