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

Print

Spinach Salad Recipe with Citrus Vinaigrette

Bacon with citrus and raspberry... need I say more? I love this salad!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword spinach, spinach salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 272kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (via Cooking Light)

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

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 343mg | Potassium: 679mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 5977IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg

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