Rainbow Salad Recipe

Ever since my cancer diagnosis last December, I’ve been eating a LOT of fresh, raw fruits and veggies, and one of my favorite ways to get in extra servings is by eating a huge Rainbow Salad for lunch almost every day.

I usually toss in whatever I have on hand, so the recipe changes slightly from day to day, but I try to include as many varieties of veggies in as many colors of the rainbow as I possibly can. The ingredients and instructions below are quite typical, although I almost always include an avocado when I have a ripe one available (not pictured).

And I usually top my salad with mild green salsa. Two tablespoons of salsa verde is only 10 calories, which I appreciate. And it adds a nice hint of flavor without overpowering or masking the taste of all the other ingredients.

Rainbow Salad Ingredients

• salad greens (I used Romaine lettuce here, but often add baby spinach, kale, or arugula when I have them on hand)
• red or white cabbage (which really look purple or green)
• legumes (I normally choose chick peas, but sometimes opt for black, pinto, or kidney beans)
• roma tomatoes and/or other red veggies (bell peppers, radishes, grape tomatoes, etc)
• carrots and/or orange bell peppers
• yellow bell peppers and/or yellow carrots or corn
• celery and/or other green veggies (avocado, cucumbers, broccoli, green onions, green bell peppers, jalapeños)
• red onion (which also looks purple)
• pistachios (or other nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds. I alternate between all those options)
• a jar of mild salsa verde

Instructions for Assembling Rainbow Salad

1 – Tear salad greens into bit-sized pieces and place in a large salad bowl

2 – Slice red cabbage and add to the greens

3 – Slice/dice tomatoes and other red veggies. Add to salad bowl.

4- Slice/dice carrots and bell peppers. I normally use orange carrots and yellow bell peppers, but today that is reversed. I had orange bell peppers and yellow carrots. (Sometimes purple carrots make an appearance, as well)

5 – Chop green veggies — celery, peppers, avocados, cucumbers, etc. — and add those to the bowl, as well.

6 – Don’t forget to add some thinly sliced onion, as well. I used red onion for this salad, but sometimes use yellow, white, or green instead.

7 – Toss your ingredients well before topping with a generous splash of salsa verde and a sprinkling of roasted pistachios.

I love the variety of colors and textures in this Rainbow Salad. It has such a nice crunch! I hope you’ll try it at home and let me know what you think.

More resources for delicious meals:

Love to cook? You can view a categorized list of my other recipe posts here: Our Favorite Recipes. Or — for even more family favorites, plus a wealth of ideas for making mealtime memorable — get a copy of my book Sit Down & Eat.

Have enough nutritious and delicious recipes to fill a book of your own? Then grab a copy of my new devotional journal for culinary artists, Bread of Heaven, so you can put them all down in one place.

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through any of those links, we may receive a small referral fee, at no extra cost to you. Such fees help defray the cost of running this website. This, in turn, allows us to continue offering our readers a wealth of FREE printable resources. So thank you for your support!