Mason Jar Salad Recipes: Quinoa, Caprese and Chicken
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These mason jar salad recipes offer three different lunches: quinoa and beans, Caprese-style salad with bacon, and Southwest chicken salad. Use the recipe shortcuts below to find the ingredients and printable instructions. Choose portions and dressings to suit your meal; nutrition varies with the ingredients and quantities you use.
Quinoa salad · Caprese-style salad · Southwest chicken salad
How to Prepare Mason Jar Salads
Wash produce, dry the greens, and prepare the cooked ingredients before filling your jars. Use clean food-storage containers and keep the salads refrigerated. The jar is a convenient container; it does not make fresh salad shelf-stable.
Keep dressing separate if you prefer, or put it at the bottom with sturdy ingredients above it and delicate greens toward the top. Choose a container with enough room to empty the salad into a bowl and toss before eating. For the Southwest chicken recipe, use wide-mouth quart jars as specified in its directions. You can also use separate salad dressing containers.
Refrigeration and Taking Lunch to Go
Keep perishable salads at 40°F or below and use the recipe’s shorter storage guidance. For meal prep with cooked ingredients, plan around a three-to-four-day refrigerated window, not a guaranteed full week. Start with fresh ingredients and account for time already spent in the refrigerator before assembly. Carry the closed jars in an insulated bag with ice packs outside the jars. Refrigerate promptly; do not leave perishable food out longer than two hours, or one hour above 90°F. See USDA leftover guidance.
Quinoa and Black Bean Mason Jar Salad
Mason Jar Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- for the salad dressing:
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- for the salad
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 cup black beans (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 cup corn (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 4 cups spinach
- 1 cup sliced tomatoes
- 2 medium avocados, diced
Instructions
1. Place all dressing ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth.
2. Divide the salad among four jars. For each jar, use 3 tablespoons dressing, ¼ cup tomatoes, ½ cup cooked quinoa, ¼ cup black beans, ¼ cup corn, ½ diced avocado, and 1 cup spinach.
3. Put the dressing at the bottom, add the sturdier ingredients, and finish with the spinach on top. Keep refrigerated until serving. Empty into a bowl and toss before eating.
Notes
The listed amounts make four portions. Nutrition varies with the ingredients, dressing portion, and substitutions. Keep refrigerated and account for the storage time of any previously prepared ingredients.
Caprese-Style Mason Jar Salad with Bacon
Caprese Salad in a Jar
A Caprese-style mason jar salad with greens, tomatoes, mozzarella, onion, bacon, and balsamic dressing. Divide the ingredients among four portions.
Ingredients
- 8 cups spinach and arugula blend
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls
- ¼ cup crumbled bacon, about 4 slices
- For the dressing:
- ⅔ cup white balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
In a small bowl, add white balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, olive oil,salt and pepper. Whisk to combine ingredients.
Pour dressing into the bottom of four clean jars large enough for the ingredients.
Add the chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, red onion, and bacon in order to each jar. Top with your lettuce and seal the lid.
Store jars in refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready, shake and eat.
Notes
Keep refrigerated at 40°F or below and use within 3 days, or sooner if any prepared ingredient is older. Nutrition depends on the ingredients and dressing portion.
Southwest Chicken Mason Jar Salad
Southwest Chicken Salad
Southwest chicken salad layered with black beans, romaine, tomatoes, onion, and cheese, with a lime-cilantro dressing. Makes four portions.
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. + ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro divided use
- 1 clove garlic coarsely chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper seeds and veins removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 oz. shredded cooked chicken breast
- 2 cups black beans
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Place lime juice, garlic, 2 Tbsp. cilantro,, and jalapeno in a blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
- Slowly add oil, blending continuously, until well mixed. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.
- Evenly layer beans, chicken, onion, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and remaining ½ cup cilantro on top of dressing in jars.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake before serving.
Notes
Avocado and corn are optional additions. They change the portion size and nutrition. Keep refrigerated and follow the three-day storage limit in the instructions, accounting for time the cooked chicken has already been stored.
For more lunch and dinner ideas, browse our recipe index.
