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I love quick and easy mason jar salads. They’re easy to store, plus easy for grab n’ go eating on those busy days. Healthy can be easy! If you’re limited on lunch box space, mason jar salad recipes come in clutch for packing a lot of food in a smaller space.
I love a quick and easy mason jar salad. They’re easy to store, plus easy for grab n’ go eating on those busy days. Healthy can be easy! Read on for this great salad, as well as some tips for creating healthy, fast meals.
Table of Contents
A Delicious Fall Salad
This recipe is not your average salad. It’s packed with nutrients + flavor to help you feel full, satisfied, and energized. Just look at this powerhouse ingredient list:
- Butternut squash: 1 serving contains 7 grams of fiber, 457% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin A, and 52% of the RDI of vitamin C. It gives this recipe a huge immunity boost.
- Quinoa: This grain provides 4.4 grams of protein per cooked serving. It is super versatile, and provides a slightly nutty flavor.
- Chickpeas: In the legume family, this ingredient offers 3 grams of protein, along with 12% of the RDI of folate. It’s a great plant-based protein option.
- Pomegranate seeds: 1 cup of this fruit contains 7 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 30% of the RDI of vitamin C and 36% of the RDI of vitamin K, 16% of the RDI of folate, and 12% of the RDI of potassium. Studies suggest that pomegranate seeds have anti-inflammatory affects on breast cancer cells due to their high antioxidant levels.
- Kale: This is an incredibly nutrient-dense leafy green. It boasts 684% of the recommended daily value of vitamin K, 206% of the RDV of vitamin A, and 134% of the RDV of vitamin C.
- Almonds: Not only do sliced almonds provide this mason jar salad with a nice crunch, they also provide 6 grams of protein, 37% of the RDI of vitamin E, 32% of the RDI of Manganese, and 20% of the RDI of magnesium.
Healthy Eating Tucked in a Mason Jar
I often say that green smoothies are the ultimate fast food because they are easy, versatile, delicious, and healthy. Yet I’ve created other recipes that you can have ‘to-go’ as well:
Ramen zoodles in a mason jar
I LOVE this recipe. It is so flavorful, so healthy, and so quick. I often make 2 at a time so that I’ve got another packed lunch for tomorrow.
Vegan yogurt parfaits
This can be put into smaller jars for several hearty snacks, or layered in 1 larger jar for a delicious, light lunch. I love the tartness from the berry compote, which mixes perfectly with the sweetened granola. You’ll be surprised at how ‘yogurt-like’ this cashew coconut creation is!
Vanilla protein shake
My go-to for hitting the gym is this shake. Not all my smoothies have to be green, yet all of them have to be good. This incredible smoothie is a great recovery drink, and a good meal replacement option for a busy day. Who knew mason jars could be so useful?
Mason Jar Salad Recipes
Ready to try your own mason jar salad? Then you should know you can pretty much put any salad in a jar and go! It’s all about the layers. My mason jar salads always keep the leafy greens on top, while the heavier fruits/veggies start on the bottom. I alway use wide-mouth mason jars, so that I can easily pour this salad onto a plate, or eat right from the jar when I’m hungry.
Make sure to give the jar a good shake before you dive in, so that the layers can all mix together. Do you find that salads just don’t fill you up? Me too! That’s why I make sure my salads have plenty of fiber rich veggies, a good amount of protein, and a balance of healthy fats to help break it all down. With this easy formula, your next salad will be filling, nutritious, and amazingly delicious.
I’d love to hear your fav on-the-go recipes. Will you leave a comment and let me know some of your tried and true meals?
Hearty Mason Jar Salad
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 2 cups butternut squash cubed
- 2 tsp coconut oil, unrefined
- ½ cup quinoa uncooked
- ½ cup chickpeas canned (drained and rinsed)
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 cups kale cut into ribbons
- 4 tbsp raw almonds sliced
For Herb Vinaigrette:
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 tsp raw honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt, unrefined
- ⅛ tsp black pepper, ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, toss the butternut squash with the oil, then spread the pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until soft and lightly browned. Let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well with cool water to remove the bitter saponins. Drain well. In a medium pot, combine the quinoa and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked through. Let stand for 20 minutes, or until cooled completely.
- Layer the ingredients into quart jars with tight-fitting lids, starting at the bottom and working up in this order: ½ cup butternut squash, ½ cup drained chickpeas, ½ cup quinoa, 1 cup kale, 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, 2 tablespoons sliced almonds. Close the lids tightly.
- Layer in jars in this order starting from the bottom and working up:-1 cup butternut squash-½ cup cooked chickpeas-½ cup cooked quinoa-2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds-1 cup kale ribbons-2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- Mix ingredients for vinaigrette together in a small bowl.
- To serve, add the dressing to the jar, close the lid tightly, and gently turn the jar over to coat the ingredients with the dressing. Open and eat.
Notes
- Can be made 1-3 days in advance.
- Keep dressing separate until ready to eat.
- Swap butternut squashed with cooked acorn squash or sweet potato.
- Swap the kale with the leafy greens of your choice.
This is definitely going to be a new fav for me! Something like this is great to have as an anytime grabber! Hits all the happy happy spots for me! I am SUPER stoked for this one!
There is a def a great combination of flavors here. Hope you enjoy it!
I think this salad has to become a fall staple for me, it’s so delicious!!
Easy to make and super delicious, what’s not to love?!
We are getting ready to take a family road trip and this will be a perfect way to get a healthier lunch into everyone when we stop halfway through our drive. It’s so easy to grab the junk food on the go, but this will be so helpful to stop us from doing that this time!
What an awesome and delicious meal to bring on a road trip!
I’ve loved prepping my salads in mason jars. Thanks for the great idea!
You’re welcome, Kim! 🙂
Love this salad on the go!!
Me too, Amanda!
This salad has gotten me to actually eat salad more! I love the kale paired with squash and pomegranates. SO good
I agree! Such great fall flavors.
I made this recipe for a Thanksgiving party at work and it was a hit! I think everyone was sick of the junk food and really appreciated a healthy option. I made 4 jars of this and served them in large bowls when it was time to eat. It was so easy and so festive.
What a great idea!