A deliciously crunchy and colorful Rainbow Chopped Salad with Cabbage tossed in a lemony herbed greek yogurt dressing. Perfect for lunch and dinner- this healthy salad keeps for 4 days in the fridge.
With hints of spring emerging, I feel very inspired to eat clean food, crunchy and colorful. Give me fiber and roughage! I also just want to be outside more. Having this salad in the fridge means a lot less time trying to figure out what’s for lunch.
I like to keep the Chopped Salad undressed in one container and the dressing in another. It will keep for 4 days this way in the fridge! It’s a quick toss with the dressing, a sprinkle of seeds and the salad is ready!
The beauty of the Rainbow Chopped Salad is that you get all the flavors from every bite. I love the uniformity, it makes my scattered mind calm down and center. Feels amazing to know that I am nourishing myself with something good!
The ingredients in this salad are all flexible. I am choosing some that I know will hold so we can munch on it from the fridge for a few days- like cabbage, bell pepper and snap peas. The yogurt dressing is thick and creamy, packed with a medley of herbs and bright with lemon, awakening all your taste buds.
Chop and dice all salad ingredients roughly the same size except onions, dice a bit smaller.
This is another recipe to just get you going, chop up what you have on hand. Use your favorite flavors, it’s hard to go wrong.
Suggestions for compiling your favorite chopped salad:
- hearty greens: cabbage, romaine hearts, kale, endive
- tender herbs: basil, dill, parsley, chives, tarragon, mint, cilantro
- beans: kidney, garbanzo, cannellini
- crunchy veg: celery, bell peppers, pea pods, jicama, kohlrabi
- cheese: sharp white cheddar, manchego, smoked gouda, Emmental, Jarlsberg
- toasted nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds
Yogurt keeps things clean and gives perfect creaminess to the dressing. Fresh herbs are key to lively flavor.
Top with lots of microgreens, avocado, and toasted sunflower seeds.
The Rainbow Chopped Salad is filling enough to eat on its own and perfect to pair with grilled protein or soup.
Store separately.
Spring is my favorite time of year. All my senses are reawakening. It is so hopeful to watch buds, plants and bulbs emerge and hear the chattering excitement of birds. Reminding me again that what lies beneath or within needs time and stillness to in order to create life. How beautiful!
Try this Rainbow Chopped Salad and share your inspired creations with us!
More Recipes you may like:
- Easy Crunchy Asian Slaw
- Sesame Cabbage Noodle Salad
- 40 Must-Try Vegan Salads
- Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
Rainbow Chopped Salad Recipe
This Rainbow Chopped Salad with Cabbage is crunchy, colorful and nutritious! Tossed with a lemony herbed greek yogurt dressing, it is easy to make and easy to adapt. Perfect for meal prep, this salad keeps for 4 days in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups
- Category: salad, meal prep, vegetarian
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 cups red cabbage
- 2 cups green cabbage
- 1 cup mixed yellow & red bell pepper
- 1 cup, 2 stalks celery
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 15-ounce canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- a couple of shakes of salt
Dressing
- 1 cup greek yogurt (I use whole milk)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional but I like the depth it gives)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh mixed herbs chives, dill, basil, mint, chopped
Topping
- microgreens
- toasted sunflower seeds
Instructions
Make the salad
Chop cabbage, bell peppers, celery, and snap peas in small similar-sized pieces, approximately 1/2 inch. Mince red onions. Dice cheese into small cubes.
Mix all salad ingredients together in a bowl with a couple of shakes or grinds of sea salt.
Make the dressing
Whisk together greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon, soy sauce, black pepper, salt, chopped parsley and mixed herbs until fully combined.
If serving immediately, toss the salad with the dressing. If making ahead, or for meal prep, store the salad and dressing separately in the fridge, combining as needed.
Top with microgreens and toasted sunflower seeds.
Notes
Salad will keep up to 4 days in the fridge if stored separately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 459
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 695.1 mg
- Fat: 27.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.3 g
- Fiber: 9.5 g
- Protein: 21.8 g
- Cholesterol: 33.5 mg
Keywords: Chopped Salad, Rainbow Chopped Salad, chopped salad recipe, chopped salad recipe healthy, chopped salad recipe with cabbage
I made a modified version of the rainbow salad and it was excellent. I didn’t have any green cabbage and I substituted great northern beans for the kidney beans. Delicious. However, the star of the show was the dressing. I made it exactly as described but using my first batch of home-made yogurt instead of store bought. My, oh my! As Dave Niehaus used to say when a Mariner hit one out of the park. It was incredible. My new favorite salad dressing. Fabulous!
By the way, I’ve made several of the other dishes in this series and my tummy and taste buds were very happy indeed.
Thank you for the great batch of recipes.
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Happy you enjoyed this and love that you use homemade yogurt!
Hi! I want to make this delicious looking recipe & would like to know which combinations herbs you used when you made it?
Thanks!
Hi Limor, If you look at the recipe card at the end of the post, it lists the herbs in the ingredients. Dill, basil, mint, chives. 😊
I am so glad that I found you . I think the first thing that grabbed me was the orecchiette with creamy carrot sauce-the visual amazed me. I made that by the way and could not stop eating it. The miso was genius and added depth and changed everything with the dish. Then I went to the site and was blown away by the quality of the ingredients you choose and the flavors you choose. It is obvious that you are a professional chef. Tonight I am trying this salad and will report back to you. I already know it will be amazing.
We are so happy you are here Jen! Glad you are enjoying.💛
Another packable lunch hit in our household! I made this after my 15 yr old daughter had a friend stay the night and they needed to pack lunches for school in the morning. I got out the PB&J (just in case) and she was excited to try the salad. My daughter said it was a hit at the high school lunch table, and other kids even wanted to finish it. It will be a regular in our household :).
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Nice Ronda! I love hearing this so much!
Excellent as meal or side dish! (Substituted great northern bean for kidney, personal preference.)
Will make thru all warm months.
Thank you!
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Great to hear!
So good! Definitely adding the recipe to my work lunch rotation.
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Delicious – I’ve had this for lunch 4 days in a row. It is very fresh tasting and I love the yogurt and herb dressing – I could just eat it with a spoon!
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Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious!!! So much crunch. Thanks for this recipe, have saved it to make again in the future.
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Delicious! I’m having the leftovers as I type. I made this 3 days ago and subbed edamame for the beans (it’s all I had) and tossed the dressing with the salad (because I forgot to keep it separate) and it just seemed to get better and better each day. I wasn’t sure about the cheese, but added anyways and it turned out so good. Stayed nice and crunchy and the dressing was very tasty. Highly recommend.
★★★★★
This looks delicious. Is there any way to make the dressing vegan and still keep the creaminess?
you could use Creamy Herby Hemp Dressing!