This easy to make Winter Apple Salad is loaded up with crispy bacon, crunchy pecan halves, crumbled feta, and sweet dried cranberries. All drizzled with a homemade maple Dijon vinaigrette. This salad comes together in less than 15 minutes and is a perfect side dish or light lunch.
INGREDIENTS:
Salad
- 2 cups baby spinach raw
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pecans halved
- 2 tbsp feta cheese
- ½ granny smith apple sliced
- ½ fuji apple sliced
- 2 slices bacon cooked and chopped
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons Roasted Walnut Oil
- 1 tablespoon Gravenstein Apple White Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt & pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Make Dressing: Add all the ingredients for the maple Dijon vinaigrette to a small mason jar. Shake to mix.
- Layer Salad: Add the spinach to a medium size bowl or plate.
- Top with dried cranberries, halved pecans, feta cheese, sliced apples, and cooked bacon.
- Dress and Toss: Drizzle the salad dressing over the top of the salad, toss and serve.
Apples: using two kinds of apples (Granny Smith and Fuji) gives more color to the salad it also gives a nice balanced sweet and tart flavoring.
Maple Syrup: use a Grade A maple syrup in this recipe.
Pecans: use halved pecans. Can be substituted with walnuts or left out if needed.
Make Ahead Instructions: If you need to slice and prepare the apples hours before serving use a water bath made of 1 cup of water mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. After you slice the apples soak them in the lemon water for 3-5 minutes then remove and rinse them.
Storage: when preparing the salad ahead of time store the dressing separate from the salad to prevent the spinach from getting soggy. Dress the salad just before serving.