Who says salads need to be all about greens? While we love us a huge bowl of arugula dressed in lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan, there’s a whole rainbow of creative and colorful salad recipes out there. Here are 15 of our favorite recipes. Happy summer salad-ing!

1. Cuban Avocado, Watercress, and Pineapple Salad: Whoever decided to put all of these ingredients together is kind of a genius. (via Food 52)

2. Turkish Bulgur Salad: We love the look of these little salad bites – packed with yummy grains and herbs. (via Give Recipe)

3. Beet Carpaccio with Avocado & Chia Dressing: Beet carpaccio? Such an awesome concept. (via May I Have That Recipe?)

4. Heirloom Tomato Panzanella: We’ve got a serious weakness for panzanella – who doesn’t love adding bread to their salad? (via Jelly Toast Blog)

5. Thai Style Coleslaw with Lime and Peanuts: This Thai take on coleslaw is a great way to mix up your summer barbecue repertoire. (via Livia Sweets)

6. Tomato Salad Stack: It’s a tower of tomatoes! (via Cooking Melangery)

7. Lentils and Roasted Peppers with Goat Cheese: This combination of lentils, red peppers, and goat cheese would also make an amazing crostini topping. (via Sweetie’s Home)

8. Citrus Salad with Pink Peppercorns: Gorgeous citrus hues and punch-packing peppercorns make this unusual salad a quick summer staple. (via Loffelchen Voll Zucker)

9. Radishes, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad: The cashews in this recipe definitely take your standard green salad to 11. (via Le Gourmand Belge)

10. Spring Sprouts Salad with Coconut: Radishes always win in our book but we would have never thought to combine them with coconut, sprouts, and citrus. (via Kiran Tarun)

11. Chickpea Carrot Salad: This is a good one to save for a healthier Thanksgiving side as well! (via Prstohvat Soli)

12. Fennel, Blood Orange & Hazelnut Salad: We’re going to call it – toasted hazelnuts on any salad are an easy win. (via May I Have That Recipe?)

13. Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad: Get your buffalo chicken fix and stock up on healthy points? Love it. (via Prevention RD)

14. Shaved Broccoli Salad: Turn broccoli into a leafier green by shaving it and tossing with all sorts of goodies. (via Taste Love and Nourish)

15. Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad: The more color the better! (via Ambitious Kitchen)

What are your favorite recipes for unconventional summer salads? Any crazy combos we just have to try? Talk to us in the comments below.

Anjelika Temple
As Chief Creative Officer and Founding Partner at Brit + Co, Anjelika Temple brings her voracious consumption of all things creative and colorful to DIY projects, geeky gadgetry finds and more. When she's not DIY-ing her heart out, you'll find her throwing dinner parties with friends or adventuring with her husband David, their daughter Anokhi, and their silly dog Turkey.