It was not until I became an adult that I would consider ever making a cantaloupe walnut salad much less eating one. As a kid, I really disliked cantaloupe, I mean really, really disliked cantaloupe. I couldn’t even stand the smell of it. Now I love it! When cantaloupes start showing up at the market, I start buying and continue to buy until they disappear.
My favorite way to eat a cantaloupe or any melon is to just cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, sprinkle with a touch of salt and dig in. However, with as much cantaloupe as we eat, I do need to change it up every once in a while. This simple cantaloupe walnut salad is one of our regulars. The sweetness of the cantaloupe, the tartness of the lime dressing and saltiness of the feta join together for a very refreshing salad. It takes less than 15 minutes to throw together and 5 minutes to eat!
If you feel adventurous, mix up the types of melons you use. A combination of honeydew and cantaloupe is nice and even some watermelon tossed in. In fact, a mix of these three melons make a very lovely salad.
This simple cantaloupe walnut salad joins the sweetness of cantaloupe, the tartness of a lime dressing and the saltiness of the feta for a very refreshing salad. It takes less than 15 minutes to throw together and 5 minutes to eat!
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
- 1/2 cold cantaloupe*, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. walnuts, chopped and toasted
- 2 cups lettuces leave*, torn into bite size pieces
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- A touch of sea salt
- Fresh cracked pepper (optional)
- Juice of ½ lime (about 1 Tbsp.)
- 1 ½ – 2 tsp. honey (depending on the sweetness of the cantaloupe)
- 1/8 tsp. garlic paste or 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 2 – 3 Tbsp. canola oil
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. (I start with 2 Tbsp. oil, then taste and adjust for the desired acidity.) Set aside.
Toast the chopped walnuts in a hot skillet on the stovetop by spreading into one layer, shaking and flipping often until lightly toasted.
- Between 2 plates, divide the lettuce, then cantaloupe, celery, walnuts and feta.
- Drizzle each salad with some of the dressing.
- Top each salad with a touch of sea salt and cracked pepper if desired.
Before making this cantaloupe walnut salad be sure your ingredients are cold. If your cantaloupe is not cold, then you should chill this salad for a couple of hours before serving.
Cantaloupe – This salad works nicely with just about any type of melon or even a mix of melons. Cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon makes a very lovely salad as well as great tasting.
Lettuce – You could use a sturdy lettuce like a Romaine or lighter mixed greens.
Pepper – Some people like pepper on cantaloupe and some don’t. That’s why it’s optional. The salad is good with or without it.
If you like this Cantaloupe Walnut salad, you’ll also like these other fruit based dishes.
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This was a great salad, I used agave for the honey and no celery and it was fabulous! The lime, cantaloupe and feta combination really worked for me and it was beautiful!
Kaybe, Thanks so much for leaving a comment! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the salad! Can’t wait to find a good cantaloupe around here so I can start making it again. Hope you’re having a great week!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! We had some fabulous entries this week! Our gluten free blogger directory is growing too! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 See you next Friday! Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
This looks like a very refreshing salad, MJ – I’ve never used lime or any other dressing for cantaloupe, but I think I should be! I love the flavor of a good cantaloupe and every summer I look forward to them… Thanks so much for sharing and I had to check out your chicken cantaloupe salad as well – another delicious way to use cantaloupe!
Thank JW! The lime was a surprisingly good complement to the cantaloupe! I hope you get to try both of the recipes! The chicken salad one makes a great lunch! Have a wonderful week!
I grew up, loving cantaloupe and that is one of the tastes, I have always maintained, as a favorite. A salad like this makes a great lunch, for me. Thanks for sharing. This is a featured recipe at My Meatless Mondays.
Thanks Chaya!!! I’m so glad you liked it!
What a great salad idea! I have a beautiful Honeydew Melon ready to cut, I think I will use it in place of the cantaloupe. Thanks for the yummy sounding recipe.
Mj, This salad is wonderful I love that tangy dressing. You make wonderful salads. Thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop. I am highlighting this recipe on today’s Hearth and Soul blog hop.
I too felt exactly the same way about cantaloupe. My dislike was a result of my parents always buying, and not trying other melons. Now I also love it, but I always eat it on it’s own or with ham. Your salad is a great way to start eating it. Thank you so much for sharing! I love all the flavors and textures you have in the recipe.
I was the same way! I didn’t cantaloupe much (I preferred the honeydew melons, but my dad preferred cantaloupe), but these days I could go for a cantaloupe smoothie!! I’ll definitely this salad… I love the mix of fruit, nut, and fresh cheese in salads. 🙂
This salad sounds lovely, MJ. I like the contrast in the flavours and textures of the cantaloupe, feta and nuts as well as the lime in the dressing.
I love cantaloupe! This sounds like a perfect summer lunch! I’d love to invite you to share this recipe at Mom’s Test Meal Mondays!
Jaime @ Mom’s Test Kitchen
What a delightful way to enjoy cantaloupe…very grown up 🙂
Thank you so much for linking up last week at Recipe Sharing Monday. The new link party is now up and I’d love it if you joined us again. Have a great week!
I don’t know how I missed this post b/c it looks so refreshing … gotta try this one … Happy Friday 🙂
Cantaloupe + Feta Cheese= Sounds like a perfect combo to me! Thanks for sharing!
Looks so good! I am going to try this as soon as I can
I’ve never been a huge cantaloupe fan, but the sweet/tart/salty combo of this salad is very appealing! Thanks for sharing this with Summer Salad Sundays!
I am all over this salad!! I love melon in the summer time and how amazing would this be at our next BBQ! LOVE~~~ thanks!!
I love cantaloupe! What a lovely summer salad!
This is very nice recipe. I just forced myself last night to finish all the cantelope that I chopped. Now I regret that I could use it for SALAD! What a fantastic idea. I need to keep this recipe handy and your lime dressing sounds fabulous too. I must try and see what other fruits I can use with this lime dressing too.
Great photo and I really love this light and fabulous salad!
what a delicious summer salad.
This is a very eye appealing salad and I’m sure tasty too! I would love the combination of flavors!
That’s a truly wonderful looking salad. The presentation is wonderful.
What a very refreshing salad! I would keep this recipe for summer
bookmarked! I love cantaloupe too! Thanks for giving me another way to eat cantaloupe!
What a refreshing salad! The photograph is beautiful!
Wow MJ! You are really hitting every one of my taste buds with this one! I am happy to hear that you salt your melons…I do the same thing! But I love the twist of feta for the saltiness here. I admit, my canteloupe salad usually involves chunks of melon combined with honeydew and watermelon. So I’m excited to try your beautiful version!
I could taste the light refreshing flavor of your salad through the screen 🙂
I love cantaloupe, never used it in a salad though, it looks great:@)
MJ, this is one tasty looking salad. I love the lime dressing too with the added garlic paste. I can’t believe that as a kid you didn’t like cantaloupe. My grandmother used to slice it up when we were kids and then give just a bit of coffee with tons of sugar and milk. That may be why I have always loved cantaloupe.
Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting.
In Michigan where I was born and raised, we called cantelope “Muss Melon,” why I don’t know! LOL! I guess it is a Mid-West thing:-)
I love the idea of adding cantelope to a salad, it would for sure be refreshing, and perfect combination with each ingredient! Hugs, Terra
I have always loved cantaloupe! Looks delish with feta…haven’t tried that. Gotta try that!
Hi MJ – I like how you layer the fruit salad with varied texture and savory tinge. Absolutely brilliant for a summery salad! Cantaloupe is known as rock melon where I am from and we are just crazy for its sweetness.
This salad looks lovely! I really enjoy a salad that contains a fruit + a nut + a cheese! It’s always a winner.
It’s true — taste buds change as we age. Just like our taste in clothing, music and hairstyles change over the years, so, too, does our likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Glad you’ve grown fond of cantaloupe. In summer, it’s a treat that can’t be beat.
Beautiful salad!
I really, really want this salad! That vinaigrette looks amazing–I might have to steal it for a salad with fruit that I’m making this weekend.
Go right ahead and steal! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
I love fruit salads, and this with cantaloupe looks amazing! 🙂
Such a pretty, summery salad!
I can taste the freshness of this delightful and colourful summer salad from here! With the crunchy walnut and lime dressing it’s a celebration of taste on texture…
By the way, I was thinking of you yesterday MJ – I came across a video clip of a bear wandering around the reception area of a tourist resort in New Mexico… I guess the fellow made his way in through a door that was left open… quite the surprise! ;-).
Thanks Kelly! I saw that news clip as well. It’s SO dry here, that the bears are coming into towns for food and water. People native to the area deal with it the right way, but some really freak out and want to shoot them. Hey, it’s their land too! They were here first. 🙂 So glad this one incident turned out well.
Your salad looks fabulous and very original. I have never had cantaloupe this way. Very creative!
I do like cantaloupe, but not as much as my French family. They go crazy for cantaloupe and despise watermelon (most French people go crazy for cantaloupe). As I told you recently I love watermelon and I even bought a huge piece the other day after reading your previous post. Just for myself (my husband doesn’t like it).
This makes me think of my grandfather again who could make a meal out of half a cantaloupe with lots of pepper. I love the sounds of this salad. Dinner tonight? Yes, please!
I love cantaloupe..the color and the juicy slices and the milk shakes done with the fruit. Never tried the melons in salads yet.. nothing remains to make some, as we all love to dig in it as soon as it is sliced 🙂 Will try to save a chunk and make this easy looking salad the next time.
I detested avocados when I was a kid… then after I had my first son…. I loved them. 🙂 I think this salad is fabulous.. fresh and healthy. 🙂 Never thought to make cantaloupes the star of a salad. Well done! 🙂
Thanks Ramona! Speaking of avocados – I’ve always loved them, but for about 25 years, they did NOT like me. I couldn’t come near them without cramping up. Then one day, just needing a bite of one, I tested it and no problem. Have been eating them every since. Weird! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
I used to hate beets as a kid and now I LOVE them!
it is amazing how our taste changes!
I personally love cantaloupe and look forward to giving this salad a try
It just so happens that I had half of a cantaloupe, celery and feta in the fridge. I didn’t have walnuts but I did have toasted almonds. I didn’t have lettuce either, but honestly, I don’t think the salad needed it. This salad is quite delicious!! I love salty/sweet and tart/sweet combinations. We ate it as a side with ginger garlic chicken breasts and couscous. The flavors mixed perfectly. It made a great cool meal in this unbearable heat. Eating it as a side means there’s more for later. I’m so glad I checked your site before I made lunch. Quick and ultra yummy. (Oh, I did like it with a little black pepper better than without.)
Thanks Nads! You’re too much!!! It does sounds perfect with the ginger garlic chicken and BTW – what a lunch! That’s dinner for most people. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it and yes, it really doesn’t need the lettuce, but Bobby likes his “greens”. 🙂 Next time, try it with the walnuts. I think you’ll like it even more.
What a refreshing salad MJ…..light and quick filling.
This salad looks so refreshingly good, MJ! I couldn’t believe you used to dislike cantaloupe…but I’m sure glad you like it now.
I love cantaloupe and this is a perfect recipe to devour those juicy chunks of it 🙂
I used to dislike cantaloupe too but know i’m making peace with it! The honey lime dressing sounds just right, MJ!
Now that looks divine and I love catalupe.
I love cantaloupe and I am really glad that my boys are beginning to enjoy it too. I’ll have to try it with a little salt one of these days. The salad sounds wonderful as well. I need to go to the store tomorrow for a cantaloupe so that it will be ripe and sweet for the salad during the weekend. 🙂
Funny, I used to dislike cantaloupe too, but now it’s one of my favorites (second to watermelon). I’ve had feta with cantaloupe before (great combo) but never thought to add walnuts. Really nice recipe – thanks.
Healthy and light .. perfect for the season!
I LOVE this recipe! So refreshing!
Oh my goodness, there is another person who likes to eat cantaloupe with salt. People always look at me when I add it to cantaloupe. I must try your salad.
Perfect for the height of melon season! And a nice change from all the plain caneloupe I’ve been eating 🙂
What a beautifully versatile and delicious looking summer salad my friend 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
You are absolutely right about our taste buds — It mature along with us. Like you, I used to dislike cantaloupe and lots of other fruits including lots of veggies. That salad looks bright and healthful. I hope you’re enjoying your week, MJ!
This is such a great salad, MJ. Anything that uses cantaloupe is, for me, a winning dish. i cannot get enough of it every Summer.
This sounds so good! I had so many cantaloupe earlier this summer, and haven’t had it for a while! I never have had salt on cantaloupe though — I just love it by itself so much! The feta with this salad sounds like such a great complement .. (and what isn’t good with feta???!!)
thanks Jane! I don’t know if it’s habit, but I do love salt on melons. It’s funny because I don’t like savory dishes salty, but I do like to salt sweet things and desserts. Weird I guess. You’re right – what isn’t good with feta?! 🙂
MJ, this sounds wonderful! I was just telling my daughter that I hadn’t had a cantaloupe yet this season — well, now is the time, can’t wait to try this salad. 🙂
I love cantelope but haven’t had any this year because in the past two years it’s been awful here. I too like eating it with a spoon and sometimes cut in half with a scoop of cottage cheese on top. I love your version of a salad. It sounds perfect, creative and refreshing. I look forward to trying this.
Thanks Vicki! I love the idea of filling the center with cottage cheese!
A very tasty and delightful salad!