Hold the lettuce: how to diversify your salads

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a refreshing salad, but you don’t always have to opt for lettuce as the main ingredient. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

Pasta salads
You don’t have to settle for macaroni with mayonnaise and celery. There is a huge variety of pastas to choose from. Conchiglie pasta, better known as shells, is perfect for salad thanks to its shape. Orzo, gemelli and rotelles are equally great choices.

Be sure to enhance the flavor for your pasta salad by incorporating fresh herbs like basil, coriander or chives. You can also add some savory texture to the dish by including roasted nuts or seeds.

Don’t be afraid to play around with interesting flavor combinations like shrimp and mango, chicken and sundried tomatoes, bell pepper and prosciutto or cranberry and apple.

Potato salads
This deli mainstay is more versatile than you might think. For starters, consider experimenting with different types of potatoes — there are around 80 varieties that are commercially available. Leave thin-skinned potatoes unpeeled to add texture to your salad.

In terms of dressing, think about swapping mayo for plain yogurt for a more calorie-conscious dish. Add Dijon mustard or wine vinegar for a sharper flavor profile.

Experiment with incorporating ingredients such as cherry tomatoes, pineapple, radishes, bacon and eggs.

Other salads
The base for a salad can be derived from nearly any ingredient including beets, legumes, quinoa, couscous, rice, bulgur wheat and buckwheat. Next time you go to the grocery store or farmers’ market, be inspired by in-season ingredients and use your creativity to step up your salad game.