If you hate having to cook day in day out, or perhaps you have guests around and don’t know what to cook then I promise you my homemade salad bar will be a winner! We absolutely love it and every time I do it for guests they do too. I showed a friend recently and they asked how I made everything so I thought I would share! the picture below doesn’t include all the things I do because sometimes I do a quicker option than others!
Why a Salad bar is a perfect buffet
I absolutely love doing the buffet salad bar because there is nothing to dry out (i.e. sandwiches), most of it is healthy, and you can prepare it all in advance and just serve when you are ready!
If that isn’t enough to tempt you, it is also easy to make it so you have enough for a few days of meals in minimal time so all in all a quick, healthy meal everyone will love!
As a family we love the Morrisons salad bar, the Harvester salad bar and the Pizza Hut salad bar. That said it soon adds up when you are buying for three of you and it is never as healthy as doing it at home and we don’t live near it anymore either!
My salad bar favourites
These are all the items I love on my salad bar meals but I usually don’t do them all at the same time. Why you might ask, because there are only three of us, I can’t be bothered, and my fridge isn’t huge! Anyway here is a list of the things I like to include.
- Pesto pasta – boil a 500g of pasta, add a small jar of pesto when cooked, stir and allow to cool.
- Tomato and mozzarella salad – use cherry tomatoes, a few basil leaves and mozzarella balls.
- Shredded lettuce
- Cubed cucumber
- Creamy cheesy baby potatoes – boil potatoes, slice or cube and mix with Philadelphia then allow to cool.
- Plum tomatoes
- Grated carrot (bought prepared I find is easier and doesn’t cost much more!)
- Flavoured couscous – just choose one you like as the shop, my favourite is Mediterranean vegetable.
- Sliced red onion
- Spring onions or scallions
- Flavoured rice – I find the easiest way to do this is by buying microwave pouches from the supermarket and heating them with a little water (as per instructions) then allowing to cool before refrigerating.
- Sliced peppers
- Jars of pickled onions, beetroot etc
- Cooked chicken – either but cooked flavoured chicken or cook chicken with a sprinkle of seasonings on such as fajita seasoning etc.
- Croutons, bacon bits, fried onions etc
- Salad Dressings – or make your own salad dressings
- Ham or vegetarian/vegan alternative
- Grated cheese
- Boiled eggs
- Mini crustless quiches
- Sweetcorn
- Grapes
Tips to make it last a few meals
I find that the easiest way to make it last a few meals is to use Tupperware tubs for each item that stack easily in the fridge. If you prefer it to look nicer on the table you could always use serving bowls but to be honest it just creates extra washing up!
Catering for allergies etc
I love making a homemade salad bar as you can be sure everything caters for any allergies in your house or that guests have. By keeping everything in separate tubs there is minimal risk of cross contamination and you can ensure ingredients are kept as far apart as needed.
Recently I have become lactose intolerant it seems linked to the menopause so I have alternative cheese for my salad and check ingredients of pesto etc. I am already a vegetarian and just ensure I know what I can enjoy and it is simple.
What do you love on salad?
Is there anything you think I have missed that you would have on your salad bar? Do you make a salad bar like this at home? If not has this given you an idea? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.