Baby Spinach Salad with Berries, Pecans & Goat Cheese in Raspberry Vinaigrette
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Get ready for oohs and aahs — this spinach and berry salad is an absolute stunner!
Usually we think of fresh berries as something to eat for breakfast or dessert, but here they make an elegant addition to a baby spinach salad. The fruity raspberry vinaigrette complements the berries and brings all of the elements together. This salad is a favorite of mine for summer entertaining — it’s so pretty and always elicits oohs and aahs from everyone at the table — but don’t wait for a special occasion to enjoy it. The salad is equally wonderful when served alongside grilled chicken or fish for a casual family dinner.
To preserve the chunks of goat cheese, be sure to crumble it over the tossed salad rather than tossing it in. If you don’t care for goat cheese, feel free to substitute blue cheese or feta. Also, the amount of honey in the dressing might surprise you, but the sweetness of the dressing against the tartness of the berries and tanginess of the goat cheese is the what makes the salad so good.
More Salads You Might Like
- Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
- Peaches, Burrata & Prosciutto with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts & Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
Baby Spinach Salad with Berries, Pecans & Goat Cheese in Raspberry Vinaigrette
Get ready for oohs and aahs — this spinach and berry salad is an absolute stunner!
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 2½ tablespoons raspberry vinegar
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely minced shallots, from one shallot
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 1 (6-7 ounce) bag or carton baby spinach (about 6-7 cups)
- 2 cups (1 pint) stemmed and sliced strawberries
- 1 cup (½ pint) blueberries
- ½ cup pecans, toasted
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Instructions
- Combine raspberry vinegar, vegetable oil, honey, Dijon mustard, shallots, salt and pepper in a small sealable container and shake vigorously to blend (be sure honey doesn't stick to bottom). Alternatively, combine vinegar, honey, mustard, shallots, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in oil until emulsified.
- In a large bowl, combine baby spinach, strawberries, blueberries and pecans. Add the dressing little by little and toss until greens are well-coated (you may have a bit left over but you'll use most of it). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese over top and serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 481
- Fat: 37g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Sugar: 26g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 9g
- Sodium: 296mg
- Cholesterol: 13mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Great salad! Have made it 3-4 times in the last 6 months and every time it’s a hit. This is my new “go to” salad for company. I don’t have raspberry vinegar so have been using champagne vinegar and the dressing comes out very nice — light and tasty.
Hi Jenn, out of raspberry vinegar, can I sub raspberry liqueur?
Thx bunches!
Yvonne
I wouldn’t recommend it, but you can use red wine or cider vinegar – it just won’t have a raspberry flavor.
Hi Jenn,
You asked if I would follow-up with a couple of changes I made to this yummy salad just for variation. I love the original recipe too. I kept the dressing as is and to change it up I used watermelon, marionberries and toasted pine nuts instead of the strawberries, blueberries and pecans. I kept the spinach and goat cheese too. It was delicious, but I liked your original one better! 🙂
They sound like yummy changes (and good to know that you still prefer the original version). Thanks for taking the time to report back! 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Can I substitute watermellon for the strawberries? Will the dressing pair well with watermellon? I love and made this salad many times and I was looking for a way to change it up a little. Love all of your recipes! Thanks so much!
Hi Rose, I think you could swap watermelon in here. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I haven’t made a ton of homemade salad dressings. Can you explain why you prefer vegetable oil to oils like olive or avocado? Thank you!
Vegetable oil is more neutral in flavor than olive oil. Avocado oil is fairly neutral tasting, so if you’d like to use that instead of vegetable oil, that would be fine.
All the goodness of the season in one bowl that is as beautiful as it is delicious. My family always knows when it’s a Jenn Segal recipe!
I made this salad for a Memorial Day picnic. It was fabulous and got many compliments. The best part was that it was super fast and easy to make. I had a little bit of trouble finding the raspberry vinegar but eventually located some at a local market. I was tempted to replace the raspberry vinegar with white balsamic vinegar but am so glad I didn’t, the raspberry vinegar gives the dressing a delicious delicate flavor. I also had some extra blackberries in the fridge which I added along with the blueberries and strawberries.