Salad is doing too much work as a word. It covers a ten-minute cucumber and avocado toss, a chopped chicken salad that is dinner on its own, a mayonnaise-dressed macaroni salad for a cookout, and a bowl of fruit with condensed milk. Those have almost nothing in common except the bowl.

These twenty-five are grouped by what they really are. Cucumber salads first, because they are the fastest, then leafy greens, then the protein salads that work as a main, then the mayonnaise-bound tuna and egg kind, then slaws, grain and bean salads, two cookout sides, and fruit at the end. Every entry lists the real total time, the servings and the ingredient count.

Cucumber Salads

The fastest category. Three of the four are under thirty minutes, and none of them needs the stove.

Avocado Cucumber Salad

Two ripe avocados with three mini cucumbers, red onion, fresh dill and cilantro, dressed in olive oil and three tablespoons of lime juice. Ten minutes, ten ingredients. View the full recipe — 10 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad

Three cucumbers, a pound of tomatoes, four ounces of feta and red onion with olive oil, lemon juice and parsley or mint. Nine ingredients and it holds up for a couple of hours on a table. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 9 ingredients

Korean Cucumber Salad

Two large cucumbers salted first to draw out water, then dressed with rice vinegar, soy sauce, a tablespoon of gochugaru, sesame oil and sesame seeds. The salting step is why it stays crunchy instead of watery. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Creamy Cucumber Onion Salad

Six ingredients: two pounds of English cucumbers and a sweet onion in three quarters of a cup of sour cream with white vinegar. The old-fashioned version, and the whole hour is chilling. View the full recipe — 1 hour · 4 servings · 6 ingredients

Leafy Green Salads

Three green salads, from a fifteen-minute side to a Caesar where you make the croutons and the dressing yourself.

Italian House Salad

Romaine with cherry tomatoes, red onion, black olives, pepperoncini, croutons and parmesan, dressed in a red wine vinaigrette you whisk from seven ingredients. The steakhouse side salad, at home. View the full recipe — 15 minutes · 4 servings · 14 ingredients

Crisp Apple Pecan Salad with Vinaigrette

Mixed greens with two cups of apple, a cup of pecans, feta and red onion, dressed with an apple cider, Dijon and honey vinaigrette. Ten ingredients, twenty minutes. View the full recipe — 20 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Twenty-one ingredients because nothing is bought: ciabatta croutons toasted in garlic oil, a pound and a half of lemon-marinated chicken breast, and a dressing built from mayonnaise, buttermilk, parmesan, Dijon and Worcestershire. An hour, and it is dinner. View the full recipe — 1 hour · 4 servings · 21 ingredients

Salads That Are Dinner

Four main-course salads with real protein. Two are ready in half an hour.

Quick Southwest Chicken Salad

A pound of cooked shredded chicken with black beans, corn, jalapeno, cherry tomatoes, red onion and pepitas, in a dressing of mayonnaise, Greek yogurt and a quarter cup of lime juice. Fifteen minutes if the chicken is already cooked. View the full recipe — 15 minutes · 4 servings · 15 ingredients

BBQ Chicken Salad with Ranch Dressing and Avocado

A pound and a half of seasoned chicken over eight cups of romaine with black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, cheese and tortilla strips, dressed with both BBQ sauce and three quarters of a cup of ranch. Seventeen ingredients. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 17 ingredients

Thai Beef Salad

Eight ounces of sirloin sliced over lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, mint and chopped peanuts, in a dressing of fish sauce, three tablespoons of lime juice, Thai chile and sugar. Sized for two. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 2 servings · 19 ingredients

Nicoise Salad with Tuna

Baby potatoes, green beans, three hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, black olives and ten ounces of oil-packed tuna, with a lemon and Dijon vinaigrette. Composed rather than tossed, so everything stays in its own section. View the full recipe — 45 minutes · 4 servings · 13 ingredients

Tuna, Egg and Chicken Salad

The mayonnaise-bound kind, for sandwiches or a scoop on greens. All three are eleven ingredients or fewer.

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Two cans of tuna with cucumber, red onion, celery, parsley and mint, dressed in olive oil, lime juice, Dijon and a teaspoon of sumac. No mayonnaise at all, which is what makes it keep better. View the full recipe — 10 minutes · 4 servings · 11 ingredients

Deviled Egg Salad

Seven ingredients: six eggs, a quarter cup of mayonnaise, Dijon, celery and green onions. Tastes like deviled eggs without the piping. View the full recipe — 22 minutes · 4 servings · 7 ingredients

Classic Shredded Chicken Salad

A pound of chicken tenders poached in four cups of broth, then shredded into half a cup of mayonnaise with celery, garlic powder, onion powder and celery salt. Eight ingredients, and poaching in broth is why it is not dry. View the full recipe — 1 hour · 4 servings · 8 ingredients

Cabbage, Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts

Sturdy salads that do not wilt, which makes them the ones to make ahead or pack for lunch.

Red Cabbage Carrot Mint Salad

Seven ingredients and ten minutes: four cups of red cabbage, a carrot, fresh mint, lemon juice and olive oil. The simplest thing on this page. View the full recipe — 10 minutes · 4 servings · 7 ingredients

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Ten ounces of shaved brussels sprouts with a red apple, six ounces of bacon and two ounces of hazelnuts, in a cider vinegar and Dijon dressing. Raw sprouts, so it holds up dressed. View the full recipe — 30 minutes · 4 servings · 10 ingredients

Honeycrisp Apple Broccoli Salad

Four cups of broccoli florets with a Honeycrisp apple, dried cranberries, pecans, red onion and sharp cheddar in a mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey dressing. Serves six. View the full recipe — 45 minutes · 6 servings · 11 ingredients

Grain and Bean Salads

Three that keep for days in the fridge and get better as they sit.

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta and Olives

A cup of orzo with cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, five ounces of feta, bell pepper, red onion and five ounces of black olives in a lemon and oregano dressing. Sixteen ingredients, twenty-five minutes. View the full recipe — 25 minutes · 4 servings · 16 ingredients

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

A cup of lentils simmered in broth, then tossed with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion and feta in a lemon and Dijon dressing. Twelve ingredients and genuinely filling. View the full recipe — 40 minutes · 4 servings · 12 ingredients

Sizzled Garlic Farro Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

Farro cooked with a cup of apple cider vinegar in the water, with roasted grape tomatoes, baby spinach, goat cheese and a sizzled garlic oil made with whole coriander and cumin seeds. The most interesting salad here and the longest at ninety minutes. View the full recipe — 1 hour 30 minutes · 4 servings · 15 ingredients

Three for the Cookout Table

The mayonnaise-dressed sides. All three need chilling time, so make them first.

Bocconcini Pesto Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Twelve ounces of fusilli in a pesto you make from two cups of basil, pine nuts and parmesan, with cherry tomatoes, seven ounces of baby bocconcini and arugula. Two tablespoons of mayonnaise in the pesto keeps it from separating. View the full recipe — 45 minutes · 6 servings · 14 ingredients

BLT Macaroni Salad

Eight ingredients: elbow macaroni, six slices of bacon, cherry tomatoes and shredded lettuce in a mayonnaise and Dijon dressing. Add the lettuce right before serving. View the full recipe — 50 minutes · 6 servings · 8 ingredients

Yukon Gold Potato Salad with Dill and Paprika

Two pounds of Yukon Golds with four hard-boiled eggs, celery, red onion, a cup of full fat mayonnaise, yellow mustard, cider vinegar, fresh dill and parsley. Nearly three hours, almost all of it chilling. View the full recipe — 2 hours 45 minutes · 8 servings · 12 ingredients

Fruit Salads

One dressed in vinaigrette and one dressed in cream. Both are fifteen to twenty minutes.

Poppy Seed Fruit Salad

Mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in a honey, cider vinegar, poppy seed and olive oil dressing. A real vinaigrette rather than syrup, which keeps it from being cloying. View the full recipe — 15 minutes · 6 servings · 10 ingredients

Mexican Fruit Salad

Strawberries, mango, banana, grapes, pineapple and kiwi with sweetened condensed milk, Mexican crema, whipped cream, toasted nuts, mini marshmallows and coconut. Firmly a dessert, and it does not pretend otherwise. View the full recipe — 20 minutes · 6 servings · 12 ingredients

Salad Questions, Answered

Which of these can I make ahead without it going soggy?

The cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprout salads, all three grain and bean salads, and the cucumber salads that are salted first. For the BLT macaroni salad, make it ahead but stir the lettuce in at the last minute. Leafy green salads should be dressed right before serving.

What is the fastest salad here?

Three are ten minutes: avocado cucumber salad, red cabbage carrot mint salad and the Mediterranean tuna salad. The southwest chicken salad is fifteen if your chicken is already cooked.

Why do some cucumber salads call for salting the cucumbers first?

Cucumbers are mostly water, and salt pulls it out before it can dilute the dressing. The Korean cucumber salad does this, which is why it stays crisp. The ones that skip it are meant to be eaten right away.

Which of these work as a main course?

Chicken Caesar Salad, BBQ Chicken Salad, Quick Southwest Chicken Salad, Thai Beef Salad and Nicoise Salad with Tuna all have enough protein to be dinner. The lentil and farro salads are filling enough for a light main.

How do I make a vinaigrette that does not separate?

Three parts oil to one part acid, with mustard or honey as the emulsifier. The apple pecan salad uses Dijon and honey, the farro salad uses the garlic oil itself. Whisk the acid and mustard first, then add oil slowly.

Can I use bottled dressing?

For the green salads, yes, and nobody will mind. The two where it genuinely matters are the Caesar, since the whole recipe is built around the dressing, and the BBQ chicken salad, which already calls for bottled ranch and BBQ sauce on purpose.

Which salads feed a crowd?

The three cookout sides, at six to eight servings each, plus the honeycrisp apple broccoli salad and both fruit salads at six. The potato salad at eight is the largest.