Quick & Easy Chef’s Salad Recipe

Here’s a busy day recipe you will make again and again – an easy chef’s salad recipe that uses whatever you have on hand, making it the perfect meal to whip up last-minute for lunch or dinner. With fresh ingredients and simple preparation, it’s a quick and satisfying meal for the whole family. Bonus: it’s perfect for picky eaters, just let them add the toppings they like best!

Want even more easy recipe ideas? Try my No Bake 15 Minute Greek Nachos here, Fast 5 Ingredient Creamy Pesto Pasta here, or this Greek Tuna And Tomato Salad Recipe!

As soon as the weather warms up and I’m not craving soups as much, I start thinking about salads. Noodle salads are fun and slaws are great for potlucks, but my go-to summer menu salad is chef’s salad.

I love to celebrate the first warm spring weather by having a meal outside with – you guessed it – chef’s salads.

What exactly is a “chef’s salad?”

According to Wikipedia, a chef’s salad is “an American salad consisting of hard-boiled eggs, one or more varieties of meat (such as ham, turkey, chicken, or roast beef), tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheese, all placed upon a bed of tossed lettuce or other leaf vegetables.”

It apparently got it’s name because it’s traditionally made from whatever the chef has on hand, so it may be a bit different depending on where it’s being made and what is in season (which I just love!).

Why will you find this salad on so many of our family’s menus?

• They are super easy – usually ready in 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the chopping needed for the ingredients you choose.
• They are never the same – you can vary them from week to week by changing out the dressing, protein, cheese, etc.
• It’s super versatile – you can use up whatever you happen to have in your fridge and people can choose what they want on their own salad.

Oh, and it’s a one-bowl meal with just a knife and cutting board for clean up.

Recipe Ingredients

Although there are some basic ingredients considered necessary for a traditional chef’s salad, like egg and cooked meat like chicken and ham, I pretty much make ours with the “everything-goes” philosophy. I mean, that’s the beauty of this recipe!

Ingredient Layers for Chef’s Salad

It helps to think of composing the salad in layers:

1. Start with a base of greens. Chopped romaine or other lettuce, fresh spinach, chopped baby kale, or a spring mix.
2. Add a layer of traditional salad vegetables. Sliced sweet peppers, chopped or grated carrots, halved grape tomatoes, sliced sweet onion, cucumbers, zucchini, peas – basically anything you’d like that you have in the fridge.
3. Use 1 or 2 sliced or chopped cooked meat. Rotisserie chicken is a favorite, sliced ham, smoked turkey, roast beef or cooked bacon – you get the idea.
4. Add 1 or 2 types of cheese. Use them cubed, crumbled, or shredded. Think of sharp cheddar, grated parmesan, and crumbled feta – but really the sky is the limit here with regards to cheese.
5. Pile on a few fun toppings. A hard boiled egg is considered classic and we always add olives. Anything pickled/fermented is great, too – pickled beans, corn relish, sauerkraut. Sprinkle on some sunflower seeds, or crispy onions if you have them.
6. Drizzle it all with a favorite dressing. Unlike other named salads, Chef’s salad can have any dressing on it. Choose any one of the quick, homemade dressings below.

Dressing Options

I can’t think of one salad dressing that wouldn’t be good on chef’s salads. Try:

• A classic vinaigrette (both the lemon and balsamic are good choices). Or this Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.
• Honey mustard dressing – a creamy balance of sweet and savory.
• French dressing – and American style tomato based sweet-savory dressing.
• Kid’s favorite ranch dressing – always a hit with the family.
• Creamy feta dressing – this could put a different spin on the salad – use Mediterranean veggies like cucumbers, peppers, onions, and tomatoes with chicken and lamb and parmesan.

How to Make Chef’s Salad

To make chef’s salads, there’s basically two steps:

1. Gather your ingredients and prep them on cutting boards.
2. Then simply layer them into individual bowls, beginning with the greens.

Jami’s Tip: To make it pretty I like to arrange the meats, cheeses, toppings and a few of the colorful veggies into sections on top of a base layer of greens and other veggies like onions. Totally optional, though.

What to serve with Chef’s Salad

The only thing you might want to serve with this salad would be sliced homemade artisan or sourdough bread, preferably brushed with a bit of olive oil, smeared with garlic and toasted to perfection on the grill.

Of course, grilling some pita to accompany the salad would be awesome, too, don’t you think?

Oh, and one more thing to mention again: another important reason these salads should make regular appearances on your menu is because every member of the family gets to have their own favorite toppings.

This means the picky eaters will be happy – and they will love salad, oh joy! Oh, and mom and dad will be even happier, because that’s one less meal to hear sighs, whines, and complaints about (hmmm, can you relate?).

More Easy Salads to Try

• 18 Easy Chicken Salad Recipes
• Sesame Cabbage Salad with Grilled Chicken (30 Minute Main Dish)
• Quick Summer Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Green Beans
• Steak Salad with Creamy Garlic-Pepper Dressing

I hope you love this chef’s salad recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a recipe rating so I know how you liked it!

This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in May of 2014.