What is a baked salad? Learn how to make the trending TikTok meals, from warm kale and quinoa to baked Caesar Brussels sprouts. – Yahoo Life
Baked salads are popping up all over TikTok. Here’s why recipe creators say the meal is perfect for winter. (Photo: Carla Contreras)
Since the introduction of the app, TikTok has given way to a diverse bunch of food trends. From the decadent-but-simple whipped feta dip to the over-the-top inside out grilled cheese, there’s truly a bit of everything. This winter season? Make way for baked salads.
While the thought of a warmed-through salad dish may not seem appetizing at first, baked salads are a flavorful way to bring an array of veggies to your dinner plate. “It’s a salad where all the ingredients are baked,” New Jersey chef and food stylist Carla Contreras explains, “greens, veggies, toasted grains and seeds — you can even serve it with warmed dressing.”
According to Contreras, the baked salad TikTok trend has deep culinary roots that go back longer than one might expect. “Warm salads have been around for thousands of years,” Contreras tells Yahoo Life. “There is a Roman recipe written in 1390 that mentions warmed greens. Wilted greens with bacon dressing have been on menus for hundreds of years.”
Now, baked salads have made it to social media in a big way.
“I recently posted a baked salad that was inspired by one of my favorite food influencers, Justine Snacks,” says Texas-based content creator Paige Wright. “She made a baked kale salad that looked amazing, so I put my own spin on it.”
Justine Doiron, the recipe developer behind Justine Snacks, has popularized many food trends this year, from the butter board to the baked salad through her videos, which showcase unique ways to use beloved ingredients.
Her first baked salad video of the season, a kale, cabbage and crispy quinoa salad, has been viewed over 4 million times and has inspired hundreds of creators, like Wright, to put their own twist on this traditionally chilled dish.
“My favorite baked salad recipe is the salmon salad posted on my TikTok,” says Wright. “I think baked salad is great all year, but there’s something about baked salad in the winter that is really cozy and delicious. Adding roasted veggies to what would be an otherwise cold dish makes it a [wintertime] favorite at my house.”
Megan Currell, a registered dietitian and food blogger, has a whole series on her platform based around salads that are not quite traditional. “My ‘Salads That Aren’t Salads’ series is inspired by my patients and clients who wanted vegetable-rich recipes but didn’t like traditional leafy green salads,” she …….