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If you haven't had a salad sandwich in a long time, it's time to revisit them. Tuna, chicken, and egg salads are cheap and easy to make, and require little to no cooking, which is perfect for summer. You may think they're boring, but there's all kinds of variations out there now, plus sandwich salads made from chickpeas, vegetables, and even salmon. When you're in a lunch rut, try some of these old- and new-fashioned salad sandwiches.
This is a classic tuna salad recipe that's amped up with a few extra ingredients: dill, lemon, and Dijon mustard. Otherwise, there's all the traditional mix-ins, including onion, celery, and pickles. It's just as good on a sandwich with lettuce, cucumber, and tomato as it is on crackers for a snack.
Recipe: Kale Junkie
Your standard egg salad is pretty basic, with mayonnaise, yellow mustard, salt, and pepper. It's fine to add some of your favorite mix-ins, though, like celery, green onions, or paprika. If you like yours extra creamy, separate the cooked eggs and mask the yolks with the mayonnaise and seasonings before mixing the chopped whites in.
Recipe: Tastes Better From Scratch
Chicken salad makes for a substantial sandwich. You can use leftover chopped chicken, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or cook chicken breast just for the salad. Mustard, celery, seasoned salt, and green onions give it some crunch and flavor. Old Bay or celery seeds are also a welcome addition.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
Canned chickpeas make a cheap, easy, and healthy salad. Drain and mash them so they're still chunky, then add the rest of your ingredients. You can use them in place of other proteins in your favorite salad, or follow this recipe, which includes diced bell pepper, garlic, and dill. This is a vegan recipe, but you can use regular mayo for a vegetarian version.
Recipe: Tasty
Ham salad is an often overlooked sandwich filling, but it's great for using up leftover ham. Regular ham salad usually includes pickles, celery, and mayonnaise, but the deviled version kicks things up a little. Dry mustard powder and hot sauce give it bite, while worcestershire sauce and paprika add flavor.
Recipe: Allrecipes
Move over tuna, because there's another seafood salad in town. This one uses a mix of small shrimp and flaked imitation crab just like you can find in your grocery store deli. The mayo-based dressing is seasoned with Old Bay, dill, and lemon for a classic flavor.
Recipe: Dinner at the Zoo
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If plain chicken salad isn't your cup of tea, try this Waldorf-style recipe. It's got tart, crunchy green apples, sweet red grapes, and nutty walnuts all combined with the chicken, celery, and mayonnaise. It's especially good on a croissant with some lettuce.
Recipe: Small Town Woman
Related: Easy and Out-of-the-Ordinary Sandwiches to Pack for Your Next Road Trip
For another unusual twist on chicken salad, try this curried British classic. Mango chutney and curry powder flavor the mayo-based dressing. Almonds, raisins, and cilantro add a wonderful mix of sweetness, crunch, and freshness. This salad is great on crackers as well as sandwiches.
Recipe: Something About Sandwiches
This is an easy vegetarian sandwich filling. Equal parts mayo and store-bought pesto are mixed together for a basil-heavy dressing. Then there's only a handful of other ingredients to add, including parsley and onions. Leave the chickpeas whole or mash them slightly for your preferred sandwich texture.
Recipe: Budget Bytes
What do you get when you combine cucumber tea sandwiches with Greek tzatziki? This cucumber salad sandwich. The salad is made with Greek yogurt, feta cheese, fresh herbs, lemon, and plenty of chopped cucumber. Red onion slices and sprouts are all you need to turn it into a filling sandwich.
Recipe: Eating Well
If you don't like tuna but you're a fan of salmon, this easy recipe is for you. It uses canned salmon instead, along with shredded carrots and celery to bulk it up with healthy veggies. The base is made with mostly cream cheese, so it's thicker and more like a bagel spread than tuna salad. Capers would be a great addition if you have them.
Recipe: Taste of Home
Anti-mayo people take note: You can use mashed avocado in place of mayonnaise in many salad recipes. Smash it up with lemon juice and salt, then mix in chopped hardboiled eggs, celery, and chives for a lighter take on the classic diner lunch.
Recipe: Eating Well
There are some people who can't get enough hot sauce in their life. For those people, there's buffalo chicken salad. Chicken, onions, celery, and carrots are coated in a dressing of mayo and Frank's RedHot sauce for the traditional buffalo chicken taste. It'd also be great with some ranch or ranch seasoning mixed in.
Recipe: SkinnyTaste
This Mediterranean-style tuna sandwich doesn't have any mayo. Instead, there's a white bean and mascarpone cheese spread. It gets topped with a full-flavored tuna salad loaded with sundried tomatoes, capers, and olive oil-packed tuna. It's a lighter, bolder take on traditional American tuna salad.
Recipe: Giadzy
For some reason, shrimp salad seems way fancier than tuna or crab salad, so much so that you can serve it to company. Though you've got to poach the shrimp, once that's done, all you have to do is mix everything together. This salad is great served in New England-style hot dog buns.
Recipe: Food Network