Whether you're meal prepping for the week or packing a quick lunch on the go, my Mediterranean mason jar salads are just what you need. Layered with delicious ingredients like chickpeas, olives, cherry tomatoes, peppers, and spinach, with a zesty balsamic vinaigrette, they're as delicious as they are convenient!
I'm pretty routine when it comes to lunch. During the cooler months I'm a soup kind of girl. Apparently, so are you guys. You all loved my mason jar soups recipe from last year. During the warmer months, I'm all about salad for lunch, so I decided it was time for some mason jar salads!
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There's one caveat to my lunchtime salad habit: it has to be a super satisfying salad. No wimpy salads here! I go for dishes like my vegan Greek salad, vegan Cobb salad, marinated tofu salad, or roasted eggplant salad. Those are all delicious, and great for lunch, but when you're looking for something a little meal-prep friendly, Mason jar salads are the way to go. These ones are delicious and they will NOT leave you hungry.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. You can use another type of oil if you don't have olive on hand. Vegetable, avocado, or canola oil will all work just fine.
- Balsamic vinegar. I highly recommend using a good quality, aged balsamic vinegar. You want it to be thick and syrupy with a touch of sweetness.
- Garlic.
- Maple syrup. Other liquid sweeteners like agave or coconut nectar will also work.
- Dijon mustard.
- Salt & pepper.
- Chickpeas. Got a can of some other type of bean on hand? Feel free to use it. Cannellini beans, butter beans, lentils, and kidney beans are all great choices.
- Cucumbers.
- Kalamata olives. We're using these to keep with the Mediterranean theme (and because they're delish!), but other varieties of olives can be used as well.
- Cherry tomatoes.
- Orange bell pepper. Another color of sweet bell pepper, like red or yellow, could be substituted.
- Scallions.
- Baby spinach. You can substitute another green, like lettuce or arugula, if you'd like.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Make the dressing. Place all of the dressing ingredients into a jar with a lid. This includes the oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake it up to combine the ingredients. If you don't have a suitable jar, you can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl or cup.
Tip: Not a fan of balsamic vinaigrette? Try one of my other vegan salad dressings with this recipe. You'll need about three tablespoons per salad.
Step 2: Assemble the salads. First divide the dressing among two large mason jars, then layer the remaining ingredients over the dressing in the order that they're listed in the recipe. Start with the chickpeas, followed by olives, cherry tomatoes, then bell peppers.
Next, add the scallions, then place the spinach on top of everything.
Tip: Wondering why the order of ingredients is important? First, it keeps the veggies that tend to get soggy away from the dressing. Placing the ingredients in this order also gives you a nice arrangement when you transfer the salad to a bowl — greens on the bottom, smaller veggies in the middle, and dressing on top.
Steps 3 & 4: Your mason jar salads are ready! Seal them up and store them in the fridge for up to three days. When it's time to enjoy, invert each one and dump the ingredients into a salad bowl.
Tip: The dressing can sometimes become thick in the fridge, due to the olive oil solidifying. Run the bottom of the jar under warm water if this happens. It'll loosen right up!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! There are no gluten-containing ingredients in this recipe.
You sure can! Any container that's about one quart in capacity and has a lid with an airtight seal will work.
They'll last about three days, but the exact amount of time will depend on how fresh your veggies are. If you're starting with very fresh ingredients, you may get an extra day or two out of them.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Mason Jar Salads
Equipment
- 2 (1-quart) wide mouth mason jars
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
For the Salad
- 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- ½ cup Kalamata olives
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, diced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small jar or container with a lid. Shake until everything is fully combined. Taste-test the dressing and adjust any seasonings to suit your taste.
- To assemble the salads, first divide the dressing between two (one quart) mason jars, then divide the remaining ingredients between the jars, layering them in the order listed: chickpeas on the bottom, followed by cucumber, olives, cherry tomatoes, pepper, scallions, and spinach.
- Close and seal the jars. Store them in the fridge until ready to enjoy — up to three days.
- To serve, invert each jar and transfer the ingredients to a bowl. If the dressing has solidified and is sticking to the jar, simply run warm water over the bottom of the jar until the dressing loosens up.
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