20 Best Simple Lettuce Salad Recipes

Are you interested in eating healthy? Trying to introduce more greens into your diet, but you have no clue what to do with lettuce? I hear you. I wasn’t always keen on using this leafy vegetable as the focal of a meal until I discovered these recipes. Now, I can’t get enough!

Not only are these lettuce salad recipes easy, but they will also likely open your mind to the different vegetable options available at your grocery store.

It’s easy to forget how many different types of lettuce there are; from butterhead to Batavia, or even leaf lettuce, the one you choose can change the flavor and texture of your salad. I’ve compiled a list of my twenty favorite recipes using lettuce, all simple and delicious.

1. Simple Butter Lettuce Salad

In just five minutes, you’re going to have this super simple, low-calorie Butter Lettuce Salad to enjoy.

Butterhead lettuce is my favorite which is why I put this recipe at the top of the list. However, what ties this salad together, in my opinion, are the Castelvetrano olives; their sweet flavor marries beautifully with the apple cider vinegar, honey, and breadcrumbs.

While this yields 6 servings, I’ve tripled the recipe and added 1-½ cups of dried cranberries for a large crowd around the holidays.

2. Lettuce Salad with Tomato and Cucumber

This next salad, Lettuce with Tomato and Cucumber, is quite similar to my grandmother’s recipe for summertime get-togethers.

I always add an extra spoon of sesame oil to pack that nuttiness in with the bright flavor of the dill. Along with the ingredients that already please the palate, I like topping this salad with a little bit of cheese.

Because this salad is sweeter, the brine-soaked cheese Parmigiano-Reggiano is a good fit with its drier, salty taste.

3. Classic Waldorf Salad

Apples and walnuts in a salad? Count me in! This Classic Waldorf Salad is one of the few ways my mother will eat mayonnaise.

However, if you’re not a big fan of this dressing, I’ve prepared this salad before with plain yogurt and a dash of pesto, as well as sour cream and some sugar.

These dressing options pair well with the fruits and nuts, tying the salad together for a healthy lunch.

4. Lettuce Salad with Caper Vinaigrette

While similar to olives, capers do have a more acquired taste. If you’ve not had the chance to eat capers before, this Lettuce Salad with Caper Vinaigrette is a great and easy option to help you warm up to them.

I prefer champagne vinegar for this meal, but if you’re unable to find any at your grocery store, I’ve discovered that rice wine vinegar is a friendly alternative.

While it brings a different taste to the salad, it complements the capers and cucumbers nicely.

5. Shrimp Caesar Salad

This Shrimp Caesar Salad is a healthy recipe, perfect for those fond of Cajun cuisine.

While the salad calls for romaine lettuce, I’ve added my favorite, butterhead, too, and it’s brought a juciness that goes well with the buttery tenderness of the shrimp.

If you can’t find grapeseed oil, olive or avocado oil will certainly suffice. I’ve also pureed capers when I haven’t been able to find anchovy paste at the grocery store.

6. French Butter-Lettuce Salad

French Butter-Lettuce Salad; one of my favorite sides to pair with hearty dinners because of how light and refreshing it tastes!

Whether you’ve prepared a steak, roast, lobster, or a baked chicken with red wine, this crisp salad welcomes classic vegetables to the table.

I’ve used dill and basil as a substitute for the tarragon in this dish and topped it with parmesan and crumbly blue cheese for good measure.

7. The Best Green Salad Recipe

This is quite a simple lettuce salad, but incredibly yummy and perfect for family dinners. Or, if you’re interested in doubling or tripling the recipe, you can serve this at a dinner party or larger gathering.

I love the red onions, and for an extra kick, I’ve tossed in thinly sliced banana peppers as well.

No matter your additions, it’s hard to argue with the basics of The Best Green Salad Recipe.

8. Bacon Avocado Chicken Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Controversial statement incoming; I don’t like bacon. And, I’m also not a fan of adding it to salads.

However, I enjoy this recipe, and this Bacon Avocado Chicken Salad topped with a Lemon Vinaigrette is so popular at my board game nights that I really can’t complain.

I’d recommend tossing in ½ cup of white beans and ½ cup of black beans if you’re looking for some extra creaminess to go alongside the avocado. The saltiness of the bacon does bring it all together.

9. BLTA Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

I know, I know, another bacon recipe. What am I doing? Well, it wouldn’t make sense to leave these Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps off of the list.

My boyfriend and I both love bringing in our lunch bags when we’re going to work or looking to eat something light before a hike or bike ride.

For some tanginess in the summer, I drizzle on some balsamic vinaigrette. My boyfriend likes to add a dash of hot sauce.

10. Fattoush Salad

This recipe is a great way to enjoy romaine lettuce. Another fan favorite at my family dinners, Fattoush Salad, packs a zippy punch because it calls for lemon, garlic, and sumac.

I’m not the biggest fan of croutons, so I’ve always garnished this salad with instead.

I try to make my own, but French’s Crispy Fried Onions are quick and easy to stir in if you haven’t got the time.

11. Shrimp and Iceberg Lettuce Salad

Having made it pretty far through the list, I realized I didn’t add an iceberg lettuce recipe yet. It wasn’t hard to pick this southern Shrimp and Iceberg Lettuce Salad dish because of its savory flavors.

Creamy and tangy thanks to Old Bay with mayonnaise, this salad is often my go-to when I want to use up leftover shrimp.

Small to medium ones are ideal, but when I’ve made this dish for a crowd, I’ve gone with jumbo shrimp and chopped them up. The extra meatiness is pleasant.

12. That Good Salad

Looking for one last side dish before the company comes over? If you go with this one, they won’t stop asking you about That Good Salad…sorry, bad joke.

This salad isn’t, though. It’s, in fact, very delicious. The recipe calls for almonds, and I wouldn’t leave them out, but I strongly recommend adding just ½ a cup of them and tossing in a ½ cup of salt and pepper roasted walnuts.

13. Butter Lettuce Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing

When I need a quick salad for lunch, one butter lettuce with its Lemon Dijon Dressing hits the spot. I will typically stir in an extra avocado because I’m such a fan.

I usually whisk in a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of chili powder for some more heat and sweetness.

Dandelion greens and oak leaf lettuce add peppery bitterness and a nutty taste that compliment the dijon mustard.

14. Italian Chopped Salad

Salads don’t have to be vegetarian-friendly. This Italian Chopped Salad pairs best with buttery soups, and I tend to love dining on these veggies and meats in fall.

The salad goes well with either butternut squash soup or creamy potato and cauliflower.

Because the goal of this salad is to incorporate bold, salty, and smoky flavors, I’ve often folded in pieces of chorizo, pepperoni, prosciutto, and shredded smoked gouda.

15. Korean Lettuce Salad

Quick, low calorie, and appetizing; what more could you want from an easy salad.

This Korean Lettuce Salad is another excellent lettuce salad for those fond of savory flavors.

Meat lovers can indulge in this salad further by topping it with chunked steak or pan-fried pork belly.

I prefer brown sugar to regular white sugar, and adding a teaspoon of sesame oil brings some more sweet nuttiness that I can’t get enough of!

16. Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

This Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad is a fun way to enjoy romaine lettuce. Like the Italian Chopped Salad, this recipe offers a smokey taste, bringing it into a zestier realm.

I’m a big fan of Mexican food, and I don’t know how you could prepare this dish without pieces of shredded queso as a garnish.

While the recipe calls for its namesake chicken as an ingredient, this salad is also just as good as ground beef or steak.

17. Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad)

Maroulosalata, or Greek Lettuce Salad, marries many flavors, with dill, scallions, and oregano among them.

This romaine lettuce recipe is a perfect side for fish; I like it with grouper in particular.

The vinaigrette calls for red wine vinegar. However, because the remaining ingredients are relatively simple, I like to use lemon juice instead, along with a tablespoon of red wine.

Even though this is a greek salad, I’ve gone Italian for my wine and used chianti. The high-tannin dryness dresses the scallions and cucumbers in the best way.

18. Best Simple Tossed Green Salad

Simple Tossed Green Salads for a group of six are great, but this one is the best. Regarding your choices for those greens and the lettuce, I’d recommend arugula, spinach, and dandelion greens for their more bitter flavors and crisphead lettuce because of its neutral taste.

Those with a sweeter palate will appreciate the dressing, with the inclusion of honey and dijon mustard. Bacon bits top it off for a savory and salty salad.

19. Apple Salad

Another salad you can put together in five minutes. This Apple Salad is similar to the first butterhead lettuce recipe on the list. However, this dish is sweeter.

My favorite time to fix this meal is in the winter because the freshness of the sweet Fuji apple slices, and a hint of tartness, seem to match the coziness of a snowy day in a warm sweater.

An apple salad is divine with sherry vinaigrette, but I add two tablespoons of champagne vinaigrette instead when it’s cooler out.

20. Spicy Joint’s Creamy Sesame Sauce Lettuce Salad

If you love peanut sauces, then this last salad is for you; Spicy Joint’s Creamy Sesame Sauce with celtuce, or Chinese lettuce, offers salty and sweet, as well as an underlying toasted heat.

I love this sauce so much that I keep a jar of it in my freezer. While it is creamy, it lacks actual cream, so I’ve frozen it for 3 to 4 months before with no change in inedibility or flavor.