If You Think Green Salads Are Boring, Try Making A Sandwich With Them

Green salads can be delicious and essential for a nutritionally balanced diet. Since health authorities recommend that adults consume four to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, a big salad can get you closer to that goal. But even if you're their biggest fan, salads can start to get boring quickly, especially if you're eating them regularly. When you start to get tired of the same old greens in a bowl, there's a hack for that — try making a salad sandwich with them instead.

Putting salad between slices of bread is a simple enough concept, but it's a real game changer. When you consider all of the tasty types of bread you can choose from, pairing them with salad is an instant upgrade which can turn your everyday dressed veggies from humdrum to heavenly in no time. Most kinds of greens are fair game for this sort of transformation. Heartier types of lettuce for sandwiches and sturdier greens are a good choice for texture, like romaine, little gem, arugula, spinach, and kale. TikTok's green goddess salad is a perfect fit with whole wheat bread, while the similarly viral grinder sandwich is basically a chopped salad stuffed into a hoagie. Read on for yet more ideas for green, bread, and dressing combos.

Handheld salads stuffed into bread are great for packed lunches or any sort of eating on the go. Don't limit yourself to leaves, either, as more substantial salads with protein built in work just as well: Think Cobb salad, chef's salad with hard-boiled eggs and cold cuts, or even chicken Caesar salad. Chickpeas, kidney beans, tofu, eggs, and cheese can all add protein as well as flavor to the mix.

Prevent your salad sandwiches from getting soggy by using denser bread that can hold up to whatever dressing or condiments you put on. Rye, sourdough, and whole grain are good options, as are French bread, Vietnamese baguettes, and ciabatta. You can also hollow out the centers of submarine-style rolls to make them easier to fill without spilling over as soon as you take a bite. Toasting the bread helps with sogginess, too, as does putting down a solid layer of ingredients between the bread and the salad. This could be a slice of cheese or even a whole lettuce leaf.

Boost flavors with your usual sammie spreads like mayo and mustard, or jazz things up with hummus, pesto, or smashed avocado. Thicker, creamy dressings like ranch, blue cheese, or tahini will also keep the bread from getting mushy, versus runny varieties like Italian or vinaigrette. Finish your sandwich with traditional salad toppings like sunflower seeds, walnuts, or bacon bits for the added crunch factor and lunch is served.