5 Salads to Surprise and Delight and Cheeses That Make Them Great

At Organic Valley, we love cheese and we love salads, so we sat down with a crew of food-forward individuals to create five fabulous salads that incorporate both. Some are simple — think make the night before to take to work or school — while others are designed to be created with family and friends while congregating in cozy kitchens.

Jump to recipes
Organic Blue Cheese Wedge Salad
Cottage Cheese Fruit Bowl
Dense Bean Salad with Feta
Squash Panzanella Salad with Parmesan
Simple Chopped Salad with Baby Swiss

Organic Blue Cheese Wedge Salad

If you want an easy, stylish and customizable salad, you must try this Blue Cheese Wedge Salad. With its sharp taste, blue cheese crumbles steal the show in this super simple yet delicious salad.

Makes: 4 servings
Start to finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 package of Organic Valley® bacon
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes — sliced
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1 avocado
½ cup Organic Valley® Blue Cheese Crumbles
3 tablespoons chives
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Croutons
Blue Cheese Dressing
Optional: Eggs

Directions
Cook bacon and crumble. Set aside.

Wash iceberg lettuce before chopping into 4 even pieces, or divvy per diners’ requests. (Here’s why you should wash lettuce before cutting.) Divide sliced cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, cooked bacon crumbles, chives or onions and your favorite blue cheese dressing to create 4 salads. Place slices of avocado on the side for added color and taste. Halved hard-boiled eggs are a great addition, too.

Top with Blue Cheese Crumbles and serve. Add croutons for added texture.

Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe 
Ingredients
1/4 cup Organic Valley® Blue Cheese Crumbles
1/2 cup of mayonnaise (or substitute with organic yogurt)
1/2 cup of Organic Valley® Buttermilk
½ cup Organic Valley® Sour Cream
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until incorporated. Reduce buttermilk to thicken.

Why blue cheese works well in a wedge salad: Organic Valley’s blue cheese is not your typical blue cheese — it has a creamy texture with a slightly salty and mild flavor, finishing with a floral, earthy note. The creaminess helps balance the salt from the bacon, while the acid from the tomatoes brightens the floral notes, making this cheese perfect for a classic wedge salad.

Cottage Cheese Fruit Bowl

The attention cottage cheese has experienced lately isn’t slowing down — and for good reason. It’s versatile, nutritious and oh so yummy. Here’s one of our favorite ways to serve cottage cheese.

Makes: 2 servings
Start to finish: 5 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup Organic Valley® Cottage cheese
½ mango
4 kumquats
½ cup papaya (peeled, sliced and seeds removed)
Handful of blueberries 

Directions
In a small to medium bowl (depending how hungry you are!), simply put cottage cheese and add your favorite fruits.

Top with honey, almond slivers, chia seeds or coconut slivers for added goodness.

Why cottage cheese works well in a fruit bowl: Organic Valley’s cottage cheese is one of the most versatile cheeses that can bring a protein boost and creamy, milky deliciousness to any dish. It’s a healthier snack, lunch or dessert without sacrificing any of that delicious dairy.

Dense Bean Salad with Feta

Beans are packed with protein and are filling. You can spice them up or keep it subtle, but don’t forget the feta cheese in this salad for extra texture and appeal. This is a perfect salad to make at the beginning of the week and enjoy for the rest of the week!

Makes: 8-10 servings
Start to finish: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas/garbanzo beans — drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans — drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans — drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) black or regular lentils
½ English cucumber (chopped)
1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
¼ cup red onion (sliced)
1/3 cup Kalamata olives
½ cup Organic Valley® Feta Cheese
Salad dressing

Directions
In a large bowl, mix beans, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives and feta cheese.

Pour dressing on top, combine and serve.

Salad Dressing Recipe
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 clove minced garlic
¼ cup parsley

Directions
In a large bowl, make salad dressing by combining olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley.

Why feta cheese works well in a bean salad: Organic Valley’s feta cheese is a bit different from other fetas. Our recipe is a bit more moist, resulting in a saltier, tangier and buttery feta than most. These lightly acidic and brighter notes help balance the heaviness that beans and olive oil can bring while softening the harsher acid coming from the tomatoes and red wine vinegar.

Squash Panzanella Salad with Parmesan

Try this unique, comforting spin on a classic panzanella salad. The salad is oh so tasty, and it’s packed with superfoods!

Makes: 4 servings
Start to finish: 45 minutes

Ingredients
½ loaf of sourdough bread
½ butternut squash
¼ cup olive oil (divided)
1 teaspoon oregano
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup pistachios
¼ cup dried cranberries
4 stalks kale
¼ cup Organic Valley® Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (divided)
Creamy Buttermilk Dressing

Directions
Tear bread into ½-inch chunks and set aside.

Cut butternut squash in ½ inch cubes, mix with 1 tablespoon olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Place on sheet pan, roast at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven. Set aside.

While roasting butternut squash, mix bread with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, place in oven for about 15 minutes at 350 F. Alternative suggestion: Put ¼ cup olive oil on medium on stovetop. Cook for about 5 minutes until nice and crisp, stirring occasionally.

In a bowl, tear kale into bite-size pieces. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Massage.

Dry roast pumpkin seeds with a sprinkle of salt for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Combine squash, kale, pumpkin seeds, pistachios and cranberries. Drizzle dressing over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, serve and enjoy. Top with salmon or a poached egg for even more protein.

Creamy Buttermilk Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
½ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Organic Valley® Buttermilk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Juice from ¼ lemon
1 teaspoon salt and pepper

Directions
In a small bowl, mix yogurt, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Reduce buttermilk for a thinner dressing.

Why Parmesan cheese works in a panzanella salad: Parmesan brings nuttiness, sweetness and saltiness, and Organic Valley’s doesn’t disappoint. These flavors work great in a panzanella salad by bringing some complexity to the dish and seamlessly integrating into the creamy dressing.

Simple Chopped Salad with Baby Swiss

It’s like a sub but it’s a salad! This super-simple chopped salad is divine. Believe us when we say your guests will want more. Organic Valley teammates devoured the leftovers from our photo shoot! Oh, and kiddos love this one (though you may need to remove the peppers and onions).

Makes: 4-6 servings
Start to finish: 10 minutes

Ingredients
½ head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
5 slices deli salami
5 slices Organic Valley® deli ham
½ red onion, diced
6 whole pepperoncini peppers (remove juice and slice)
Salt and pepper to taste
6 slices Organic Valley® Baby Swiss Cheese
Dressing

Directions
In a large bowl, add lettuce, salami, ham, onion, pepperoncini peppers and Baby Swiss cheese.

Mix all ingredients until dressing is incorporated.

Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 garlic bulb, finely minced

Directions
In a small bowl, make the dressing by stirring vinegar, olive oil, salt and garlic.

Why Baby Swiss works well in a chopped salad: A chopped salad is a salty, heavy and acidic delight. You need a cheese that can stand up to these strong flavors and Organic Valley’s Baby Swiss does just that. While it is a milder Swiss, its slightly sweet and nutty profile balances out the salt, fat and acid that the meat, peppers and dressing bring to the party.

Fun fact: Do you know how Baby Swiss got its name? “Baby” is used because the cheese is not aged as long as other Swiss cheeses.