Apple Spinach Salad with Walnuts and More

This classic apple spinach salad with toasted walnuts, soft goat cheese, dried cranberries, and a lemon vinaigrette makes for a great lunch. You can also serve it as a side salad for a family dinner.

Ingredients

This is what you need for 2 lunch salads (or 4 small side salads):

• Apples – 2 Pink Lady apples. Go for apples that don’t brown very quickly, such as Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, and Honeycrisp.
• Baby Spinach – 4.5 oz (125 grams) baby spinach, washed and dried. Optionally, trim any big and long stems.
• Dried Cranberries – 1/3 cup dried cranberries (about 2 oz or 56 grams).
• Soft Goat Cheese – 3 oz soft goat cheese (about 85 grams).
• Walnuts – 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped.
• Lemon – 2 tbsp lemon juice, divided (half for the salad dressing and half for the apple slices to keep them from browning quickly), plus lemon zest for the aroma and extra lemon flavor.
• Dijon Mustard – 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.
• Honey – 1/2 tsp honey.
• Olive Oil – 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt – a pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt
• Pepper – a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

How To Make the Salad in Just a Few Minutes

Step 1. Make the salad dressing by whisking together half the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper until emulsified.

Step 2. Toss the baby spinach and dried cranberries with the salad dressing until evenly coated. Set it aside while slicing the apples. The dressing will help soften the spinach a bit while you’re preparing the apples.

Step 3. First, core the apples. Slice them into thin slices and then cut each slice into three relatively equal pieces. Add lemon juice to slow down the browning.

Step 4. Add the apples and chopped toasted walnuts to the salad and gently toss.

Step 5. Plate the salad and top with little pieces of soft goat cheese and fresh lemon zest.

This is such a simple salad to assemble, with complimentary sweet, tart, tangy, and earthy flavors. If you make it and love it, let me know in a review below.

Recipe Card

Lastly, don’t forget to save this dish to one of your ‘salads’ or ‘lunches’ boards, using the pin below.

Apple Spinach Salad with Walnuts and More

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 large salads

Author: Doina Johnson

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Ingredients

• 2 Pink Lady apples or other apples that don’t brown very quickly, such as Gala, Fuji, and Honeycrisp.
• 4.5 oz baby spinach washed and dried. Optionally, trim any big and long stems.
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 3 oz soft goat cheese
• 1/2 cup walnuts toasted and chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice divided (half for the salad dressing and half for the apple slices to keep them from browning quickly)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• pinch kosher salt or flaky sea salt
• pinch freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions

• Make the salad dressing by whisking together half the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper until emulsified.
• Toss the baby spinach and dried cranberries with the salad dressing until evenly coated. Set it aside while slicing the apples. The dressing will help soften the spinach a bit while you’re preparing the apples.
• First, core the apples. Slice them into thin slices, and then cut each slice into three relatively equal pieces. Add lemon juice to slow down the browning.
• Add the apples and chopped toasted walnuts to the salad and gently toss.
• Plate the salad and top with little pieces of soft goat cheese and fresh lemon zest.