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    Home » Recipes » Salad

    Spinach Salad with Apples, Feta, and Pecans

    Published Jan 20, 2021 · by Jacqueline Piper · Leave a Comment · This post may contain affiliate links

    201 shares
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    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!

    spinach salad ingredients

    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.
    Spinach Salad with Apples in a bowl

    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.

    pouring balsamic dressing on a spinach salad

    Spinach Salad with Apples, Feta, Pecans

    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Jacqueline Piper
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    This spinach salad is great for lunch and filling enough for dinner with spinach, romaine lettuce, peppery arugula, sweet apples, tangy feta cheese, and crunchy pecans. Top with Honey Balsamic Dressing.

    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.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Notes

    Notes – Amounts for greens can vary, I just pull out handfuls of greens from the bags. Use more if you like.
    Substitutions – Vary the greens if you like and the type of apples.  Try walnuts instead of pecans.  Use your favorite salad dressing.
    Storage – Serve immediately. (Although I have saved leftovers in the fridge and eaten them the day after)
    Nutrition – The nutrition estimate is per serving and using 8 tablespoons of my dressing recipe. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 7gFat: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 7g

    Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used.

    Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
    Course Salad
    Cuisine Canadian
    Keyword fall salad, harvest salad, mixed greens salad, salad with fruit, winter salad
    Have you tried a recipe? Tag @pipercooksblog or tag #pipercooksblog!

    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.

    Spinach Salad with Apples in a bowl

    More great salad recipes

    • Taco Salad
    • Mexican Inspired Chopped Salad
    • Breakfast Salad

    Other Salad dressings to try

    • Avocado Cilantro Dressing
    • Homemade Ranch Dressing

    Recipes FAQs

    I don't like spinach, what can I substitute?

    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!

    Spinach Salad with Apples in a bowl with text overlay for Pinterest
    Spinach Salad with Apples in a bowl with text overlay for Pinterest

    « Honey Balsamic Dressing with Thyme
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    Hi, I’m Jacqueline Piper and I’m all about the homemade because I love to make things. From 15 minute meals for your weeknight dinner to more effort for special dinners and desserts on the weekend, I’ll show you how to cook from scratch. We’ll do healthy and we’ll do delicious, everything from kale to chocolate with beautiful, fresh ingredients. Search my recipes for your cravings, because we can make it!

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