This salad is filling, satisfying, and so easy to make. The best spinach apple salad with an apple cider dressing has toasted pecans, shaved parmesan, fresh spinach sliced apples, and a simple dressing that tastes incredible.
Table of contents
What makes this salad so good?
- The homemade dressing adds so much flavor and makes this a restaurant-quality salad
- Fresh spinach and sliced apples add texture and sweetness
- Toasted pecans add an extra crunch
- Shaved parmesan brings it all together
- You can add a grilled chicken breast to this dish to make it a more substantial meal
- Or you can add some crumbled bacon on top to take it over the moon
How to make the dressing
- I’ve been making my own salad dressings for years and they take only a few minutes to whisk together and taste so much better than store-bought.
- The finely chopped shallots really elevate the flavor of the dressing because they are sweeter and milder than red onion or yellow onion. Adding the shallots directly to the dressing helps it soak up the flavor
- Simply whisk all of the dressing/vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl or container until it’s emulsified.
- I love using my electric whisk I found on Amazon because it helps the dressing to be extra smooth
Salad substitutions
- You can use mixed greens instead of spinach
- Pears can be subbed for apples
- Toasted walnuts or almonds can be swapped out for pecans
- Asiago or pecorino Romano can be used in place of parmesan
- Finely chopped red onion can be swapped for shallots
- Red wine vinegar can replace apple cider vinegar
More delicious salad recipes
- Easy Lamb Meatballs with Caesar Salad
- Crisp Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad with Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing
- Healthy Shrimp Salad with Orange Sesame Vinaigrette
- Easy Meditteranean Kale Farro Salad
Bon Appetit Ya’ll,
Leslie O.
The Best Spinach Apple Salad | Apple Cider Dressing
Spinach, apples, toasted pecans, parmesan, and an easy apple cider dressing is the perfect side salad or complete meal.
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Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 apple sliced
- ⅓ cup toasted pecans
- Shredded Parmesan as much as your heart desires
- 3-4 cups Spinach 5-6 ounces
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil 54 grams
- 2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar 18 grams
- ½ tsp mustard
- ½ of one shallot, finely chopped about 1 TBSP
- ¾ tsp Honey or 1 TBSP maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Dressing
- Add 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar, ¾ tsp honey, 1 TBSP chopped shallot, ½ tsp mustard to a bowl or container. Whisk to combine.
- Slowly drizzle in the ¼ cup of olive oil, whisking constantly. An electric whisk (or milk frother) will whisk the dressing together even easily if you have one.Set aside while preparing the salad.
For the Salad
- Add the spinach to a large bowl, along with the sliced apples. Pour over half of the the dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add more dressing if needed. Different containers of spinach are different weights at the store so you can use larger up to 5-6 cups of salad for this recipe.
- Top the salad with shaved Parmesan (as much as you wish) and lightly toasted pecans. Serve immediately.
- For extra protein, you can serve grilled chicken with this salad.
Notes
Salad Substitutions
- You can use mixed greens instead of spinach
- Pears can be subbed for apples
- Toasted walnuts or almonds can be swapped out for pecans
- Asiago or pecorino Romano can be used in place of parmesan
- Finely chopped red onion can be swapped for shallots
- Red wine vinegar can replace apple cider vinegar
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