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dished up portion of spinach salad on white plate with vinaigrette, bacon, onions and feta

Amazing Spinach Salad with Sweet-Spicy Nuts, Apples, Feta and Bacon

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
  • Black pepper to taste

Sweet Spicy Nuts:

  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ½ cup granulated or brown sugar
  • Pinch cayenne pepper, more to taste if you want
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Salad:

  • 16 ounces baby spinach or spring greens, or a combination
  • ½ small red onion, slivered (see note about tempering the onion flavor)
  • 6 to 8 slices bacon, regular or thick cut, cooked and chopped
  • 1 cup feta cheese crumbles, more or less to taste
  • 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries, more or less to taste
  • 1 to 2 honey crisp apples, cored and sliced thin

Instructions 

  • For the dressing, blend all the ingredients until smooth or combine in a jar and shake until well-combined. Refrigerate until needed (or up to several days)
  • For the nuts,
    add the water, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper to a skillet set over medium heat. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute until the sugar is dissolved. Add the nuts and stir to coat. Cook for another 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring slowly but constantly. Spread the nuts evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool. Break into pieces.
  • To assemble the salad, toss all the salad ingredients together along with the cooled nuts. Toss salad with the dressing OR serve the dressing alongside.

Notes

Onions: to temper the strong flavor of the onions a bit, soak the onion slices covered in cold water with a bit of baking soda (I use about 1/2 teaspoon soda). Let them sit for 15-20 minutes then rinse and drain well.
Make-Ahead: all the components can be measured out/prepped ahead of time and stored separately (I like to soak the apples in a bit of lemon juice in water to help prevent browning). Toss together right before serving.
Candied Nuts (Old Version): here's the older version of the candied nuts. For the nuts, lightly toast the nuts in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, checking often so they don't burn. While they toast, place the 1/3 cup sugar and pinch of cayenne and salt in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the sugar mixture until it liquifies completely, adjusting the heat so it doesn't bubble and burn. Toss in the toasted nuts and stir to coat the nuts with sugar. Let the sugared nuts cool completely. (Update: 11/22 several of you have had issues with pecans turning out wet and sticky instead of candied - I did some troubleshooting with the version up above in the recipe and decreased the water just a bit and increased the sugar to help with that!)