7 summer salads that don’t include a single leaf of lettuce

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - It’s a hot time of year, and due to a cyclospora outbreak, we aren’t supposed to eat lettuce, cilantro or parsley for awhile....which is just terrible if you love salad as much as I do.

To help out with some salad ideas that don’t include a single leaf of lettuce, I’ve collected some ideas that you can try while you wait for lettuce to be ok to eat again.

Pesto pasta salad with beans

Ingredients

15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or substitute pinto beans or Great Northern beans)

1/2 cup pesto

8 ounces small pasta such as mini-penne or small shells (cook according to package directions, rinse with cold water, and set aside)

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup kalamata olives or regular black olives, pitted and halved or sliced

1 English cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

Zest of 1/2 lemon, plus its juice

Method

1. Place the drained and rinsed beans into a medium mixing bowl, then add the pesto, lemon juice and zest. Toss, then set aside.
2. Cook the pasta to al dente, then rinse under cold water.
3. Halve the tomatoes and olives, shave the parmesan (if not already done) and then add to the beans.
4. Mix in the cooked pasta, gently stirring until ingredients are well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

To serve, enjoy right away or if you prefer, chill for a half hour or so before serving.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a container for up to three days.

Green bean salad

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Combine the ingredients and whisk together until well incorporated. Set aside.

For the salad:

1 pound whole green beans, trimmed, cooked and cooled (Easiest: Use frozen whole green beans, microwave for a minute less than the package directions state, then set aside to cool and dry in a colander. More labor intensive: Add fresh green beans to a pot of boiling, salted water. Boil the beans for five minutes, until tender-crisp, then transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool for several minutes, then drain.)

1/4 of a large red onion, chopped

1 large tomato or two roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives

2 ounces goat cheese or crumbled feta

1/3 cup chopped roasted salted almonds

Place the cooled beans in a mixing bowl, then add the onion, tomato, olives, and dressing. Gently toss until everything is evenly coated in the dressing.

Spread the salad on a serving platter, using tongs to arrange as you like.

Sprinkle the salad with the cheese and almonds, and serve.

Keep any leftovers refrigerated.

Tabbouleh (Greek Quinoa Salad)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa (or other whole grain like bulgur or brown rice)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice from 1 lemon
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional Ingredients

• 4 ounces feta cheese
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
2. Add cooled quinoa, parsley, green onions, tomato, cucumber and mint (if using) to bowl.
3. In a small, separate bowl combine oil, lemon juice salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle oil mixture over quinoa mixture. If using the chickpeas or feta, add it now. Mix well to combine.

Chickpea-cucumber salad with basil and tomatoes by Mama Steph

2 cans chickpeas (or Great Northern Beans, if you’d rather) drained and rinsed

1 pint or more of grape tomatoes, halved

1 or 2 large English cucumbers, cut into crescents

1 cup feta cheese crumbles (sub another cheese if you prefer, such as good parmesan)

1/2 cup fresh basil, torn into small pieces

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 small red onion, chopped (I used about 1/2 cup)

Optional: Chopped sliced pepperoni, as much as you like

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

Juice of one lemon

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the vegetables, cheese, herbs, and pepperoni, if using.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well, then pour over salad and gently toss to distribute. Enjoy!

Summery corn salad

• 6 ears corn
• 2 medium vine tomatoes, chopped, or a handful of grape/cherry tomatoes
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 sprigs fresh basil
• 1 lime, juiced
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• flesh of one avocado, chopped
• 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

Cut the kernels from the cobs, and scrape some of the milk from the cobs, as well, into a large salad serving bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl, and toss. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

You may also like my creamy Mexican-style corn salad.

Robbie Shoults, CEO of Bear Creek Smokehouse, joins us to share a delicious twist on a recipe most of us grew up with.

Avocado Egg Salad

Prep time 7 mins

Cook time 8 mins

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

1 large avocado

10 or 12 ounce pkg of grape tomatoes, halved

1lb of asparagus

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped dill

1 lemon

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea Salt

Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and bring water to a boil in a small pot.

2. Trim dry ends of asparagus, add to a baking sheet in one layer, and drizzle with a little bit of avocado oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Massage in oil and salt and then roast for 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness.

3. Carefully add fridge-cold eggs to boiling water for 8 minutes.

4. In the meantime, half, pit, peel, and cube avocados and add to a large mixing bowl.

5. Wash, dry, and chop dill and add avocado.

6. Cut up roasted asparagus into bite-sized pieces and add to the other ingredients

7. Peel and cut eggs into wedges and add to a mixing bowl.

8. In a small sealable container, shake together the juice of a whole lemon, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, then drizzle over salad and toss well

9. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 12 hours. \

Broccoli-pesto pasta salad by Mama Steph

Ingredients

8 ounces dry fusilli or rotini pasta, cooked to al dente according to package directions (see directions in number 1)

1 to 2 cups small broccoli florets

12 to 16 ounces of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

8 ounces pesto

Method:

1. Cook the pasta, and in the last minute of cooking, add the broccoli florets; allow them to cook just for that last minute. They’ll turn beautifully bright green but stay somewhat crisp.
2. Drain the pasta and broccoli, and place in a large salad bowl.
3. Add the tomatoes and pesto to the bowl and toss well. The rotini or fusilli will grab onto the pesto and fill your mouth with flavor when you bite into it.
4. Keep refrigerated if there are leftovers. Enjoy!

Note: If you prefer to make your pesto from scratch, click here for a recipe to try.

If you’re a pesto fan like I am, you might enjoy these related recipes:

5-ingredient pesto soup

Skillet pesto chicken

Pesto-asparagus spaghetti