Easy Spinach Salad

This easy spinach salad is topped with dried cranberries, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and avocado all tossed in a creamy balsamic dressing. It’s perfect as a side salad or topped with protein for a full meal.
Contents
Why You’ll Love This Salad Ingredients Needed Recipe Substitutions How to Make Spinach Salad Brittany’s Tip!What to Serve with Spinach Salad How to Make Ahead And Store Frequently Asked Questions More Salad Recipes

As I’m sure you all know I love my meal-sized salads, but sometimes I just want a simple and delicious side salad to serve at dinner like this kale salad, arugula salad or this easy spinach salad! It’s such a great salad recipe to have in your back pocket as it pairs with just about any main dish!

My grandma’s staple salad recipe is something very similar to this one. I switched up her recipe and used toasted walnuts in place of her candied pecans (to reduce the sugar content!) and used dried cranberries instead of fresh strawberries, because dried cranberries are always in season and one of my favorite salad toppers.

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Why You’ll Love This Salad

Easy – It’s easy to make. Just whisk the dressing together, chop the veggies and toss to combine.
Nutritious – With fresh spinach, avocado, and a variety of other wholesome ingredients, this salad is a nutritional goldmine, providing vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.
Versatile – Perfect as a light lunch, side dish, or a starter for dinner. It pairs wonderfully with a variety of main courses, from grilled chicken to turkey burgers.

Ingredients Needed

Here’s what you need for this easy spinach salad:

baby spinach – I like using pre-washed baby spinach for this salad. The leaves are smaller, more tender and more flavorful. Plus, using pre-washed spinach saves time on having to wash and clean the spinach.
mini cucumbers – a normal cucumber will work here too, but I love the mini cucumbers because they’re seedless and so flavorful.
goat cheese – I love the creaminess that goat cheese adds to this salad.
red onion – the perfect way to add a bit of flavor and crunch. You can use yellow onion if needed.
dried cranberries – dried cranberries add a nice pop of sweetness and a bit of chewy texture.
avocado – this adds some healthy fat and creaminess to the salad.
walnuts – the toasted walnuts add a lovely crunch and nutty flavor.
creamy balsamic dressing – a super simple dressing made of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Recipe Substitutions

Veggies: Don’t have cucumber or onion on hand? Feel free to use other veggies instead. Tomatoes, bell peppers or mushrooms are all great options.
Goat cheese: I love the creaminess goat cheese adds, but if you’re not a fan you can substitute it with feta, blue cheese, or your favorite variety of cheese.
Dried cranberries: Use dried cherries, raisins, dates or chopped dried apricots.
Walnuts: Don’t have walnuts on hand? Swap it with toasted pecans or almonds. For a sweeter option use candied walnuts or candied pecans instead.
Dressing: You can totally substitute this with a classic balsamic vinaigrette, simple lemon vinaigrette or white balsamic vinaigrette. Check out more of my salad dressings for more ideas.
Make it dairy-free: Skip the cheese or use a vegan cheese instead.
Make it nut-free: Skip the walnuts or use sunflower seeds or pepitas instead.

How to Make Spinach Salad

That salad is a breeze to whip up. Here are the four simple steps!

Step 1: Add the walnuts to a small skillet over medium heat to toast. Let cook, tossing frequently for 3-5 minutes until fragrant and starting to brown. Keep an eye on these so they don’t burn! Remove from pan and let cool.

Step 2: Make the creamy balsamic dressing by whisking together all ingredients in a small bowl until fully combined and creamy. You can also blend everything together in a blender or with an immersion blender.

Step 3: Prepare salad by adding spinach to a large bowl, top with cucumbers, goat cheese, onions, cranberries, toasted walnuts and sliced avocado.

Step 4: Drizzle dressing over salad, toss and serve.

Brittany’s Tip!

Once tossed in the dressing the salad doesn’t look as pretty so another option is to plate the salad and serve with dressing so everyone can add their own dressing.

What to Serve with Spinach Salad

This spinach salad is the perfect side salad to pair with just about any main dish! I love it for casual weeknight dinners, but it’s also fancy enough for holidays and special celebrations. Here are some pairing ideas:

How to Make Ahead And Store

To make ahead: You can prep the different components of this salad ahead of time and then assemble right before serving. You can toast the walnuts, make the dressing and chop the cucumbers and onions in advance. Just store the perishable items in the fridge with the dressing in a separate container. When it’s time to serve, simply toss the salad ingredients together with the dressing and enjoy!
To store: To store leftovers of the dressed salad, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. The spinach will wilt and loose its crispness as it sits, but it’ll still taste delicious.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is spinach healthy?

Yes! Spinach is a powerhouse of a green and is loaded with a ton of health benefits. It’s low in carbs, high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and is packed with vitamin C, K, folic acid, iron and calcium!

What protein can I add to this salad?

You know I’m all about having a good source of protein so if I were serving this as a meal, I’d add some grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp or even chickpeas.