Spinach Apple Pecan Salad is an amazingly healthy and delicious salad loaded with fresh spinach leaves, sweet crisp apples, salty feta and crunchy pecans in a sweet & salty dressing.
All these different ingredients of different hues and textures come quite well together and add to make up a vibrant, colorful and healthy salad.
This salad is quite simple and takes only few minutes to be ready as all items can be assembled quickly with minimum processing.
Main Ingredients for the salad
- Spinach – Fresh baby spinach leaves make the base of this salad and add tonnes of nutrition value and beautiful color to this dish.
- Apples – Thinly sliced juicy crisp apples, provide sweetness & texture to the salad. This is a perfect salad to make any time of year as juicy apples are available all the year around.
- Onions – Thin red onion slices add a sharp flavor to the salad. You can run them under water to reduce the bite if you prefer.
- Pecans – Pecans add a nutty flavor and crunch to the salad. Toasting the pecans before adding them ensures maximum flavor.
- Feta Cheese – Crumbled feta cheese provides a great texture and its saltiness complements the sweet apples & dressing very well.
Main Ingredients for the dressing
- Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for the base of the dressing for a delicious taste and healthy addition to you salad. You can also use any other oil.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This vinegar made from fermented apple juice gives the perfect acidic taste to this recipe. If you don’t have ACV, replace with same quantity of white vinegar. You can also add some apple juice or orange juice along with it.
- Lemon Juice – Similar to vinegar adds a fruity acidity and freshness to the salad.
- Maple Syrup – A dash of sticky maple syrup imparts sweetness and thickness to the dressing. You can replace with honey or 1 tablespoon sugar if you don’t have maple syrup.
- Dijon Mustard – Dijon mustard add sharpness, tang and a hint of spice. Use regular yellow mustard if you don’t have dijon mustard at home.
- Salt & Pepper – Add freshly ground black pepper to add some spice to the salad and salt to bring out all the flavors.
Variations
Spinach apple pecan feta salad is a versatile salad. You can create many variations in textures and flavors depending on composition of ingredients and cider used for finishing. Here’s some quick variations you can try :
- Replace spinach with arugula or any other mixed greens, or use a mixture of all.
- Use pears instead of the apples.
- Use toasted walnuts in place of pecans.
- Add goat cheese, cheddar or blue cheese instead of or in addition to feta cheese.
- Add some dried cranberries or raisins for extra sweetness.
Healthy & Nutritious
This salad is a perfect side dish to any dinner and also goes well with soups and starters. It adds good amount of color to the lunch or dinner plate. This is perfect recipe for vegetarians who desire taste and nutrition but wish to stay away from meat products.
The salad is very healthy as fresh spinach leaves contain lots of iron and fibre. Apples are loaded with fibre and antioxidants. Olive oil provides heart healthy fats. Pecans are also packed with protein, fibers and good fats. Feta contains a good amount of calcium and proteins and is lower in fat than most other cheese.
All these ingredients help to make the salad wholesome and rich in fiber and protein. It is quite filling and nutrient-rich food and will help you to stay fit and active all the day long.
To make Spinach Apple Pecan Salad at home take a look at the video or follow the detailed step by step recipe with photos posted below.
See more related recipes like:
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Russian Salad
- Broccoli Carrot Cabbage Slaw
- Caesar Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Mexican Salad
- Fruit Chaat
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Spinach Apple Pecan Salad
Recipe Info
Nutrition
Ingredients For Spinach Apple Pecan Salad
For the salad
- 4 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves packed
- 2 Small Apples
- 1/2 Cup Onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 Cup Toasted Pecans
- 1/2 Cup Feta Cheese crumbled
For the dressing
- 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1.5 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder (Kali Mirch)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Step By Step Instructions for Spinach Apple Pecan Salad
- First to make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine olive oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, black pepper powder and salt.3 Tablespoon Olive Oil, 2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup, 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard, 1.5 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder (Kali Mirch), 1/2 Teaspoon Salt, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Whisk all the ingredients together till smooth and set aside.
- Toast the pecans on a pan, for 3-4 minutes till they become 1 shade darker and statrt to give a nutty aroma. You can also bake them in the oven at 350F or 200C for 5-10 minutes to toast them. Set the toasted pecans aside.1/2 Cup Toasted Pecans
- In a large mixing bowl, add the baby spinach leaves.4 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves
- Then add thinly sliced apple to the bowl.2 Small Apples
- Also add some thinly sliced onions. Optionally, you can soak the onions in water for 5 minutes before adding, to reduce some of their sharpness if you prefer a milder taste.1/2 Cup Onion
- Pour the prepared dressing over the salad.
- Toss to mix together the spinach, apples and onions with the dressing.
- Add the toasted pecans and crumbled feta cheese to top and lightly toss.1/2 Cup Feta Cheese
- Spinach Apple Pecan Salad is ready. Serve it fresh as a light snack or on the side of any meal.
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