Sometimes a bagged salad from the grocery store is a dinner-saver.

A garden salad or the one with kale and cranberries is truly a gift on nights when you can't be bothered to cook or just don't have the time.

But bagged lettuce, wisps of radish, and carrot chunks can leave your plate looking a little sad—and in the end, are you really getting that much nutrition?

If you want to keep it simple but eat a salad that isn't so basic, try one of these easy hacks.

5 ways to elevate your bagged salad

Add herbs

There might be a put of basil or parsley sitting on your counter on on your porch. Go snip off a few leaves and toss them in. You'll be blown away with how much freshness a few herbs can bring to an otherwise neutral base.

Make your own dressing

We know store-bought dressing is quick and easy to use, but putting together a "salad dressing of the week" on Sunday and using it throughout the next five to seven days is just as easy—we promise.

Homemade dressings often contain more omega-3s, have less preservatives, and are always more flavourful.

See also:

Homemade Salad Dressings That Taste Better Than Store-Bought Ones

Chop it up

Sure, bagged salads already come with ingredients that are ready to throw in a bowl, but adding one small step will in between will change the way you think about them.

Empty your bagged salad on a large cutting board, and chop away. There's no need to be precise or delicate here. A chopped salad feels a little more luxe and guarantees you get a little bite of everything each time.

If you have cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, or any other favourite salad topper, add on top of the bagged mix, and chop them up too.

Nuts & seeds

If you have walnuts, pecans, almonds, hemp seeds, or sunflower seeds in your baking drawer, grab a handful and throw them in your bowl. If you have the time, we suggest a quick roast in the over at 350F for 5 minutes.

Add fruit

We often think of fruit for breakfast, but bringing it to the dinner table creates a fresh and juicy salad that screams summer.

Some of our favourite combinations:

• Strawberries + goat cheese
• Oranges + fennel
• Peaches + burrata
• Watermelon + feta

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