This fresh and healthy Pomegranate Apple Spinach Salad with feta and candied pecans is a light lunch or side dish recipe perfect for your holiday dinner!
Fruit Spinach Salad
If you are looking to balance out your holiday spread this year with a fresh and healthy holiday side dish, this fruit spinach salad is just what you need! A healthy mix of baby spinach, crumbled feta, pomegranates, apple and candied pecans makes this quick and easy 5 minute side dish or vegetarian lunch.
Holiday Side Salad
While we all love the roast turkey, cranberry stuffing and mashed potatoes that are staples at holidays such as Thanksgiving, it is nice to add some fresh recipes to the mix as well.
This Stuffed Butternut Squash with Apples Pomegranates & Grains is one of my favorite healthy sides to add to the holiday table. Sometimes I am looking for quick and easy though, and that’s where this Pomegranate Apple Spinach Salad comes in handy. It takes just minutes to whip up, you can use a store bought dressing if need be, and the flavors and crunch are fantastic!
I used store bought candied pecans, but if you are feeling ambitions, you can certainly make homemade candied pecans.
Pomegranate, Feta & Pecan Salad
Unfortunately they don’t sell pomegranates at my small town grocery store, so when I head out of town and get my hands on them, I stock up! I grabbed some while at Trader Joes, and my oh my, are they so plump and sweet. Absolutely delicious!
Pomegranates not only add a sweet crunch to sweet or savory recipe, they are a stunning addition as well. Whether you are making a quick and simple Pomegranate Apple Chicken Salad or breathtaking Salted Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Tart, they add something special to just about any dish.
If you don’t have access to pomegranates or spinach at the moment, but love the flavors of this Pomegranate Spinach Salad, give this Spiralized Apple Cranberry Salad a try. It’s so beautiful and delicious and is made with more accessible ingredients.
What cheese can I substitute for Feta?
Whether you don’t have Feta on hand or you just aren’t a fan, there are lots of great substitutes you can use in this Pomegranate Spinach Salad. Soft cheeses are your best bet. Goat cheese or Gorgonzola would be my top picks. If for some crazy reason you don’t love soft cheese, you could also opt to skip the cheese or go with a sharp white cheddar.
What dressing should I use with Pomegranate Apple Salad?
The possibilities are endless when it comes to picking a salad dressing for this Pomegranate Apple Salad. You can keep it light or opt for a more robust dressing. Make your own or grab a bottle from the store. Just stick to the dressing in the refrigerated section at the grocery store. They are usually lighter and fresher than the shelf stable varieties that tend to be heavy on the oil.
Here are a few of my top picks,
What to serve with fruit & spinach salad
If you are making a light lunch out of this Pomegranate Spinach Salad, then you can enjoy it with some shredded rotisserie chicken, sliced up steak or grilled shrimp if you are wanting more protein. If you are serving it with a holiday spread, here are a few great suggestions that would pair beautifully with this fresh salad.
- Roasted Pineapple & Chipotle Honey Ham
- Traeger Prime Rib
- Crispy Sage Roasted Delicata Squash
- Roasted Brown Butter Carrots
- Cranberry Orange Custard Pie
Pomegranate Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1/4 cup pomegranate balsamic dressing*
- 1/3 cup pomegranate perils
- 1/2 cup diced apples
- 2 Tablespoons crumbled feta
- 1/4 cup candied pecans
Instructions
- Toss the mixed greens with the dressing and top with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
Malinda says
This salad was so fresh and delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Julie says
Made this for dinner and we loved it!
Autumn says
This is super refreshing and we all loved it! Will definitely be making this quite a bit come summer!
Alison LaFortune says
So yummy and fresh! I’m always looking for ways to use pomegranates– they’re our fave.