I feel like salads are like smoothies. You can make a million and one different combinations, but it’s so easy to get into a rut and make the same one over and over again. I’m here today with a gorgeous, colorful, healthy salad recipe to get you out of your salad rut and to get you excited for dinner (or lunch!)

I was going for a whole rainbow of colors, and it turned out just perfect. There’s a phrase that bounces around the internet that goes something like “eat the rainbow,” and I’ve always really liked it. I think if you get a good variety of color in your diet in the form of whole foods, you are going to be pretty healthy and well rounded. When you eat lots of colors, that generally means you’ll have room for a little dessert too (I recommend the best chocolate chip cookies ever). Eating the rainbow and cookies is what I considered a well balanced real-life approach to food.

You can serve this with the honey mustard vinaigrette recipe I have included or it would also be great with ranch, blue cheese, or even a classic vinaigrette.

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Simple Rainbow Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Author: Melissa Griffiths
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 4-6

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups shredded romaine hearts
2 cups roughly chopped spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped ham
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
3 boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped chicken
1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
One recipe honey mustard dressing (follows)

Instructions

Toss romaine and spinach together and then add them to a salad bowl. Add the other ingredients (I like to put them in lines because they are pretty, but you don’t have to).
To make the Honey Mustard dressing: Whisk 2 tablespoons each of honey, Dijon mustard, and white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil. So easy, super classic, I love honey mustard dressing on all the things.
Toss the salad before serving with the dressing on the side.

Notes

Rotisserie chicken or chicken you have prepped ahead of time (my favorite ways to cook chicken breast are here) are great options for the chicken in this salad.

The bulk of this rainbow salad can be prepped ahead of time and then when you are ready to eat it, you’ll have minimal things to do. You can wash, shred, and store your romaine lettuce in a large mason jar (lasts forever like this), prep the bulk of the veggies (I have a bunch of them in our veggie box washed and ready for chopping), make the chicken, and shake up the dressing. Then when you are all ready for an easy healthy lunch or dinner, you just have to bring all the components together into one grand Rainbow Salad.