Salads

10- minute couscous salad

Chicken Caesar salad

Hot pasta salad

Warm chickpea salad

Mexican bean salad

Chicken and pasta salad

BLT pasta salad

Warm chicken noodle salad

Tuna rice salad

Lemony roast chicken couscous

Mixed bean and rice salad

Greek pasta salad

10-minute couscous salad

Ingredients

100 g of couscous
1 low-salt vegetable stock cube dissolved in 200 ml of boiling water
2 spring onions
1 red pepper
½ cucumber
2 tbsp of pesto (red or green)
50 g of feta cheese
2 tbsp of toasted pine nuts

Method

Tip the couscous into a large bowl. Pour the stock over the couscous.
Cover and leave for 10 minutes, until fluffy and all the stock has been absorbed.
Meanwhile, slice the onions and pepper and dice the cucumber.
Add these to the couscous, stir in the pesto, crumble in the feta and then sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Serves:

2 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

10 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Mixing bowl
Measuring jug
Wooden spoon

Chicken Caesar salad

Serve this salad as the main course of a light meal or as the first course of a more formal dinner.

Ingredients

1 medium-sized ciabatta loaf
30 ml of olive oil
2 chicken breasts
1 large Cos lettuce
6 tbsp of Caesar dressing
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
Slice the ciabatta with a bread knife into 2 cm cubes.
Spread the bread over a baking tray and sprinkle over 20 ml of olive oil.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning regularly until evenly brown.
Heat 10 ml of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Place the chicken in the pan and fry for 4 minutes.
Turn the chicken and cook for a further 4 minutes.
Tear the lettuce into large pieces and place in a bowl.
Pull the chicken into bite-size strips and scatter over the lettuce, along with the croutons.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with Parmesan to serve.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

15 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Baking tray
Frying pan
Wooden spoon
Mixing bowl

Hot pasta salad

Ingredients

300 g of pasta
4 tbsp of light mayonnaise
juice of ½ a lemon
200 g tin of tuna
2 red peppers
1 red onion
large handful of rocket salad leaves

Method

Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
Place the mayonnaise and lemon juice into a large bowl and mix.
Place the tuna into the same bowl and mix well.
Slice the peppers and onion thinly and add to the large bowl.
Drain the pasta and mix in with the mayonnaise mixture.
Serve with a handful of rocket.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

15 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Saucepan
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon

Warm chickpea salad

Ingredients

1 red onion, cut into wedges
2 courgettes, thickly sliced
1 red pepper, cut into large chunks
375 g of tomatoes, halved
50 ml of olive oil
juice of ½ a lemon
2 x 400 g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
100 g of feta, cut into cubes

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.
Put onion, courgettes, pepper and tomatoes on a shallow baking tray.
Drizzle with 20 ml of olive oil and stir.
Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until vegetables are cooked and beginning to brown.
Mix the lemon juice and remaining olive oil in a bowl for the dressing.
When the vegetables are cooked, allow them to cool for 5 minutes.
Place the vegetables into the bowl of the dressing, along with the chickpeas and feta cheese.
Stir and serve.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

45 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Baking tray
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon

Mexican bean salad

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 avocados
2 x 400 g tin of mixed beans, rinsed and drained
1 red onion, finely sliced
250 g of cherry tomatoes, halved
juice of ½ a lime
1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced (optional)
½ tsp of cumin

Method

Place the eggs in a saucepan of boiling water and boil for 7 minutes, then place in a bowl of cold water to cool.
Slice the avocados and place in a large bowl with the beans, onion and tomatoes.
Place the lime juice, chilli and cumin in a cup and mix.
Peel the shells of the eggs when they are still warm and slice.
Serve the salad with the sliced egg and dressing drizzled over it.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

10 minutes

Cooking time:

10 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Saucepan
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon

Chicken and pasta salad

Ingredients

1 red pepper, thickly sliced
1 red onion, thickly sliced
10 ml of olive oil
300 g of pasta
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed
150 g of cherry tomatoes, halved
50 g of salad leaves such as rocket
1 tbsp of white wine vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
Mix the pepper and onion with 1 teaspoon of the oil then spread evenly on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes.
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, drain and set aside.
Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Fry the chicken and garlic for 6-8 minutes until cooked and not pink in the middle.
Mix the pasta, chicken, onion, pepper, cherry tomatoes, rocket and vinegar in a bowl and serve.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

20 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Baking tray
Frying pan
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Saucepan

BLT pasta salad

Ingredients

75 g of pasta
2 cooked bacon rashers, sliced
45 g of spinach, chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ tbsp of crème fraiche
¼ tsp of wholegrain mustard

Method

Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
Put the bacon, spinach, tomatoes, crème fraiche and mustard in a bowl along with the pasta and mix well.

Serves:

1 adult

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

15 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Saucepan
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon

Warm chicken noodle salad

Ingredients

50 g of noodles
30 ml of olive oil
zest and juice of ½ a lemon
1 tbsp of light mayonnaise
100 g of sugar snap peas, halved
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 chicken breasts, cooked

Method

Cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and mayonnaise.
Drain the noodles and place in a bowl.
Place the peas, red pepper, chicken and dressing in the bowl, mix and serve.

Serves:

2 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

15 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Saucepan
Whisk
2 x mixing bowls
Wooden spoon

Tuna rice salad

Ingredients

400 g of cooked rice, cooled
200 g of tinned tuna in brine, drained and flaked
100 g of sugar snap peas, halved
1 red pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped into small chunks
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp of light mayonnaise
juice of ½ a lemon
10 ml of olive oil

Method

Mix the rice, tuna, peas, peppers, tomatoes and spring onions in a bowl.
Stir through the mayonnaise, lemon juice and olive oil.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

10 - 15 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon

Lemony roast chicken couscous

Ingredients

30 ml of olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 cooked chicken breasts, sliced
300 g of couscous
1 low-salt chicken stock cube dissolved in 400 ml of boiling water
250 g of cherry tomatoes, halved
50 g of toasted pine nuts

Method

For the dressing whisk together the lemon zest and juice and olive oil.
Place the chicken in a bowl and pour the dressing over it.
Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over the hot stock.
Leave for about 10 minutes until the stock has been absorbed and the couscous is fluffy.
Mix in the tomatoes, nuts and chicken with the couscous and serve.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

10 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Whisk
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Measuring jug

Mixed bean and rice salad

Ingredients

375 g of rice
2 x 400 g tins of mixed beans, rinsed and drained
340 g of sweetcorn
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 red peppers, diced
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tsp of honey
1 red chilli, finely sliced

Method

Cook rice according to packet instructions.
Once cooked, rinse under cold water to cool.
When cold combine in a bowl with the beans, sweetcorn, onion and red peppers.
Mix the lime zest and juice, honey and chilli together in a cup.
Pour over the rice mixture and mix well.

Serves:

6 adults

Preparation time:

10 minutes

Cooking time:

25 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Saucepan
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon

Greek pasta salad

Ingredients

250 g of pasta
20 ml of olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
juice of ½ a lemon
2 tsp of dried oregano
½ a cucumber, thickly sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
125 g of cherry tomatoes, halved
200 g of feta cheese

Method

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
Drain and cool under cold water.
In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and dried oregano.
Place the pasta, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese and dressing in a bowl and gently mix, then serve.

This salad is a real crowd pleaser at a BBQ. It’s so easy to make and is basically summer in a bowl. The perfect salad to pack and take to work too.

Serves:

4 adults

Preparation time:

5 minutes

Cooking time:

10 minutes

Utensils needed:

Chopping board
Chopping knife
Saucepan
Whisk
Mixing bowl