Chopped spinach and romaine salad with crisp apples, bacon, pecans, cranberries, and goat cheese.
It’s the perfect salad to take to work or to serve alongside a cozy dinner, such as Italian Zucchini Spaghetti Bake.
Spinach Apple Salad
Apples are not only for snacking but they also make the best salads. They add the perfect crunch and sweetness to a salad.
Over the years, I’ve shared butternut squash and apple salad, apple and walnut salad, and chopped autumn salad with apples. Now I’m sharing this spinach apple salad.
It’s made with spinach, romaine lettuce, apples, bacon, pecans, cranberries, and goat cheese. You can use just about any variety of apples. I personally love Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady for their crunch.
Vinaigrette for Spinach Apple Salad
Then the salad is tossed in a tangy-sweet 4-ingredient balsamic vinaigrette. Balsamic vinaigrette is so universal and pairs amazingly with the flavors in this salad. Sometimes I like to add shallots and garlic to my vinaigrette but for this recipe, I kept it simple.
Enjoy this salad for lunch or serve it alongside your favorite entrée. Either way, save it for the next meal. You can’t go wrong with it. It’s a straightforward salad that everyone will love.
And if you don’t like pecans or goat cheese, simply switch it up with your favorite nuts and crumbled cheese.
Spinach Apple Salad Ingredients
- Fresh baby spinach
- Romaine lettuce
- Apple – such as Honeycrisp, Fuji or Pink Lady
- Bacon
- Pecans
- Dried cranberries
- Goat Cheese
- Balsamic Vinaigrette – olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard
How to Make Spinach and Apple Salad
Step 1: First make the balsamic vinaigrette by whisking all of the ingredients together. Tip: chill the vinaigrette in the refrigerator while you prep the salad. It tastes extra good when chilled!
Step 2: Next, prepare the salad. Chop the spinach, romaine, apple, and pecans. Tip: cook the bacon in the oven for about 20-25 minutes in a preheated 400 F oven. When cooled, either crush or chop the bacon.
In a large serving bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
What to Serve with Spinach Apple Salad
If you want to keep it light for lunch, a soup would pair amazingly with this salad. Such as Easy Broccoli Potato Soup or Cauliflower Sausage Kale Soup.
For dinner, pair the salad with Creamy Chicken Mushroom Spinach Pasta, Italian Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers, or even Baked Chicken Parmesan.
Love Spinach Salads?
More spinach salad recipe variations to try:
- Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Feta
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken
- Spinach Orzo Salad with Artichokes
- Berry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Chopped Spinach Apple Salad
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chopped spinach and romaine salad with crisp apples, bacon, pecans, cranberries, and goat cheese. It’s the perfect salad to take to work or to serve alongside dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped spinach, packed
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce, packed
- 1 large apple, such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady, cored and chopped
- 5 strips cooked bacon
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1–2 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Combine the spinach, romaine lettuce, apples, bacon, pecans, cranberries, and goat cheese. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Quick tip: Chill the dressing in the refrigetatror while you prepare the salad ingredients. It tastes really good when chilled.
- Variations: Don’t like pecans? Try walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds. Same with the cheese. Feta or blue cheese would be a good substitute for goat cheese.
Keywords: fall salad, autumn, easy, chopped, apples
Olga says
This salad is SO delicious and filling. Thanks for a great recipe!
Jacq says
this salad was so incredible that my husband has asked for it to be on our thanksgiving table this year! the only thing i did different was that I used a salad chopping tool that I found on amazon, (like a pizza cutter with two wheels) to chop this even finer – and it was fantastic!
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you Jacq for your feedback. So happy to hear you loved the salad and including it in your Thanksgiving menu! It’s very much appreciated.