Summer is the season for fresh, vibrant, and healthy meals, and there’s nothing quite like a refreshing salad to beat the heat. One of my new favorites, which combines both sweet and savory flavors, is the Cranberry Spinach Salad.
I found this salad in the cookbook Spinach for Green-Leafed Souls: Spinach Recipes to Eat Your Greens when I was looking for new ideas to use up the spinach I had. Turned out I actually had all the other ingredients on hand too, bonus I didn’t have to take a trip to the store!
Everyone loved the Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette that I made a couple of weeks ago but my husband said he liked this one even better. That’s awesome, now I have another healthy option to feed him this summer in addition to burgers or steaks on the grill.
The Cranberry Spinach Salad is a versatile, flavorful, and nutritious dish that’s perfect for summer. Its blend of sweet, savory, and tangy elements makes it a crowd-pleaser, whether you’re enjoying it at home or sharing it at a gathering.
Give this recipe a try and experience the delightful combination of flavors that make this salad a summer favorite!
What is Cranberry Spinach Salad?
Cranberry Spinach Salad is a fresh, nutritious, and flavorful dish that combines baby spinach leaves with dried cranberries, and toasted nuts, often pecans or walnuts.
The salad is typically dressed with a homemade vinaigrette made from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey or maple syrup, and Dijon mustard, which adds a tangy and slightly sweet flavor.
This salad can be enjoyed as a light meal, a side dish, or a vibrant addition to a picnic or barbecue. The combination of sweet, savory, and crunchy elements makes it a versatile and popular choice, especially during the warmer months.
Ingredients
- Cider vinegar
- Butter
- Spinach
- Sesame seeds, toasted
- White sugar
- Paprika
- Vegetable oil
- Almonds (blanched and slivered)
- Dried cranberries
- Poppy seeds
- Minced onion
- White wine vinegar
How to make Cranberry Spinach Salad
Heat the butter in a pan. Fry the almonds in the pan.
Transfer to a small bowl.
Take a bowl and put the seeds, vegetable oil, poppy seeds, cider vinegar, sugar, vinegar, paprika, and onion in it.
In a large bowl add the spinach, almonds, and cranberries and mix well.
Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad just before serving. Gently toss the salad to ensure all the ingredients are well coated with the dressing.
Enjoy the yummy salad.
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
(Amazon affiliate links)- These are the tools I use when making this recipe!
- Pyrex glass mixing bowl – The Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl is handy to store in the fridge and freezer when you need to freeze contents or keep them fresh.
- GreenPan Frying Pan–GreenPan has the best frying pans, healthy nonstick and oven safe.
- Silicone Whisk– These whisks work great and they keep my pans scratch-free.
Cranberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Butter
- Spinach rinsed and torn
- 2 tbsp. Sesame seeds toasted
- 1/2 cup White sugar
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 1/2 cup Vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup Almonds blanched and slivered
- 1 cup Dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp. Poppy seeds
- 2 tsp. Minced onion
- 1/3 cup White wine vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a pan. Fry the almonds in the pan.
- Transfer to a small bowl.
- Take a bowl and put the seeds, vegetable oil, poppy seeds, cider vinegar, sugar, vinegar, paprika, and onion in it.
- In a large bowl add the spinach, almonds, and cranberries and mix well.
- Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad just before serving. Gently toss the salad to ensure all the ingredients are well coated with the dressing.
- Enjoy the yummy salad.
