Winter salads are a hearty and healthy option when the temperatures are low, but you're craving something fresh - try this Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad!
With the cold temperatures we've had the last few days, I'm sure fresh salads aren't on many minds - but stick with me here. A good winter salad can be just as homey and hearty as any soup or stew and this is a great one.
This apple, cranberry, walnut, and goat cheese spinach salad is the perfect mix of savory and sweet and puts plenty of seasonal fruits and nuts to work so that means it's inexpensive too!
Not only is this a great salad for busy weeknights, but it's also a great addition to your Thanksgiving menu.
The crunch of the apples and walnuts, combined with the sweetness of the cranberry and the creamy, savory goat cheese make for the perfect bite. It looks fancy (and it's actually pretty impressive looking at a brunch) but it's easy to throw together as a starter or as a quick lunch.
Related: Find 50+ Thanksgiving Recipes here.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this easy spinach cranberry walnut salad:
- baby spinach
- apples
- walnuts
- goat cheese
- dried cranberries
- cayenne pepper
- sea salt
For the dressing: apple juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil.
Similar Recipes
If you like this cranberry walnut goat cheese salad, then try my roasted beet salad with orange and mint, wild rice salad, or winter citrus salad next time!
Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad
Cranberry Spinach Salad
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Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups Baby Spinach
- 1 Red Apple
- 1 Green Apple
- ⅓ cup Dried Cranberries
- ½ cup Walnuts
- ⅓ cup Goat Cheese
Dressing
- Dash Cayenne Pepper
- Dash Sea Salt
- 2 tbsp. Honey
- 1¼ cup Apple Juice
- 2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
Dressing
- Combine extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, and honey. Hand whisk for 20 seconds or use a blender (such as the NutriBullet) for approximately 3 seconds. Set dressing aside.2 tbsp. Honey, 1¼ cup Apple Juice, 2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salad
- Wash baby spinach and sit on paper towel to dry.6 cups Baby Spinach
- Wash apples. Dry with towel. Cut each apple into 4 sections, cutting as close to the core as possible. Slice each section into long, thin strips. Set aside.1 Red Apple, 1 Green Apple
- Chop dried cranberries into halves and thirds. Set aside.⅓ cup Dried Cranberries
- Chop walnuts into various size chunks. Set aside.½ cup Walnuts
- Slice goat cheese into small chunks. Set aside.⅓ cup Goat Cheese
- Now that baby spinach has dried, toss with a dash of cayenne pepper and sea salt.Dash Cayenne Pepper, Dash Sea Salt
- Plate baby spinach.
- Add apples, cranberries, walnuts, goat cheese, and dressing to baby spinach. Toss with dressing and serve! (Optional: add another dash of cayenne pepper and sea salt as desired.)
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Doesn't this Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad look delicious? This has to be one of my favorite salads. If you're trying to eat better this is a must try. If you do, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Patti says
Yum. This looks so good and has many of my personal favorites. And it's healthy too which I totally need right now. Thanks for sharing on tips and tricks.
Ang Paris says
Thanks so much for the kind comment!