Make this spinach salad recipe to serve with your favorite main dishes! This fresh spinach salad features seasonal fruit, creamy goat cheese, toasted pecans, just enough red onion, and the perfect amount of vinaigrette. It’s finished with a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze.
This spinach salad is beautiful, absolutely delicious, and holiday worthy. It’s also easily adjusted to the changing seasons, and simple enough to make on a weeknight. Hooray!
You’ll see raspberries in these photos, which are wonderful. You’re not limited to raspberries, though—this spinach salad would be equally great with apples, pears, strawberries and more. You’ll find a full list of options below.
I’ve created quite a few green salad recipes over the years, but not a lot of spinach salad recipes. Arugula, kale, romaine and spring greens are usually my fresh greens of choice. The other day, I tried a spinach salad at a local French restaurant that inspired me to give fresh spinach in salads another chance. Let me tell you, this spinach salad is worth making! I love it and hope you do, too.
Seasonal Spinach Salad Toppings
This spinach salad recipe is shown here with raspberries, but it’s easily adjusted to the changing seasons. Choose the best option available at the markets!
- Spring: Strawberries (about two handfuls thinly sliced)
- Summer: Raspberries, strawberries, peaches or nectarines (one large, thinly sliced)
- Fall: Apple or pear (one large, thinly sliced), or raspberries
- Winter: Roasted root vegetables, like roasted beets, roasted carrots or roasted sweet potatoes. Each of my roasted vegetable recipes fill a whole sheet pan, so you’ll just need a couple of handfuls and will have extra for another meal.
Watch How to Make Spinach Salad
Spinach Salad Serving Suggestions
This fresh green salad can round out any supper with a healthy dose of greens. Try it with hearty stews, pasta dishes, sandwiches, pizzas and more. Here are a few of my top picks:
- Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables
- Best Lentil Soup
- Caprese Sandwich
- Homemade Vegetarian Chili
- Margherita Pizza
- Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
More Green Salads to Enjoy
Here are a few more green salads to serve with your favorite dishes. View more salad recipes here.
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas
- Homemade Caesar Salad
- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Pistachios
- Super Simple Arugula Salad
Please let me know how your spinach salad turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Spinach Salad
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 6 salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Make this delicious spinach salad recipe to serve with your main dish! It features fresh spinach, creamy goat cheese and seasonal fruit. Recipe yields 6 side salads.
Scale
Ingredients
Salad
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- ¼ medium red onion, very thinly sliced
- 4 to 5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup pecan halves
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries or see note for additional options
- 1 tablespoon thick balsamic vinegar* or balsamic glaze, drizzled over the top
- Freshly ground black pepper
Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- Several twists of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Toast the pecan halves in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they are warm and smell fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
- To assemble the salad, place the spinach and sliced onion in a large serving bowl. Drizzle in all of the dressing, and gently toss until the spinach is lightly coated.
- Top the salad with the goat cheese, toasted pecans, and raspberries. Sprinkle a few twists of black pepper on top, then drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the top.
- Serve promptly. Leftovers keep well for a couple of days, covered and refrigerated.
Notes
Raspberry alternatives: Thinly sliced apple, pear, peach or nectarine, strawberries, or roasted root vegetables, such as beets, carrots, or sweet potatoes.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the goat cheese.
*Balsamic vinegar note: For a beautiful drizzle and impactful flavor, you must use high-quality, thick balsamic vinegar (like Napa Valley Naturals’ Grand Reserve Vinegar—make sure you get the bottle with “25 stars” on it) or balsamic glaze/reduction (DeLallo and Alessi make them). Or, make your own balsamic reduction with regular runny balsamic!
