Big Ass Salads for a Badass Summer
By Team Dirty
Jun 6, 2024,
What comes to mind when you think of a salad?
White plate
Wilted iceberg lettuce
Three olives
Two ice-cold unripe tomato slices
Irregularly chopped white onions
Suspiciously dry grated carrots
Oily dressing
When we think of a salad, we see:
A large, colorful bowl
Variety of chopped leafy greens
Perfectly seasoned and cooked beans or tofu
Just the right amount of mixed grains
Chopped ripe tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, and red onion
Toasted nuts or seeds
A sprinkle of Walnut Parm
Fresh herbs
Cracked black pepper
A delicious, oil-free dressing
In our Dirty world, salads aren’t an obligatory side or afterthought. Salads are gorgeous. Salads are big and filling. Salads are badass. Our Co-Founder, Molly, coined the term Big Ass Salad (BAS) many years ago. Back then, our plant-based meal plans featured a BAS every Friday. We would take leftover elements from the week’s meals and create an amazing dinner-sized salad full of toppings. We now have over 200 Big Ass Salads in Clean Food Dirty Girl, our premium membership site.
If you want to up your salad game this summer, we have a fun challenge for you
Every week in June, July, and August, we’ll suggest a salad for you to enjoy. They’ll taste amazing, and you’ll look and feel like a badass noshing on all those plants and enjoying every bite. Plus, you could win a special prize (more on that below). We’ll post each week’s salad every Monday to our Instagram stories, so be sure to follow us.
Big Ass Salads for June
Creamy Tuscan Pasta Salad
This delectable pasta salad combines rotini, chickpeas, and an abundance of fresh vegetables, all generously coated in a creamy mayo-style dressing.
“I make this at the height of summer when all my veggies are delicious. One of my favorite things to eat when it’s hot out.”
Gwen, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
California Portobello Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
This California-style salad is a true delight, topped with marinated and roasted portobello steaks, green peas, avocado, and walnuts. A drizzle of Balsamic Vinaigrette completes this bangin’ meal!
“This was so delicious! I made extra mushrooms for my omnivore husband, which he loved. This is going on my list of favorites.”
Laura, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Summer Sunshine Salad
Creamy cannellini beans and an abundance of fresh veggies shine in this vibrant, dinner-sized salad. Topped with Sunny Island Vinaigrette, sunflower seeds, red onion, and fresh basil, it will leave your taste buds moaning in delight!
Michigan Cherry & Blue Cheese Salad
Our recipe developer, Tamie Spears, created this one to celebrate the National Cherry Festival held in Michigan every year, but it’s perfect for any summer day. This big, beautiful salad features fresh greens and cherries, crisp apple and cucumber, pecans, and our popular Blue Cheese Dressing.
“This is such a great salad! It’s the perfect balance of textures and flavors. This will be so easy to have all the time because the dressing was the only prep-ahead and everything else we always have on hand! Yay!”
Elke, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Big Ass Salads for July
Smoky Tempeh BLT with Chive Talkin’ Dressing
This salad is loaded with BLT flavors! Fresh greens, an array of crisp veggies, bright tomatoes, and smoky tempeh bits, all drizzled with our popular fresh chive dressing! Spectacular!
“Really good. I followed the recipe exactly. We all but licked our plates. Yum!”
Jenny, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Big Ass Avocado Lime Ranch Salad
This chopped green salad features tender chickpeas, fresh veggies and a fabulous, restaurant-style avocado lime ranch dressing for a symphony of flavors and textures similar to the Cobb salad at Chick-fil-a.
“The pickles were a nice touch I wouldn’t have thought of. Picky omni husband loved the dressing!”
Amanda, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Spinach Berry Quinoa Salad
Sweet blueberries, tart dried cranberries, and a rainbow of fresh vegetables come together with quinoa, sweet-tangy dressing, and a hint of lemon. This bright, one-bowl meal is fancy enough for family gatherings yet easy enough for any day. Great for a packed lunch, too!
“This salad is amazing! So tasty and talk about eating the rainbow – yum!! My Omni bf loved this and was surprised to see blueberries and dried cranberries in a salad but it was a huge hit!”
Tracy, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
BBQ Ranch Salad Bowl
Fill your salad bowl with sweet and tangy barbecue-sauced chickpeas and an array of fresh veggies then serve with our Cashew Ranch Dressing for a family-friendly, restaurant-quality meal that will leave them wanting more!
“Great salad with delicious flavors!”
Marissa, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Big Ass Salads for August
Loaded Cruciferous Salad with Orange Curry Dressing
Lettuce, spinach, bok choy, herbed millet, sweet apple and raisins, crunchy pecans and a flavorful orange curry dressing make this one stand out from the crowd!
“Perhaps the very definition of a Big Ass Salad!!! I love all the components and together they sing! and, it’s versitile enough that you can substitute ingredients and it’s still delcious!”
Sandrina, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Simple Southern Cobb Salad
A beautiful Cobb salad done Dirty-style with bacon-y maple-glazed tofu, loads of veggies and our sensational sweet onion dressing.
“Very good and made a great salad in a jar for meal prep for work. The tofu was a great addition. Will make again.”
Randi, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Mediterranean Roasted Veg Salad with Garlicky Vinaigrette
Get ready to be wowed because this plant based salad has it all: lemony herbed farro, roasted summer vegetables, tomatoes and olives tossed in a garlicky vinaigrette and topped with a sweet balsamic drizzle for layers and layers of flavor.
“This is sheer Mediterranean bliss! Do not skip the Balsamic drizzle! It sends this meal over the top!”
Brook A., Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Farmer’s Market Mother Lode Salad
Hit the farmer’s market for fresh spring greens and fresh fruit then add chickpeas, walnuts and apple cider vinaigrette and you’ve got one amazing salad!
“My very favorite salad, here or anywhere. So festive and beautiful. Full of flavor. And the dressing makes it sing.”
Victoria, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Big Ass Texas Caviar Salad
All the fresh veggies, beans, and flavors of Texas Caviar top fresh greens and rice. Drizzled with our oil-free Island Vinaigrette and topped with jalapeno slices, it’s a bright, family-friendly summer salad!
“Delicious! The flavors come together well! I sautéed mushrooms, beans and corn with tamari for mine and skipped the rice because I didn’t have enough.”
Amanda, Clean Food Dirty Girl member
Talk to us in the comments below about which BAS you’ll make first. Share pics or videos on social media using #BigAssSalad and tag us @CleanFoodDirtyGirl. We’ll pick two lucky winners each month for a special prize, so show us your salad!
Access all of the salads by clicking the image or headings above, or use our handy recipe collection.
Here’s to a summer filled with sensational salads you’ll crave.
Xo
Team Dirty
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Molly makes summer better. I will accept your challenge. Member CFDG/plant field life since ‘17. Batching for the win.
Awesome! How’s your salads and summer going so far?!
Sign me up! I LOVE salads.
Woot woot! We have lots of salads for you to enjoy.