Lunch
Rainbow Mason Jar Salads
Mason jar salads solved a real problem for me, which is that I like salad at noon and I do not like assembling salad at 7 am. The jar does the assembling on Sunday, and the physics does the rest, dressing at the bottom, sturdy stuff on top of it, delicate greens all the way up where nothing touches them.
The layering order is not decoration, it is engineering. A jar packed in the right order keeps 4 days in the fridge without a single wilted leaf, and it looks like a rainbow you can eat, which is why these jars pin well and pack better.
Quinoa and chickpeas carry the protein, so this is a lunch that holds you until dinner, not a sad bowl of leaves.
By the TasteBoard team. Timed in a home kitchen, with total time added up and safe temperatures checked.
Photo: @A Healthier Michigan from Detroit, United States / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Course
- Lunch
- Calories, about
- 310 per serving
Instructions
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Why you will love it
Four lunches built in 35 minutes on Sunday, grab a jar each morning, no morning effort.
The layer order keeps greens crisp for 4 full days, the whole reason jar salads work.
Quinoa and chickpeas bring real protein, about 310 calories per jar, an estimate, and it actually fills you.
Vegetarian as written, with a vegan swap in the list that changes almost nothing.
Wide mouth quart jars are the right size, and they double as the bowl, shake and eat.
Tips
The layer order is the entire recipe. Dressing, sturdy vegetables, grain, delicate stuff, greens. Follow it and the jar keeps 4 days, scramble it and you have Tuesday compost by Monday lunch.
Cool the quinoa completely before it goes in the jar, warm quinoa steams the greens in the sealed jar and you will open a wilted mess.
Wide mouth pint jars work for side salads, quart jars are the real lunch. The wide mouth matters when you are eating out of the jar with a fork.
Shake at lunch like you mean it, lid on tight, 15 seconds, then taste and decide if you want more dressing, the jar can hide a dry top.
Swaps and variations
Farro or brown rice instead of quinoa: chewier and more filling, cook times change to 25 minutes for farro and 30 for brown rice, layer order stays identical.
Vegan version: skip the feta and use avocado cubes with lemon squeezed on them, added at eating time, and swap the honey for maple syrup in the dressing.
Chicken version: diced leftover chicken or our garlic butter chicken bites go between the quinoa and tomato layers, and the jars stop being vegetarian, which is fine.
What to serve
A slice of crusty bread or a dinner roll, this is a fork salad and bread turns it into a plate.
Fruit on the side, an apple or a handful of grapes travel well next to a jar.
At a picnic, these jars are the entire side dish contribution, bring four and be thanked.
Storage and reheating
Sealed jars keep 4 days in the fridge, undressed greens stay crisp the whole time. Keep the feta and seed containers separate until eating. Eat these cold, never reheated, the point is crunch. Do not freeze, greens and dressing both collapse in thawing. If a jar has sat out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, discard it, mayo free dressing or not, jars of vegetables are still perishable food.
Calories shown are an estimate from standard ingredients, not medical advice. Brands and amounts change the number.
Questions cooks actually ask
Do I really eat it out of the jar?
Yes, two ways. Shake it hard with the lid on until everything is coated, then eat straight from the wide mouth jar with a long fork. Or shake and dump it into a bowl, which is nicer if you have a desk and a real plate. Both work, shaking is mandatory in both.
Will the spinach really last until day four?
Packed correctly, yes, and I have tested it to day five with only slight fading. The keys are bone dry greens, the quinoa barrier below them, and a sealed lid. Greens that touch dressing wilt overnight, greens that touch nothing stay crisp for days.
What jar size do I need?
Quart, 32 oz, wide mouth. Regular mouth jars are miserable to fork around in, and pint jars hold a side salad. Four quart jars are the standard week of lunches and cost about 10 dollars with lids, reusable forever.
Can I use a different dressing?
Any vinaigrette works if it is not too thick, thick dressings glue the bottom layers and refuse to shake up. Ranch works if you thin it with a teaspoon of water or milk. Creamy dressings belong on the side if you are going past 2 days of storage.
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