Here’s a refreshing Baby Spinach Salad recipe with spinach, mango, raspberries and red onion, all tossed in a warm, citrus vinaigrette.
Sometimes you want a salad that has all kinds of goodies in it that regular ol’ salads just don’t have. That’s this salad! It’s filled with fruit, and I absolutely love the bacon dressing it’s tossed in too. The warm vinaigrette very slightly softens the spinach, so it’s not so tough. This is one delicious salad.
Ingredients needed:
- bacon
- orange juice
- brandy
- red wine vinegar
- honey
- salt and pepper
- lemon juice
- Granny Smith apple
- fresh baby spinach leaves
- red onion
- fresh mango
- chopped walnuts
- fresh raspberries
How to make a Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Citrus Bacon Vinaigrette:
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
The first step is getting the vinaigrette ready. Cook the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan; crumble. Discard the drippings. Add the orange juice, brandy, vinegar, and honey to the pan; cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Stir in the bacon, salt, and pepper.
Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette, and toss gently to coat.
How to toast walnuts:
Since you’ll only need a tablespoon of chopped walnuts for this recipe, the best way too toast them is in a skillet. Place a skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the chopped walnuts. Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant and toasted. Remove from the pan to a cutting board or paper towel to let cool.
The Best Salad Recipes:
- Waldorf Salad
- Caesar Salad with Homemade Sourdough Croutons
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Easy Gourmet Salad
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Spinach Salad Recipe with Citrus Vinaigrette
Ingredients
VINAIGRETTE:
- 2 slices bacon
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
SALAD:
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ medium Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
- 4 cups bagged, pre-washed baby spinach
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup chopped peeled mango
- 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, toasted
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
PREPARE THE VINAIGRETTE:
- Cook the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan; crumble. Discard the drippings.
- Add the orange juice, brandy, vinegar, and honey to the pan; cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Stir in the bacon, salt, and pepper.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:
- In a medium bowl, combine the water and lemon juice. Add the apple; toss to coat. Remove the apple from the bowl with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add the spinach, onion, and mango to the apple. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, and toss gently to coat.
- Arrange about 2¼ cups of the salad on each of 2 plates; top each serving with 1½ teaspoons walnuts and half the raspberries. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I like to use center-cut slices of bacon because it has more meat and less fat.
- If you're preparing this as a Gluten Free recipe, be sure to use a brand of bacon that is designated as GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Again, a very nice balanced salad. The smoky bacon with raspberries, apples and walnuts makes this very unique!