This delicious California Salad in Jar starts with a homemade balsamic dressing and then layered with crisp vegetables, chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, and arugula. You can make this flavorful, healthy salad on Sunday to enjoy for lunch all week.
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I was inspired to make this layered salad after having a California salad at a local Greek restaurant. It was filled with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, onions, cucumber, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, and dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. It was bursting with flavor!
Mason jar salads are my specialty, so I decided to make a version of this Californa Salad that I can make ahead of time for lunch all week.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe
- It’s a delicious healthy lunch recipe – Trust me, you’ll be looking forward to this salad all morning!
- It’s filling – You don’t need to worry about being hungry an hour after eating this high-protein salad!
- Easy to assemble – In less than 20 minutes, you’ll have a healthy lunch ready for the week. Oh, and there’s no cooking required.
- Make-ahead – These salads stay fresh and tasty for five days!
Ingredients
- Homemade balsamic vinaigrette – You can use store-bought balsamic dressing, but making it homemade guarantees that it will be healthier because you’re using clean ingredients.
- Cherry tomatoes and baby cucumbers – Both of these hearty vegetables are delicious after marinating in the balsamic dressing.
- Chickpeas – these add great texture, fiber, and protein.
- Goat cheese crumbles – this creamy cheese adds fantastic flavor to this salad. You can also use feta cheese or blue cheese crumbles. I recommend using a soft, tangy cheese.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – I use the sun-dried tomatoes in a bag. They provide fantastic flavor and texture. You could use sun-dried tomatoes in oil, but you’ll need to account for the extra calories.
- Sliced smoked deli turkey – To keep this salad simple, I went to the deli counter and purchased organic deli smoked turkey breast. My favorite is either Plainville Organic Smoked Turkey or Wegmans Organic Smoked Turkey. I recommend having the turkey sliced so you can cut it into pieces.
- Arugula (not pictured) – The peppery flavor of arugula sends this salad over the top.
Supplies
How to Make a California Salad in a Jar
- Start by putting together the homemade balsamic dressing ingredients together. I like to use a 16-ounce mason jar or a small bowl for this.
- Divide the salad dressing between the five mason jars. This will equal about 2-3 tablespoons of dressing between each salad. If you want to use less dressing then store the leftover dressing in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
- Next, layer in the rest of the salad ingredients. Start with the tomatoes and continue with the cucumbers, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced turkey, cheese, and end with the arugula.
- Place the lid on tightly and put the jars into the refrigerator.
- When you’re ready to eat the California Salad, give the jar a good shake and then dump it into a large salad bowl.
Need more information on mason jar salads? Check out the How to Make Mason Jar Salads tutorial I put together, answering all of your salad in a jar questions.
Storage Tips
- These California Mason Jar Salads will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You cannot freeze these salads.
Cooking Tips
You can layer in any of your favorite hearty vegetables – Red onions or bell peppers would both be delicious in this salad. Add these vegetables after the dressing layer.
You can add avocado – Many authentic California salads include avocado but adding this fruit to a mason jar salad can be tricky because, as we know, avocado can brown quickly.
If you want to add it in with the other salad ingredients then soak the chopped avocado in lemon juice prior to adding to the layers. This helps keep the avocado fresh all week. No guarantees but it will help. Put the avocado after the hearty vegetables in the jar.
Also, it helps to use red onion when using avocado. I don’t know the science behind it but something with the onions will help keep the avocado fresh.
Or you can slice the avocado fresh when you’re ready to eat the salad. The last option would be to freeze avocado slices and then take the amount out of the freezer a few minutes before you plan to eat it.
You can swap in chicken – I like keeping this salad recipe easy with deli turkey but if you prefer chicken then you can use any cooked chicken breast, shredded chicken, or even rotisserie chicken. This Italian Grilled Chicken is good in this salad too.
You can use other vinaigrettes – Balsamic dressing is my favorite with California Salad, but a lemon vinaigrette, Italian dressing, or green goddess dressing is good too.
Use your favorite greens – Spring mix, baby spinach, or even baby kale are great choices if you don’t want to use arugula.
You can include nuts – For more protein and some crunch, add some sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, or your favorite nut. I recommend adding nuts on top of the greens in the mason jar salad or sprinkle on when you’re ready to eat.
FAQs
The authentic version celebrates the popular foods of California – avocado, greens, apricots, goat cheese, and almonds. However, there are many versions of California salad – it’s mostly about bold flavors and fresh ingredients.
This version swaps out some of the original ingredients while still bursting with flavor.
This is the most common question when it comes to making a mason jar salad. It’s all in the layering. Start with the dressing and end with the greens. Place heartier vegetables in with the salad dressing to act as a barrier, then layer in the rest of the ingredients. Tightly place the lid on the mason jar and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
More Healthy Mason Jar Salad Recipes
- Greek Salad in a Jar
- Detox Mason Jar Salad
- Thai Peanut Salad in a Jar
- Vegan Taco Salad in a Jar
- Steak Salad in a Jar
- Spinach Pasta Salad in a Jar
- Tortellini Pasta Salad in a Jar
California Salad in a Jar
Equipment
- 5 (32-ounce) Wide-Mouth Mason Jars with lids
- Large Salad Bowl
Ingredients
Homemade Balsamic Salad Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove grated or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 4 teaspoons melted honey
For the salad
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 5 small cucumbers sliced
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
- 3 ounce package of sun-dried tomatoes
- 10 tablespoons goat cheese crumbles
- 1/2 lb medium-sliced organic smoked deli turkey breast
- 5 ounce package of arugula
Instructions
- Start by putting together the homemade balsamic dressing ingredients together. I like to use a 16-ounce mason jar or a small bowl for this.
- Divide the salad dressing between the five mason jars. This will equal about 2-3 tablespoons of dressing between each salad. If you want to use less dressing then store the leftover dressing in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
- Next, layer in the rest of the salad ingredients. Start with the tomatoes and continue with the cucumbers, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced turkey, cheese, and end with the arugula.
- Place the lid on tightly and put the jars into the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- When you’re ready to eat the California Salad, give the jar a good shake and then dump it into a large salad bowl.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this California Salad in a Jar recipe yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it.
Laurel says
This is now one of my favorite mason jar salads! I made 4 jars for lunches this week as part of the the mason jar salad challenge. The homemade dressing was easy and delicious, the ingredients were perfect together. I’ll definitely be making this one again once school starts up again! Thanks for the great ideas and recipes!
Tammy Overhoff says
I’m so happy you love this salad. it’s one of my favorites too.
Stephanie says
Delicious!! Thank you
Tammy Overhoff says
so happy you love this salad. It’s one of my favorites.
Darlene Stackable says
Made this salad for the Mason Jar Salad Challenge. Another good recipe!
Tammy Overhoff says
yay! So happy you loved it. Thanks for leaving a review.
Ellen says
This is the easiest, with good flavors – I make this one A LOT. I sub in goat cheese instead of blue cheese. The chickpeas and turkey make it really satisfying. I never mind eating it all week. Thanks, Tammy!
Tammy Kresge says
Hi Ellen! Thanks so much for your review. I had a variation of this salad today! I agree adding in the turkey and chickpeas definitely helps keep us full.
Nana Jo says
32 WW points per jar??!! This needs to be recalculated!
Tammy Kresge says
Those are the carbs 🙂
Sarah says
What kind of balsamic dressing did you use? I imagine there may be some variation among brands that would affect the calorie count?
Tammy Kresge says
Newmans Own is my favorite.
Cheri says
Al of your Mason Jar salads look fabulous! I am going to give them all a whirl, starting with the black bean and corn – because I have all the ingredients I need! I love that these are grab and go!! Thank you so much for posting these! Love your blog! It’s bright and refreshing too!
Niki says
I’ve never made a mason jar salad before. If I were adding in the red onion, at what layer would I want to put it?
Kathy Davis says
This looks amazing. I am going to make them so when I get home from my workout and errands I can just grab one of these and have a satisfying lunch.