How To Cook with Mache + Easy Mache Recipes

by Sarah Harper MS, RD, LDN | Apr 2, 2026 | Education, How-to, Nutrition

What Is Mache

Sometimes referred to as doucette, lamb’s lettuce or corn salad, mache is an early spring crop often found in farmers markets. Once considered a weed, mache is now a delicate, nutritious green that works beautifully in salads of all kinds.

What Does Mache Taste Like?

Mache is tender and mild with a softer, nuttier taste when compared to spinach. It pairs especially well with cooler weather ingredients like beets, carrots, arugula, kale, citrus, soft cheeses, nuts, and simple vinaigrettes.

When to Use Mache

Mache shines in cooler months and early spring when you want something fresh but still cozy. It works especially well with roasted vegetables, citrus, nuts, cheese, and simple vinaigrettes.

How to Grow and Harvest

Mache is very easy to grow and is extremely hardy. I planted mine in the fall and had beautiful rows pop up in March!

Washing and Storage

Wash like you would any tender green, submerged in water to shake off dirt.

Mache can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks wrapped in a reusable plastic bag.

How To Cook with Mache

Mache is most often used fresh, but it can also be added to a variety of simple meals.

Because it is so tender, it works especially well in spring recipes where you want a soft green that does not overpower the other ingredients.

For more on mache, check out the wikipedia page!

Inspiration For Mache Recipes

Salads

• Mache and Roasted Beet Salad: Toss mache with vinaigrette, nuts, cheese, and any roasted vegetables

Sandwiches

• Add mache to sandwiches with chicken, turkey, or egg salad for a fresh, mild green

Wraps

• Add mache to wraps with hummus, feta, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, or crispy chickpeas

Salad Rolls

• Use mache in salad rolls with herbs, carrots, cucumber, tofu, shrimp, and a peanut sauce

Grain Bowls

• Add mache to grain bowls with quinoa, lentils, farro, roasted beets, carrots, soft boiled eggs, or salmon

Soups

• Stir mache into brothy soups right before serving so it lightly wilts, similar to spinach

Smoothies

• Blend a handful of mache into smoothies the way you would spinach such as with my Green Juice Smoothie

Pasta and Cooked Dishes

• Cook it down like spinach and add to pasta, risotto, eggs, or other cooked dishes

More Recipes You Will Want To Save!

• Kale Apple Walnut Salad With Creamy Walnut Dressing
• Meal Prep Friendly Southwest Sweet Potato Bowl
• Arugula Cottage Cheese Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Salad Kit Upgrades: 49 Ways to Add Protein, Fiber, and Crunch (Like a Dietitian)

by Sarah Harper MS, RD, LDN | Jan 21, 2026 | Education, How-to, Nutrition

Salad Kit Upgrades: 49 Ways to Add Protein, Fiber, and Crunch (Like a Dietitian)

I’m 1 month postpartum and looking for all the shortcuts for eating healthy and balanced. Right now I like to think of my day as simple “checkmarks.” And honestly, this isn’t just a postpartum thing. This checkmark approach works for any busy adult who wants to eat well without overthinking it:

• Protein
• Fiber
• Fruits + veggies

When I focus on those 3 things, everything else tends to fall into place.

One shortcut I lean on hard? Bagged salad kits such as Taylor Farms or Trader Joes. They’re fast, they’re already chopped, and they help me get veggies in without thinking.

But let’s be honest, some salad kits can be a little… limp. With a few quick upgrades, a basic kit turns into a balanced, filling, actually-satisfying meal.

I focus on 5 types of salad kit upgrades, but 2 are non-negotiable: protein + fiber. The other 3 are flexible based on what I have on hand (because, newborn life). If I get a few servings of veggies in that day, I call it a win.

The 2 non-negotiables: Protein + Fiber

Protein (pick 1–2)
Beans, lentils, animal protein, animal products such as eggs, cheese, and yogurt (usually added to my dressing), tofu, tempeh, nuts and seeds.

See the list below for more protein add-in ideas.

Fiber (pick 1–2)
Beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, flax meal, high fiber veggies such as peas, broccoli, avocado, and high fiber fruits such as apples, dates, oranges.

See the list below for more fiber add-in ideas.

49 ways to upgrade a salad kit (like a dietitian)

Protein + fiber wins (biggest payoff)

If I’m tired and want the biggest payoff, I start here. These pull double duty.

1. Add lentils (about ½ a can)
2. Add chickpeas (about ½ a can)
3. Add black beans (about ½ a can)
4. Add white beans (about ½ a can)
5. Add edamame (about ½–1 cup)
6. Add hemp hearts (2–3 tbsp)
7. Add nuts (about ¼ cup)
8. Add a seed mix (pepitas + sunflower, about ¼ cup)
9. Add tofu (about 4–6 oz)
10. Add tempeh (about 3–4 oz)

Protein upgrades

11. Add rotisserie chicken (about 3 oz)
12. Add leftover shredded chicken (about a palm-sized serving)
13. Add tinned fish (tuna, salmon, sardines — 1 tin/pouch)
14. Add hard-boiled eggs (2)
15. Add feta (about 2–3 tbsp)
16. Add goat cheese (about 1–2 tbsp)
17. Add parm (about 1–2 tbsp, especially good on Caesar kits)

Fiber upgrades

18. Add flax meal (1 tbsp, easy to stir into dressing)
19. Add avocado (¼–½)
20. Add peas (about ½ cup; frozen peas are the easiest)
21. Add broccoli (about ½–1 cup, fresh/roasted/frozen)
22. Add sweet potato (about ½ cup roasted cubes)

Fruit + veggie upgrades (if you have them)

23. Add apple (½–1, chopped)
24. Add pear (½–1, chopped)
25. Add dates (2–3, chopped)
26. Add orange segments (½–1 orange)
27. Add dried fruit (cranberries/raisins/cherries — 2 tbsp)
28. Add hearts of palm (½ cup)
29. Add artichokes (½ cup; marinated is elite)
30. Add crunchy veggies (carrots/celery/radishes/scallions — ½ cup)
31. Add extra greens (kale/cabbage/shredded slaw mix — 1–2 cups)
32. Add corn (¼–½ cup)

Dressing upgrades (my favorite “lazy” trick)

33. Use ½ the dressing packet + add Greek yogurt (¼ cup)
34. Add blended cottage cheese (¼ cup)
35. Add kefir (2–4 tbsp)
36. Add hummus (1–2 tbsp, especially for Mediterranean kits)
37. Add a splash of vinegar (1–2 tsp; balsamic/rice wine/red wine/white wine/ACV)
38. Add olive oil or avocado oil (1 tsp)
39. Add sesame oil (½–1 tsp, Asian kits)
40. Add algae oil (1 tsp; tastes like butter!)

Other upgrades

41. Add herbs (about 1–2 tbsp, chopped)
42. Add seasonings (about ¼–½ tsp; garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, etc.)
43. Add crunch (chips/tortilla strips/croutons — ¼ cup)
44. Add a grain (noodles/rice/quinoa/barley — ½–1 cup)
45. Add olives (2–3 tbsp)
46. Add capers (1 tbsp)
47. Add hot sauce (a few shakes)
48. Add roasted red peppers (¼ cup)
49. Add sun-dried tomatoes (2 tbsp)

Go beyond the bowl

Then there is the thought of making your salad into something new like adding it to a wrap, spooning it over tacos, or taking a bag that is about to “go bad” and sautéing those veggies into a stir fry.

Just more ways to use that bag of salad if you are tired of bowlin’ it.

My Favorite Salad Kit Upgrades

1) Mediterranean Salad Bowl 

In a big bowl, add the salad kit + ½ can lentils, marinated artichokes, feta, kalamata olives, and cucumbers and/or cherry tomatoes. In a small bowl, whisk ½ the dressing packet with 2 tbsp Greek yogurt + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar(optional: 1 tsp olive oil), then pour over the salad and toss.

2) Southwest Salad Bowl 

Add the salad kit to a bowl with ¾ cup cooked quinoa, ¼ cup corn, and ¼ cup black beans. In a small bowl, mix ½ the dressing packet with 1 tsp olive oil + 1–2 tsp lime juice + a few shakes of hot sauce (preferably something smokey), then toss everything together.

3) Sweet Kale + Crispy Chicken Bowl (Pictured above)

In a bowl, combine the sweet kale salad kit with chopped apple + pepitas. Stir together ½ the dressing packet + 2 tbsp Greek yogurt + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, toss with the salad, then top with air fried breaded chicken.

Make it a wrap: Option to pile it into a tortilla for a delicious grab and go meal.

Salad Dressings You Will Love

Swap a salad kit dressing for one of these!

• Creamy Apple Walnut Dressing (Easy Blender Recipe)
• 5-Minute Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette
• Creamy Cashew Caesar Dressing Recipe