Healthy spinach salad
This spinach salad with apples is one of my latest absolute favorite things to eat.
A base of fresh spinach, peppery arugula, and soft romaine lettuce, topped with a crisp sliced Fiji apple, crunchy pecans, pepitas, and sunflower seeds, and tangy feta cheese. Finally, the whole thing is drizzled with a sweet and savory honey balsamic vinaigrette.
This is not a boring, limp, or flavorless salad. It's packed from top to bottom with delicious flavors and textures.
Oh, and it's healthy. Happy January. This spinach apple salad is also easy to make!
Ingredients for a good salad
Just look at that deliciousness.
- greens (mix of spinach, arugula, and romaine)
- apple (Fiji apples are my favorite - use your favorite apple!)
- pecans
- seeds
- feta cheese
- homemade dressing
Tips to make your salad better
Turn basic salad ingredients into a great-tasting and satisfying salad by adding different textures and tastes.
- Vary the textures and tastes of your greens and combine them. Pair a soft green like spinach with peppery arugula and crunchy romaine.
- Add something fresh like apples or cucumbers.
- Add something crunchy like nuts and seeds.
- Use fresh herbs if you have them
- Use a variety of different flavors like sweet, spicy, sour, savory (apples are sweet, arugula is peppery, feta is tangy, thyme is savory).
- Use a dressing that matches or contrasts the salad ingredients.
- Make your own dressing to really make your spinach salad better
- Dress your salad and mix everything together and then plate it.
Homemade dressings make a homemade salad taste so much better
It's easy to mix up a basic vinaigrette. I chose balsamic vinegar, honey, and thyme for this salad because the balsamic vinegar and thyme go well with apples and spinach. Add enough that it enhances your salad but doesn't take it over, you want to taste the salad ingredients as well as the dressing.
Spinach Salad with Apples, Feta, Pecans
Ingredients
- 6 handfuls spinach
- 2 handfuls arugula
- ½ head romaine lettuce (shredded)
- 1 apple (sliced)
- 35 grams feta cheese (crumbled)
- ½ cup pecans (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 8 tablespoons
Honey Balsamic Dressing
Instructions
- Add greens, apple slices, feta, and pecans. in a large bowl.
- Add dressing and mix salad.
- Plate salad and scatter seeds in each bowl. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used.
Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
More great salad recipes
Other Salad dressings to try
Recipes FAQs
You can use whatever salad greens you prefer in this recipe.
How to make this recipe
This recipe is so simple to make. To a large mixing bowl, add the greens, apple slices, pecans and crumbled feta cheese. Add the dressing to the bowl and mix it all together.
Plate the salad and then scatter seeds on top of each bowl. Done! Easy peasy right?
Let me know what your favorite salad is in the comments below. I think mine might be this spinach salad with apples at the moment. Until I come up with the next salad recipe!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!