Seven Easy Ways to Add Protein to Any Salad

Beans, eggs, rotisserie chicken and more ideas for taking your salad from slight to substantial.

If you want to take your salad into hearty, complete-meal territory, toss in some protein. I know, I know. The pushing of protein has gotten a little out of hand these days. We may not need it in our popcorn, water or candy, but it is one of the three crucial nutrients, along with carbohydrates and fat, that help keep us healthy, strong and feeling satiated longer. Try layering one or two of these protein-rich ingredients into your salads to add dimension, textural interest and, most important, to keep you happy and full until dinnertime.

1. Toss in beans or lentils.

For instant satisfaction, drain a can of beans and fold it into your salad. A half-cup of chickpeas adds five grams of protein. If you have time and ambition, crisp the beans in the oven with a few glugs of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Or simmer a pot of French green or black beluga lentils, both of which hold their shape well in salads. (Red and yellow lentils tend to turn to mush.) Bean and lentil salads can hold up splendidly in the refrigerator for several days, improving over time.

Need some recipes to start? Tomato, Chickpea and Avocado Salad With Creamy Feta Dressing | White Bean Salad With Fennel and Celery | Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Salad

2. Scatter with cheese.

If you tolerate dairy, mozzarella, Parmesan, cottage cheese and feta add substantial protein, as well as creamy, nutty and salty notes to your salads, whether built on vegetables or even fruit. Try pairing mozz with plums instead of the typical tomatoes, then dress with a spicy citrus dressing. A 2 1/2-ounce pile of milky mozzarella has 13 grams of protein, and a half-ounce of Parmesan has five.

Need some recipes to start? Plum and Mozzarella Salad With Serrano-Lime Vinaigrette | Greek Salad | Tomato and Burrata Salad With Chile Crisp | Tomato and Cottage Cheese Salad | Prosciutto and Melon Salad

3. Shower with nuts and seeds.

Some nuts or seeds do wonders for a salad’s texture. If you have the time, toast or roast them to intensify fragrance and flavor. Or, go one step further, and use lightly fried peanuts and sesame seeds as the base for a salsa macha-inspired dressing, perfect for spooning over sweet shrimp, avocado and romaine. The toasty, crackly salad dressing alone adds five grams of protein per serving. If you are crunch-averse, swap in equal amounts of nut or seed butters.

Need some recipes to start? Shrimp and Avocado Salad With Peanut Dressing | Quinoa and Broccoli Spoon Salad | Snap Pea Salad With Walnuts and Parmesan

4. Bolster with eggs.

There is always the classic mayo-based egg salad, an excellent lunch, but you can also plop a poached, fried or hard-boiled egg atop your salad for protein. Or, what about building your salad on quartered jammy eggs, biting red onions and spiced, spicy tomatoes? Egg-based salads don’t mind a few days in the refrigerator. In fact, big flavors have an opportunity to mingle, offering a pickled quality to the bouncy whites and jammy yolks. Excellent news: Just two eggs offer 12 grams of protein.

Need some recipes to start? Cumin Tomato Salad With Jammy Eggs | Bacon, Egg and Brussels Sprouts Salad | Frisée Aux Lardons | Sous Chef Salad | Egg Salad

5. Fold in frozen or tinned fish.

Bags of frozen fish and tins of tuna, anchovies and sardines are protein powerhouses, incredibly cost effective and great for amping up salads. Wild salmon, like coho or sockeye, is slightly leaner and cooks faster than farmed options, which are milder in flavor but typically more affordable. A quarter-pound serving of salmon adds about 22 grams of protein; wild varieties have slightly more.

Need some recipes to start? Roasted Broccoli, Red Onion and Rice Salad With Salmon | Tuna and Tomato Salad | Niçoise Salad With Basil and Anchovy-Lemon Vinaigrette | Greek Salad With Sardines and Beans

6. Top with fresh or frozen shrimp.

Medium shrimp may not appear as dramatic or elegant as their jumbo relatives, but they’re ideal for a seafood salad since they don’t require any chopping. When it comes to seafood, frozen is cheaper and probably fresher, so unless you’re living in a coastal town where local catches are available, scope out the freezer case and choose wild when possible. For a wonderful desk lunch, twirl just-pink steamed shrimp in a cocktail sauce-inspired dressing with horseradish, fresh tomatoes and avocados, then scoop it all up with buttery crackers, plantain chips or endive leaves. A quarter-pound of shrimp provides an impressive 24 grams of protein.

Need some recipes to start? Shrimp Cocktail Salad | Shrimp and Avocado Salad With Peanut Dressing | Spicy Shrimp and Chickpea Salad | New Shrimp Louie

7. Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken.

Pick up a rotisserie chicken from your local store, and shred it to top your salads throughout the week. Finely chop the meat and fold it into couscous with ripe cherry tomatoes, ginger and herbs for a warm, tagine-inspired salad. One loosely packed half-cup of chopped chicken has 15 grams of protein.

Need some recipes to start? Spiced Chicken, Tomato and Couscous Salad | Spicy and Creamy Cashew Chicken Salad | Freds’ Chicken Salad With Balsamic Dressing | Chickpea-Chicken Salad With Green Harissa Dressing

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