Fall Spinach Salad (Sweet And Crunchy)

Written by Published on Updated on September 19, 2021 in $5.00 or Less, Fall Recipes, Salads, Sides
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This is an easy but, delicious Fall Spinach Salad. I feel like salads are at their best when they include something sweet and something crunchy. The dried cranberries and apples bring fall sweetness. While the pumpkin seeds and apples bring in the crunch factor.

The real star of this salad is the Maple Vinegarette Dressing. A simple combination of olive oil, vinegar, and maple syrup makes a delicious sweet and tangy dressing.

Fall Spinach Salad Serving Ideas

This salad is a perfect side salad for any fall meal. I like to pair it with Maple Roasted Tofu, Roasted squash, and sweet potatoes.

Serve it alongside favorite soups and chilis.

This Fall Spinach Salad also makes a great side for a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal.

One of my favorite pairings is this fall spinach salad with stuffed acorn squash.

Fall Spinach Salad as a Full Meal

This simple Fall Spinach salad can be made into a full meal.

  • add your favorite cheese. I love extra sharp cheddar in this salad
  • add hard-boiled eggs
  • add chicken (if your not a vegetarian)

Salad Preparation Tips

This salad is best prepared right before serving. The apples can brown if cut ahead of time. If you need to cut the apples ahead of time squeezing a little lemon juice on them can help stop the browning process.

The dressing can be made in advance and stored for future use.

Spinach Salad Price Breakdown

It’s number-crunching time.

First I want to give you a quick explanation of how I break down the costs of a recipe. Since prices can from location to location I use the prices shown on Walmart for grocery pick-up to have a consistent source.

I use the same method used in commercial food services where you add the cost of each ingredient used in the exact amount used. This can be tricky for a home cook because you can not always buy just the small amount needed for your recipe.

Since being realistic and cutting grocery costs is something I feel so passionate about I take that into consideration.

I create the majority of my recipes based on a simple pantry list. My pantry is restocked as needed. Any ingredients that are used in a recipe that comes from my pantry list are considered pantry ingredients and only the cost needed for the recipe is considered.

When you would be required to purchase more of an ingredient to complete a recipe I still use the method of pricing but, I will include ways for you to use or preserve the remainder of the ingredients.

Pantry Ingredients

  • 3 tbs Olive Oil – $ .28
  • 1 tbs White Vinegar – $ .01
  • 1 tbs Maple Syrup – $ .22
  • 1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds – $ .38
  • 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries – $ .26

Fresh Ingredients

  • 4 oz. Organic Spinach – $ 1.15
  • 1 Apple – $ .36

Total Price

For 4 servings this recipe totals $ 2.66.

The per-serving price is $ .67

What to make with Spinach

In this recipe, you would need to buy a larger package of spinach than the 4oz needed for the recipe. Here are some ideas of how to use spinach.

  • You can make this salad more than once during the week
  • Make green smoothies
  • Saute with butter or olive oil, garlic and salt, and pepper as a side dish
  • Blend spinach, olive oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning, S & P for a pasta salad dressing
  • Saute with eggs
  • Freeze for future smoothies or recipes

I hope you enjoy this Fall Spinach Salad as much as I do.

Enjoy

Fall Spinach Salad
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Fall Spinach Salad

Recipe by SaraCourse: Fall Recipes, SaladsDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Calories

300

kcal

This is a very simple but, delicious Fall Spinach Salad with sweet dried cranberries, crunchy apples, and pumpkin seeds with a sweet and tangy maple vinegarette dressing.

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. Spinach

  • 1 Apple (any favorite apple)

  • 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries

  • 1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds

  • Maple Vinegarette Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons Olive Oil

  • 1 tablespoon White Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar is also great)

  • 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup

  • Salt to taste

  • Pepper to taste

Directions

  • Make Dressing by mixing together the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper
  • Toss the spinach with the dressing
  • Slice the apple and lay it on the bed of spinach
  • Sprinkle the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds over the spinach and apple slices