Too much of a good thing doesn’t apply to fresh veggies! That applies to salad greens, too, whether you have a handful or a garden-full. If you’ve whipped up a fabulous salad—or maybe you’re a home gardener and that plot of leaves is going crazy—and you find yourself with a couple of cups of extra salad greens, you may be wondering what to do with the extra salad greens!
Tender, bright, and full of nutrients, we hate to see them spoil or get thrown out. We’re here to give you the inspiration to combat food waste and eat more vitamins by incorporating your extras into everyday recipes.
Extra greens? By all means!
Check out these easy ideas for what to do with your leftover salad greens. Whether you’re faced with extra romaine, iceberg, arugula, red leaf lettuce, baby greens, or even cabbage, you’ll find a home for these leafy wonders.
Top those tacos!
Here are some delicious Mexican-style no-brainers. Skip the full head of iceberg; just add your leftover salad greens to tacos or sprinkle them on top of cheesy burritos for extra pops of green. You can also plate field greens alongside rice and beans to make a home-cooked meal look like a Mexican restaurant. Or sprinkle your extra salad greens on nachos! Go ahead, finish the whole plate: those greens are good for you, right?
Stuff the sandwich
You’ve piled up your bread, meat, cheese, and condiments of choice, so add some veggie love into your next sandwich or wrap. Use any type of lettuce you have on hand, like iceberg, romaine, 50/50 mix, or arugula. Extra flavor, extra crunch, extra nutrients.
Next, try your extra greens in a grilled cheese or tuna melt! Get the cheese all melty on two pieces of bread in your skillet, place the leftover salad greens on one side, then squish together for a gooey, crispy mix of delicious and nutritious.
Next, try your extra greens in a grilled cheese or tuna melt! Get the cheese all melty on two pieces of bread in your skillet, place the leftover salad greens on one side, then squish together for a gooey, crispy mix of delicious and nutritious.
Sweet green smoothies
Got some leftover dark leafy greens like kale or spinach? Turn your kitchen into a fancy juice bar and blend up those vitamins. When masked by yogurt, frozen berries, chia seeds, banana, and maybe a little honey or protein powder, you won’t even know they’re there. And if there are a few carrot bits in the salad mix, so much the better.
Simmer in soups and stews
For a perfectly easy way to add more vegetables to a cozy broth, just throw your leftover greens into the soup or stew! (The same way we tossed kale into a tomato and white bean soup.) Add them towards the end of the cooking time, give it a quick stir, and enjoy!
Top flatbreads or pizza
Easy Peas-y, even when cheesy. You’ve seen Italians put fresh arugula on pizza, right? And did you notice when we put leafy Ceasar salad on Indian naan? Do the same at home! Sprinkle greens on top of hot, fresh pizza—even a pizza bagel—and you’ve gone from go-to to gourmet.
You can also put hardy greens like arugula on top of a frozen pizza before popping in in the oven for a fully-loaded, doctored-up (and dare we say doctor-approved?!) veggie pizza goodness.
Salad scramble
Up-level those omegas and add some verdant vitamins to your eggs. Whether you’re making a scramble or an omelet, kale and spinach make for delicious additions, especially when including some cheese and tomatoes.
What to do with extra salad greens with dressing
Remember that salad greens stay their freshest and crispiest in the fridge when they aren’t covered in dressing. So, if it’s looking like your salad bowl runneth over, set aside a serving or two before mixing in the dressing. (You can always just grab this collateral sooner rather than later if you want seconds.)
But even with dressing, salad can be preserved, if only for one more night, especially heartier salads like chopped kale and cole slaw. Add those on tacos or pizza and enjoy the extra zing of your dressing.
For tender leaves like red leaf lettuce or a Spring Mix, try plating salad servings before adding dressing. That way, if there is extra salad, it won’t get soggy from dressing and your guests can put as much or as little dressing on their individual serving as they like.
Love Your Leftovers
Go ahead and use those leftover salad greens to make other meals even better—and add vitamins like K, C, and A. Trust us, you’re going to want to include them in tomorrow’s tacos.