Salad of the Week: Simple Prep Sweet Corn Bowl

Fresh, colorful, and effortlessly satisfying — this bowl captures the ease of simple prep ingredients coming together into something vibrant and comforting.

This week’s Salad of the Week is a bright, texture-rich bowl built around sweet corn, crisp vegetables, and creamy butter beans. It’s inspired by the kind of salad that feels abundant without requiring much cooking — relying instead on simple prep ingredients that come together easily.

Like every Salad of the Week, this bowl follows the same repeatable structure: leafy greens, a few key add-ins, and a simple oil-free dressing. The ingredients shift week to week, but the framework stays consistent — making daily salads feel realistic rather than overwhelming.

You can easily adjust this bowl based on what you have available, whether that means swapping vegetables, using canned pantry items, or incorporating produce you already enjoy or grow.

What Makes This Bowl Special

This bowl highlights how simple ingredients can create a layered, satisfying salad without complicated prep.

• Tender leafy greens provide a fresh foundation
• Butter beans add creamy staying power and gentle richness
• Sweet corn brings natural sweetness and visual brightness
• Crisp vegetables create contrast and volume
• Fresh herbs and pepper finish the bowl with light aromatic lift
• The oil-free dressing ties everything together with balanced flavor

The result is a bowl that feels colorful, abundant, and easy to return to day after day.

This Week’s Bowl

Leafy Lettuce

• Use a mix of tender leafy greens you enjoy — tower-grown or store-bought — such as romaine, leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, or spring mix

Cruciferous Greens & Veggies

• Cabbage, shredded (fresh or bagged)

Alliums (Onion Family)

• Scallions, thinly sliced

Plant-Based Protein & Staying Power

• Butter beans, cooked (fresh, from dry, or canned — drained and rinsed)

Amp Up the Volume

• Sweet corn, thawed and drained (if frozen or canned)

• Cherry tomatoes, halved

• Cucumber, chopped

• Carrots, shredded (fresh or bagged)

• Avocado, sliced or cubed

Finishers

• Fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro), chopped

• Fresh cracked pepper

Simple Tahini + Balsamic Finish (Oil-Free)

This bowl uses a simple drizzle-style finish rather than a blended dressing — making it especially easy for busy weeks.

Ingredients

• Tahini (squeeze bottle or spooned)

• Balsamic vinegar

Optional vinegar variations

• Red wine vinegar

• Apple cider vinegar

• White balsamic

• Your favorite flavored vinegar

Directions

Drizzle tahini lightly over the bowl, followed by balsamic vinegar. Adjust amounts to taste.

Notes

A squeeze bottle (such as Mighty Tahini) makes this especially quick and even.

The combination creates a creamy + tangy balance without blending.

How I Build the Bowl

1. Add leafy greens to a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle cabbage over the greens for crunch and volume.
3. Spoon butter beans across the bowl.
4. Scatter corn, tomatoes, cucumber, and carrots over the top.
5. Add avocado pieces.
6. Drizzle tahini followed by balsamic vinegar.
7. Toss gently to combine and finish with herbs and fresh cracked pepper.

Prep-Ahead Tip

This bowl comes together easily when a few simple components are prepared ahead and kept ready for the week.

• Drain and rinse butter beans
• Prepare corn as needed (thaw and drain if frozen, or drain if canned)
• Chop cucumber
• Halve tomatoes
• Slice scallions
• Shred cabbage (if using fresh)
• Shred carrots (if using whole carrots)

Each ingredient is stored in its own jar so the bowl can be assembled quickly throughout the week while maintaining freshness and texture.

Notes & Variations

Easy swaps

• Butter beans → chickpeas or white beans
• Sweet corn → peas or edamame
• Cabbage → shredded Brussels sprouts or kale slaw
• Scallions → thinly sliced red onion

Easy add-ins

• Cooked quinoa
• Roasted sweet potatoes
• Pumpkin seeds
• Pickled onions

Serve With (Optional)

This week I paired the Simple Prep Sweet Corn Bowl with Flexible Freezer Vegetable Soup (No Prep).

The combination of a fresh, crunchy salad and a warm vegetable soup creates an easy, balanced meal — especially during busy weeks when prep time feels limited.

Bonus Recipe: Flexible Freezer Vegetable Soup (No Prep)

This simple vegetable soup is built from frozen ingredients you can keep on hand and combine in different ways each time. It’s a reliable, low-effort option for pairing with a weekly salad or warming up a quick lunch without extra prep.

Ingredients

• Vegetables:

Use about 5–7 cups total frozen vegetables, choosing any combination you enjoy or already have on hand. For best flavor, include at least one vegetable or blend that contains onion, or add frozen onions separately.

Some easy options include:

• cauliflower
• broccoli
• zucchini
• mushrooms
• carrots
• corn
• green beans
• peas
• mixed vegetable blends

Pantry additions

• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1–2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4–6 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼–½ tsp black pepper
• Optional salt, to taste

Directions

Add frozen vegetables, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, tomato paste, broth or water, and seasonings to a soup pot.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 15–20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Optionally blend a small portion for light body and return it to the pot.

Notes

• This soup adapts easily to whatever frozen vegetables you have available.

• Adjust liquid to create a brothier or more stew-like texture.

• This soup freezes well — consider making a double batch to have some for later.

Final Thoughts

Some weeks call for recipes and cooking prep — and other weeks call for bowls like this one. With a handful of fresh ingredients and a simple drizzle finish, this salad shows how nourishing meals can remain easy, colorful, and repeatable.

When the components are ready, building a bowl becomes less of a task and more of a rhythm you can return to day after day.

If you’d like more help building simple, nourishing salads using a flexible framework, you can download my free Tower-to-Table Recipe Guide here:

👉 https://verticalhydroponicgarden.com/free-recipes

Here’s to simple, nourishing meals — one bowl at a time 🌱

Karen
Vertical Hydroponic Garden