3 Greens Refrigerator Salad - Fed & Fit (2024)

This 3 greens refrigerator salad brings together kale, swiss chard, and collard greens with a lemony vinaigrette for a salad that you can make on Sunday and enjoy for several days!

Let’s talk nutrient-dense greens for a hot minute! We all know that it’s important to eat our greens, but if we don’t have a good grasp of WHY they’re important, we may not follow-through (or at least I don’t know that I would). They’re important because you can get a wider array of micronutrients at a greater concentration with just a few strategic greens on your plate. Nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Manganese, Copper, Potassium, and Calcium show up REALLY BIG TIME in kale, for example. Kale really is king. IN FACT, did you know that there’s more calcium present in 100 g of kale than in 100 g of cow’s milk? It’s a pretty impressive food.

Micronutrients, such as the ones mentioned above, help keep our body operating in tip-top shape. While MACROnutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) are important FUEL to keep us running, MICROnutrients are what help us make great use of that fuel. They help us build stronger bones, healthier connective tissues, keep neurons firing, muscles recovering, and our metabolism wheels oiled.

While all of this may sound great, nothing is more unappetizing (to me) than chewing on a raw piece of kale. I don’t like feeling like a rabbit, so I like to concoct more delicious and interesting ways to get these powerhouse greens on my plate. Insert: the refrigerator salad!

What on EARTH is a refrigerator salad? It’s a salad that you whip up, store in the refrigerator, and enjoy a few scoops at a time throughout the week. Unlike normal lettuces, these dense leafy greens (kale, collard, and chard) can actually stand up to being dressed and then left. These greens wilt more slowly and, therefore, can be enjoyed for days to come! I really enjoy a refrigerator salad that’s simple enough (flavor wise) to go with any meal I may be plating. This salad calls for three different dense leafy greens + one mega herb, because I like the texture difference AND the slight micronutrient variety available in the combination. For example, collards have a good amount of folate when compared to kale + Swiss chard and the parsley (if you choose to use it) offers an impressive amount of iron. The greens are finely chopped, which is key to the “I don’t want to be chewing for days” initiative. Then they’re dressed simply with fresh lemon juice, EVOO, and sea salt. Toss, massage, and either plate right away or store for a few days out in the week!

As for the leftovers, I’ve found that this 3 Greens Refrigerator Salad is best for about 3 days. On the 4th day, it starts to wilt a little too much for my taste.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it helps you add a quick scoop of wonderfully nutritious greens to your plates throughout the week!