This tasty spinach salad is topped with sweet apples, dried cherries, salty feta cheese, and toasted walnuts. Drizzled with a simple homemade dressing, this salad is the perfect side dish to add to your meal!

apple spinach salad
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This is a great salad recipe because it comes together quickly but the combination of ingredients is truly delicious. I love sweet crunchy apples with salty feta. The dried cherries add a unique tart flavor and the walnuts are a great source of healthy fats.

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Spinach– I used spinach but any leafy green would work great in this recipe! I’ve made it with kale, mixed greens, and leafy green lettuce.
  • Apples– I like a sweet, juicy red apple like Envy, Fuji, or Honeycrisp, but feel free to use your favorite apple.
  • Dried cherries– I love the sweetness and slight tart flavor they add to this salad, but if you don’t have dried cherries, try another dried fruit like dried apricots, dried cranberries, or raisins.
  • Feta– I like the salty flavor of feta but you could also use crumbled goat cheese for a soft, tangy flavor.
  • Walnuts– If you want to take things to the next level, try toasting your walnuts in a dry skillet for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. It really enhances the flavor! You could also substitute with almonds, pecans, or pine nuts.

How to Make an Easy Homemade Dressing

The typical formula for a homemade dressing like this one is oil + vinegar + herbs/mustard/seasoning. I used apple cider vinegar which played nicely with the apples and olive oil, which has a slightly fruity flavor. Then I used a little maple syrup to bump up the sweetness and a little mustard to add interest. It’s only a few ingredients but it’s really tasty! You can double the batch and use it for other salads, just store it in the fridge. If it separates, just whisk it together or give it a shake to mix everything up again.

apple spinach salad

How to Keep Spinach Fresh Longer

If you’re tired of throwing away a bag of wilted spinach, try this trick. If your spinach is in a plastic clamshell container, add a paper towel on top, then store it upside down so the paper towel is on the bottom. If the spinach is in a plastic bag, just slip a paper towel into the bag, press out as much air out as possible, then seal the bag. The paper towel will absorb moisture so the spinach doesn’t wilt as quickly.

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apple spinach salad

Apple Spinach Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Liz Thomson
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

This tasty spinach salad is topped with sweet apples, dried cherries, salty feta cheese, and toasted walnuts. Drizzled with a simple homemade dressing, this salad is the perfect side dish to add to your meal!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 cups spinach
  • 1 red apple, diced
  • 2 tablespoons dried cherries
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Add the spinach, apples, cherries, feta, and walnuts to a large bowl.
  2. Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and salt.
  3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Add salt to taste.
  4. Divide into bowls and serve.