*Rips Open Chip Bag*
Forks are so last year.
You know vegetables are good for you. Maybe you should be eating more of them each day than you do. The salad section of the menu at every restaurant beckons, “This is what the virtuous people eat for lunch.” But if a big bowl of greens underwhelms you every time, what’s a diner to do? The answer is simpler than you think: make a salad you can eat with chips.
Think about it: chips and dip are the best. A salty, crunchy tortilla chip might be just the vessel you need to get your greens in (playing a little psychological trick on yourself to eat more veggies isn’t the worst thing you could do). The chips-n-salad idea came from Baked By Melissa, whose TikTok of her eating a finely chopped green goddess salad with corn chips goes viral every time she reposts it. This iteration has 1.9 million likes and nearly 450,000 saves. It’s become her thing now to share salad recipes you can pop on top of toast, tortillas, and even latkes.
So, the next time you feel inspired to make a big salad to eat for lunches all week, consider what recipe might make the perfect salad you can eat with chips. And don’t forget to finely chop all the ingredients up for smoother scooping.
1TikTok Green Goddess Salad
If you want to try an alternate version of Baked By Melissa’s green goddess salad with chips, i am a food blog’s take on it looks equally delicious. It’s totally vegan, and the recipe includes lots of good info about how long this salad keeps in the fridge, ingredient substitutions you can make, and more.
2Grilled Corn Salad With Spicy Honey Lime Dressing
The name says it all: this recipe from Whip & Wander is basically destined to be eaten on a crunchy tortilla chip. This salad has basically everything you love about Mexican street corn, minus the mayo, and adds a homemade honey lime dressing (which you can easily adjust the heat level on).
3Edamame Crunch Salad
Protein-packed edamame, sweet mandarins, a little honey sriracha miso dressing — yeah, this salad from Crowded Kitchen sounds like a winner. Throw in some chicken, eat it with a spoon, or scoop it up on wonton chips. You can alter this salad so many ways to fit your preferences.
4Waldorf Chicken Salad
If you’re a chicken salad fan, this Waldorf chicken salad recipe from All The Healthy Things will definitely speak to you. Scoop it up with some seeded crackers for a sturdy, crunchy addition.
5Kachumbari
Have you ever seen a more colorful salad? Kachumbari is a popular salad in African and is often served alongside seafood, according to this recipe on Healthier Steps. But it also sounds like the perfect chip salad: a blend of tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and cilantro.
6Papaya Salad
Papaya does not get the hype it deserves — it’s the perfect tropical fruit to mangoes and pineapples, and even avocados, like this recipe from Healthier Steps suggests. All dressed in lime juice and a little salt, this is the perfect fruit salad to eat with your favorite salty corn chips.
7Brussels Sprouts Bacon Salad
Brussels sprouts have had a renaissance since our parents used to try to force them down us all boiled and mushy. This Brussels sprouts salad topped with bacon from Damn Delicious is super crisp and dressed in an simple vinaigrette.
8Italian Chopped Salad
Italian grinder salads also went a little viral on TikTok back in 2023, and All The Healthy Things’ chopped version looks just as good as those did. It’s got all the meats and cheeses you want in an Italian salad, topped with a lemon-y dressing you’ll love. Scoop it up with some bruschettini for full effect.
9Summer Corn Salad
Isn’t corn salsa basically the original salad with chips? This summer corn salad from A Classic Twist is a crisp version, with loads of flavor from the jalapeño, cilantro, and red onion. It’s going to be your new go-to side dish for barbecues and summer dinners.
10Kale Salad With Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
You’ll need to finely chop the kale in Damn Delicious’ kale salad recipe to eat it with chips, but it’s worth the effort if it means you’ll eat your greens. With the crunchy walnuts and savory cheese, this combo might actually be even tastier on your favorite brand of crackers.
11Chopped Winter Fruit Salad
Crowded Kitchen’s chopped winter fruit salad combines the sweetness of tangerines and pomegranate with the bite of some pickled red onion, refreshing cucumber and mint, and everyone’s favorite: feta. This would be so good on top of some salty pita chips.
So, will you be ditching forks for corn chips and bruschettini? If it gets you to eat your vegetables, then there’s no reason not to swap.
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