Dream Dinners, Recipe Remixes

5 Side Salads Made for Summer

Posted by The Dream Dinners Team on

Side salads are a great way to complete any dish.

Fresh and crisp side salads are the perfect co-star for every summer meal. What goes better with a juicy burger or a steak that’s fresh off the grill than a delicious bowl of greens? Serve up any of these delightful side salads for dinner this summer if you really want to cook to impress.

Spinach Bacon Orzo Pasta Salad

This delicious pasta salad is just what you need for your next summer BBQ or family cookout. Our tasty pasta salad combines orzo pasta with spinach, bacon crumbles, sliced peaches, red onion, and dried cranberries. Smothered in a sweet vinaigrette and topped with feta cheese and french-fried onions, this is a salad your family will never forget. Make sure to add this mouth-watering salad to your order this summer out of our Sides & Sweets freezer.

Ingredients:

  • Dream Dinners Spinach Bacon Orzo Pasta Salad 

Directions:

  1. Thaw in the refrigerator.
  2. In a large pot of boiling water, add orzo and cook for 5-8 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to cook pasta.
  3. Add chilled orzo pasta, veggies (cut peaches if desired), and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Toss with salad tongs to combine thoroughly.
  4. Top with crumbled Feta and French-Fried Onions.
  5. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Broccoli Salad

Add our Oven Roasted Broccoli to your order this summer to make a roasted broccoli salad. Here’s what you’ll need to make this tasty side salad.

Ingredients:

  • Dream Dinners Oven Roasted Broccoli
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • 4 slices of lemon
  • 1 whole lemon
  • 1 tablespoon dill
  • ½ cup almonds
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place broccoli on a nonstick sprayed, foil-lined baking pan.
  3. Roast broccoli for 5-8 minutes, remove from the oven, shake the pan to toss, and cook 7-9 more minutes until brown and crisp.
  4. Roast almonds alongside broccoli for around 8 minutes, or until lightly browned
  5. Place broccoli in a bowl when finished roasting.
  6. Once browned, add almonds, dill, cranberries, and lemon slices to the bowl with the Dream Dinners Oven Roasted Broccoli.
  7. Whisk together juice from a whole lemon, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and honey and pour over the salad, toss to coat it.
  8. Serve and enjoy!

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Brighten up any meal with a Mexican Street Corn Salad! This dish contains corn slathered in a lime crema, topped with Cotija cheese and chili powder sprinkle. Order it today from our Sides & Sweets Freezer!

Ingredients:

  • Dream Dinners Mexican Street Corn Salad

Directions:

  1. Thaw in the refrigerator.
  2.  Remove portion cups from the bag and set them aside.
  3.  Add corn to a medium sauté pan over med-heat and cook until heated through about 3-5 minutes.
  4. Add lime crema to corn and stir to combine.
  5. Sprinkle topping mixture over corn and enjoy!

Bacon Pesto Pea Salad

Order our Parmesan Pesto Peas from your local Dream Dinners Sides & Sweets Freezer to make this delicious side salad. Basil pesto combined with freshly shredded parmesan cheese makes these peas the perfect addition to a healthy summer salad. 

Ingredients:

  • Dream Dinners Parmesan Pesto Peas
  • 1/3 cup Red Onion
  • 1 cup Bacon Bits
  • Dressing of your choice

Directions:                                          

  1. Prepare the Parmesan Pesto Peas from frozen.
  2. Over low heat in a medium nonstick pan, cook peas for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add red onion and bacon bits, stir to combine, then drizzle with dressing.
  4. Serve and enjoy!

Loaded Cauliflower Salad

Grab our Roasted Savory Cauliflower from the sides and sweets freezer to make this loaded summer side salad. Our cauliflower is roasted to a golden brown and then sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, fitting perfectly into a loaded cauliflower salad.

Ingredients:

  • Dream Dinners Roasted Savory Cauliflower
  • ½ cup Bacon
  • ½ cup Sour Cream
  • ¼ cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
  • ½ cup Shredded cheddar
  • ¼ cup Finely Chopped Chives

Directions:

  1. Thaw the Roasted Savory Cauliflower, toss in the bag to evenly distribute seasoning.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray baking sheet or pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Place seasoned cauliflower on a sprayed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in oven 20-30 minutes or until they are golden.
  4. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Chop after done cooking.
  5. In a bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, and lemon juice.
  6. Add cauliflower and toss. Add bacon, chives, and cheddar cheese.
  7. Serve and enjoy!