I made the 'big, fat salad' Jennifer Garner eats every day, and if you're looking for a lunch that will keep you full until dinner, this is it

Maria NoyenJul 1, 2023, 18:09 IST

Jennifer Garner's "big, fat salad" is perfect if you're looking for a filling lunch recipe.Maria Noyen/Insider

Jennifer Garner recently told Women's Health that she eats the same "big, fat salad" every day.
I made the recipe, which includes arugula, roasted sweet potato, and broccoli, for a work lunch.

I love trying out recipes celebrities share, especially ones that I can incorporate into my goal of eating healthier during the week.

Maria Noyen previously tried Jennifer Aniston's go-to salad recipe.Maria Noyen/Insider

The "13 Going on 30" star's every-day salad recipe looks like an ideal option for a healthy but filling weekday lunch.

Jennifer Garner.Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images/Getty

Garner said she is pretty flexible about what goes in her salad, but its mainstays are arugula, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and green beans.

Ingredients in Jennifer Garner's go-to salad.Maria Noyen/Insider

The recipe features half a sweet potato, but I quickly realized that cooking mine in halves would take too long for a workday lunch.

Sweet potatoes are required for Jennifer Garner's salad.Maria Noyen/Insider

To save time, I decided to chop up half a sweet potato so it would cook faster.

I diced the sweet potato so it would cook faster.Maria Noyen/Insider

Per Garner's instructions, I coated the sweet potato in olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Jennifer Garner said to coat the sweet potato in olive oil, salt, and pepper.Maria Noyen/Insider

While I waited for the oven to heat up, I prepped the rest of the salad ingredients.

I chopped the ends off the green beans.Maria Noyen/Insider

I did the same with the broccoli, which I suspected I would've preferred roasted or blanched for the salad.

The broccoli was raw.Maria Noyen/Insider

I chose walnuts for my version of Garner's salad, but you can go with whichever type of nut you prefer.

Next, I roughly chopped the nuts.Maria Noyen/Insider

Finally, the oven was hot enough for me to start roasting the potatoes.

The sweet potatoes in the oven.Maria Noyen/Insider

Garner didn't detail the dressing she uses on the salad so I made my go-to, which uses several pantry staples.

The ingredients for my go-to salad dressing.Maria Noyen/Insider

After squeezing lemon juice into the dressing, I always make sure to take out any seeds that fall in.

I eyeball all the measurements for the dressing.Maria Noyen/Insider

I like my salad dressing cold so I added a few ice cubes to keep it cool while I waited for the sweet potatoes.

All the ingredients, except for the sweet potato.Maria Noyen/Insider

After 30 minutes, the sweet potatoes were ready to go.

The finished salad.Maria Noyen/Insider

Then I added my homemade dressing. I loved how vibrant the salad looked with the bright colors of the vegetables.

A close-up of the salad with dressing.Maria Noyen/Insider

Garner's salad is as hearty as she says it is, especially after I added a piece of leftover salmon for more protein.

I added a leftover piece of salmon from a previous meal.Maria Noyen/Insider

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