Salads in a jar – have you heard of them? Until recently, I thought that it was just another temporary fashion in which it is about beautiful presentation of ingredients. Then I had the opportunity to photograph such salads for the client, so I explored the topic and it turned out that it was also a very practical solution! Put the ingredients in the jar in layers and pour the sauce to the bottom. Lettuce is not soaked in the dressing, vegetables remain crispy, so we can make a salad in a jar in the evening and take it to work the next day.
How to prepare a salad in a jar? – Basic rules:
Choose a large, airtight jar with a capacity of approx. 12 – 14 0z. The jars with a gasket and a metal closure are cool looking and will do great.
You can put any favorite ingredients in the jar. Practically every salad you like can turn into a jar version. The most important thing here is the order of stacking ingredients in layers. Pour the sauce at the bottom of the jar, then put the harder, more durable ingredients in it, e.g., pearl barley, groats, pasta, pods, hard vegetables. Then arrange the more delicate and soft side dishes, which should not come into contact with the sauce. Put a handful of greens at the top of the jar – lettuce, arugula, spinach. Since the leaves are far from the sauce, they will not wilt, and the salad can be stored in the refrigerator until the next day.
Almost any sauce is suitable for a salad in a jar, including the white one based on natural yoghurt. I just would not choose a raw egg yolk dressing if I were to keep the salad for a bit longer.
If a salad in a jar is to replace a meal, e.g., lunch at work, apart from vegetables, be sure to add a source of protein and complex carbohydrates to it.
As a source of carbohydrates in the salad, great choices are: whole meal pasta, whole grain rice and all kinds of groats and their mixtures.
From the sources of protein, we can add to the salad: cooked legumes – lentils, chickpeas, beans, canned tuna, baked fish, or meat left over from dinner, hard-boiled eggs, mozzarella cheese, blue cheese, tofu.
When you want to eat the salad, turn the jar upside down and shake it for a while. Then put its contents on a plate, using a spoon to scoop out any remaining sauce left in the jar. If you want to eat the salad directly in the jar, then just shake it a little bit, so the sauce will have a chance to infuse all of the ingredients and enjoy!.
RECIPES:
Salad with fruit and blue cheese
Ingredients:
- a handful of spinach,
- 1 pear,
- 2-3 tablespoons of walnuts,
- half a cup of pomegranate fruit,
- 50 g of cheese with blue mold (e.g., gorgonzola).
For the sauce:
- a tablespoon of wine vinegar,
- a teaspoon of honey,
- half a clove of garlic,
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
Mix the ingredients for the sauce and pour it at the bottom of the jar. Cut the pear into quarters, then into thick slices, cheese into small pieces. Coarsely chop the walnuts and roast them in a dry frying pan. Arrange in the jar successively: a few slices of pear, half of the spinach, pomegranates, the rest of the pear slices, the rest of the spinach, nuts, blue cheese. Sprinkle a spoonful of pomegranates on top. Before lunch, turn the jar upside down to mix the cakes with the sauce.
Light salad with chicken and garlic sauce
Ingredients:
- 1/2 medium-sized chicken breast,
- a handful of iceberg lettuce leaves (shredded)
- 6-8 sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of cubed green cucumber
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
- 1/2 -1 clove or fresh minced garlic
- salt
- freshly ground pepper.
Preparation:
In a drop of olive oil, fry 1/2 medium-sized chicken breast, sprinkled with your favorite spices. When the meat is cool, place it on the bottom of the jar. Throw in a good handful of chopped iceberg lettuce leaves, next to sliced cherry tomatoes. Top up with diced green cucumber. Finally, prepare the sauce from the above-mentioned ingredients.
Aromatic salad with zucchini and basil sauce
Ingredients:
- a handful of chopped yellow pepper,
- a tablespoon of green peas,
- about 4 oz of cubed feta cheese,
- 3-4 sliced cherry tomatoes
- a few feathers of red onion.
for basil sauce:
- 3-4 tablespoons of Greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon basil pesto
- freshly ground pepper (preferably colored)
- salt.
Preparation:
make the sauce. Stir, pour to the bottom of the jar. Then add yellow pepper, green peas, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and red onion feathers to the jar. Finally, use a vegetable peeler to cut thin strips of zucchini and fill the jar with them.
Quinoa salad
Ingredients:
- 3 – 4 oz of cooked quinoa,
- half a mango,
- 3 oz of canned black beans
- a handful of spinach leaves,
- 1 avocado,
- half a small red onion,
- juice squeezed from 1 lemon,
- 1/3 teaspoon of chili flakes
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
mix olive oil, lemon juice and spices, pour the sauce to the bottom of the jar. Peel the mango and avocado, dice it, and slice the onion. Arrange the layers of salad in the jar one after another: spinach leaves, quinoa, avocado, mango, beans, and onions. Turn the jar upside down before consuming it to drizzle the sauce over the salad.
Italian style pasta salad
Ingredients:
- 2 oz of cooked pasta (Penne, twists, or shells),
- a quarter of a bouillon cube,
- 2 oz of chorizo or salami,
- half a red and a yellow pepper,
- half a small red onion,
- 3 tablespoons of black olives,
- half a pack of mini mozzarella,
- a handful of arugula,
- a few leaves of fresh basil.
- 2 tablespoons flakes of grated Parmesan cheese.
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar,
- an incomplete teaspoon of French mustard,
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil,
- clove of garlic,
- basil,
- thyme and oregano to taste.
Preparation:
mix the vinegar and mustard, then add the olive oil and the rest of the sauce. Pour it into a jar. Cook the pasta al dente. Cut the peppers, meat, and onions into small pieces. Arrange in the jar successively: basil, arugula, parmesan, sausage, mozzarella, peppers, onions, and olives, and finally the pasta. We close the jar, and at work it is enough to pour the contents onto a large plate – this way all the ingredients will spread out nicely.
Hearty salad with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons of cooked pearl barley,
- thin strips of zucchini (you can make them using a potato peeler)
- 5-6 small balls of mozzarella cheese
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes
for the sauce:
- oil
- honey
- lemon juice
- balsamic vinegar
- salt
- pepper.
Preparation:
At the bottom of the jar, pour 3-4 tablespoons of the sauce prepared from all the ingredients mixed together. Then fill 1/4 of the jar with thin strips of zucchini, add pearl barley, next comes the mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes. Before closing the jar, add 2-3 leaves of fresh basil into it.
Millet salad
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons of cooked millet,
- 2 tablespoons of black olives,
- 2 leaves of any lettuce,
- 1/4 of a small fresh cucumber,
- 4 tablespoons canned red beans
- 6 cherry tomatoes, optional: a few beetroot leaves and 2 radishes,
- a little olive oil,
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes, and slice the radish. We tear the lettuce and beetroot into smaller pieces. Place in the jar: groats mixed with olives, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, beetroot, and radish. Pour the whole with salt and pepper, seasoned with olive oil.
Salad with feta cheese and chickpeas
Ingredients:
- a glass of cooked chickpeas,
- half a fresh greenhouse cucumber,
- 6-7 cherry tomatoes,
- half a red pepper,
- a handful of spinach,
- 2-3 oz of feta cheese
For the sauce:
- spoon of balsamic vinegar,
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- half a clove of garlic,
- pepper and salt to taste.
Preparation:
dice feta cheese and cucumber, thin red pepper and cut tomatoes into halves. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and pour it into the jar. Arrange in sequence: chickpeas, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. At work, turn the jar upside down and shake it gently, then pour the contents onto the plate – this will make the salad evenly seasoned.
Salad with buckwheat and feta cheese
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped beetroot
- 1/4 cup coarsely sliced cucumber
- ½ cup of boiled buckwheat
- 1/4 cup of fried onion
- 2 tablespoons of crushed Feta cheese
- 1 cup iceberg salad
Yoghurt and garlic sauce:
- ¼ cup of thick plain yogurt
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
First, mix all the ingredients for the sauce together. Pour the sauce at the bottom of the jar and arrange the remaining salad ingredients one by one as they are listed on the list.
Salad with tuna and hard-boiled egg
Ingredients: (For 2 Portions)
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 150 g of green cucumber
- 1 can of tuna in gravy
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach
- 2 jars
for the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1.5 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of mild mustard
- salt
- pepper
Preparation:
Put all the sauce ingredients in one of the jars. Close it up and shake it. Pour half of the sauce to the bottom of the second jar.
Next, in the first jar, put half of each of the salad ingredients in layers in the following order: cherry tomatoes, green cucumber, tuna drained from the pickle, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, halved or quarters, and baby spinach. Repeat for the second jar.
Close the lids of the the jars on and take them to work. To serve the salad, turn the jar upside down, shake it, then carefully transfer the contents of the jar onto a plate
Chicken and arugula salad with mustard and honey sauce
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup canned red beans
- 1 tablespoon of chopped chives
- ½ cup grilled or braised curry chicken
- ½ an orange, peeled and cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup cashew nuts
- 1 cup arugula
Honey mustard sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons of mustard
- 1 teaspoon of honey
Preparation:
First, mix all the ingredients for the sauce together. Pour the sauce at the bottom of the jar and arrange the remaining salad ingredients one by one as they are listed on the list.
Fruit and vegetable salad
Ingredients:
- a handful of spinach,
- half a red grapefruit,
- 1 avocado,
- half a small red onion,
- a glass of cooked chickpeas,
- half a mango,
- oil,
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
Peel and cut the grapefruit into small pieces. Peel the avocado and mango and cut into thick cubes, and the onion into slices. Put the next layers in the jar: half of the spinach, grapefruit, avocado, onion, the rest of the spinach and mango. Pour olive oil with spices.
Tasty salad with chicken and arugula
Ingredients:
- 5-7 cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup of fried, diced chicken breast meat
- 2 cups of arugula
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of honey
- a pinch of salt
- freshly ground peppercorns
Preparation:
Prepare the sauce from the above-mentioned ingredients. Pour to the bottom of the jar. Add cherry tomatoes and fried chicken breast meat, cut into pieces. Top up with arugula or your favorite salad mix.
Orange salad
Ingredients:
- 3 – 4 tablespoons of cooked millet
- 2 cups of arugula
- ½ cup of pumpkin seeds
- 4 – 5 radishes
- a piece of orange
- 3 tablespoons of orange juice
- 1 teaspoon of honey (or maple syrup)
for the dressing:
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil or oil (can be flavored)
- 1 teaspoon of mustard (my honey)
- 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Preparations:
Mix the dressing ingredients together. At the bottom of the jar, place the cooked millet. Put some rocket on it, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, diced radish, and cover with another layer of groats. We lay out the radish and fruit again. Cover the whole with dressing, decorate with rocket and sunflower seeds.
Salad with fried liver, cranberries, and spinach
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup celery
- 1 tablespoon of chopped red onion
- 7 oz of liver
- 1/4 cup of cranberries
- 1/4 cup of walnuts
- 1 cup of spinach
Cranberry Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar:
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 2/3 cup of cranberries or cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Preparation:
First, we make the sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small frying pan over medium heat, add the onion, rosemary, and stew until the onion is soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add cranberry sauce and vinegar, stir until cranberries are dissolved, about 3 minutes. Let it cool down. Pour the sauce at the bottom of the jar and arrange the remaining salad ingredients one by one as they are listed on the list.
Salad with avocado and raisins
Ingredients:
- 1/2 avocado
- a handful of raisins
- a handful of diced yellow cheese
- a handful of sunflower seeds
- 3 – 4 tablespoons of cooked millet
- arugula
- 1/2 pear
- 3 sundried tomatoes in liquid ( flavored oil)
- a celery stalk, or a few toasts (can be omitted altogether)
- parsley or chives
Preparations:
We put the salad in a jar in layers, but I suggest placing the groats on the very bottom. Sprinkle the top of the salad with sunflower seeds and chives or parsley. Millet can be replaced with couscous or barley. The sauce will be made of the liquid from dried tomatoes.
Caesar salad with egg and bacon
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cooked and diced chicken breast
- 2 cups of Romaine lettuce ( cut into pieces)
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 1-2 slices of fried bacon
For the sauce:
- 2-3 tablespoons of plain yogurt
- 1/2 minced garlic
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Prepare the sauce and pour it to the bottom of the jar. Then put a small handful of diced green cucumber and a medium-sized, chopped tomato in the jar. Add the diced chicken breast sprinkled with your favorite spices and fried in a drop of oil. Then add the chopped hard-boiled egg and a slice of fried bacon. Top up with a mix of lettuces.
Salad with Lentils, Apple, and Cheese with Blue Cheese
Ingredients: (For 2 Portions)
- 1 cup of healthy grains: Bulgur or Quinoa
- 1 carrot (80 g), grated
- 10 tablespoons of cooked green lentils (self-cooked or canned)
- 1/2 sour apple, thinly sliced or diced
- 80 g cheese with blue mold, diced
- a small handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
- 3 oz of red cabbage, cut into strips
- additionally: 2 large jars of approx. 12 – 14 oz with lid
for the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juice (or a bit more)
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- salt
- pepper
Preparation:
Put all the sauce ingredients in one of the jars. Close it up and shake it. Pour half of the sauce to the bottom of the second jar. Now, in the first jar, layered half of each of the salad ingredients in the following order: Bulgur or Quinoa, Carrots, Green Lentils, Apple, Blue Mold Cheese, Walnuts, Red Cabbage. Repeat for the second jar. Closed the jars on and take them to work. To serve the salad, turn the jar upside down, shake it, then carefully transfer the contents of the jar onto a plate. It will stay good till the next day.
