Summer salads: Take advantage of seasonal produce

6/18/2026 by Natalie Niebler

Summer salads are a great way to take advantage of seasonal produce at their peak flavor. With endless ways to customize, putting together the perfect summer salad creates a healthy and satisfying meal. Shopping for a variety of fruits and vegetables at your local supermarket or farmers market helps to capture peak freshness and packs in fiber and nutrients for a refreshing meal.

Here's how to build a tasty and filling salad:

Start with a bed of leafy veggies. Summer favorites might include spinach, arugula, and red and green leaf lettuce.
Add a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Examples include sweet corn, roasted zucchini or berries.
Make it filling. Add an extra grain like quinoa, rice or farro; a protein source like grilled chicken, tofu or shrimp; or a variety of nuts or seeds like pistachios, pumpkin seeds or almonds to help make the salad more satisfying.
Choose a dressing. Make your own dressing with ingredients like olive or avocado oil for healthy fats. Use vinegar, lemon juice or fresh herbs for flavor, which can be a money-saving and healthier option to store-bought dressings.

Incorporating multiple ingredients from different food groups builds a nourishing and satisfying meal without compromising flavor. Get recipes from Mayo Clinic, and use them for inspiration or build your own.

Natalie Niebler received a bachelor's degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is completing her master’s degree in clinical nutrition at UW–Madison in addition to a dietetic internship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.