Salad with Fresh Color and Flavor
This Mandarin Spinach Salad Recipe with Candied Pecans is the perfect salad to serve no matter the season. Spinach Salad is ideal for taking to potlucks and summer barbecues because it’s so pretty; it tastes fresh and delicious and can feed a crowd, but is gorgeous enough to serve on a Christmas buffet or Thanksgiving Day table. Even my picky kids love this salad because they think the pecans taste like candy. Easy to make and versatile, you’ll want to make this salad all year round!
Ingredients in Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad
Salad Ingredients
Baby spinach Brianna’s poppyseed dressing Mandarin oranges Pomegranate seeds Blueberries
For the Candied Pecans
Pecans Sugar
Spinach Salad Additions and Substitutions
Serve this salad with pomegranate seeds and candied pecans for a sweet Christmas salad. Swap out the pomegranate seeds for fresh raspberries or strawberries during the summer months for a light summer supper. Add craisins, dried cranberries, raisins, dried mango, feta cheese, or creamy goat cheese for added texture and flavor. Toss the fresh spinach with romaine lettuce or a spring mix to add bulk if you need to serve a lot of people. Try toasted almonds instead of pecans. red onion green onion bacon pieces cilantro mushrooms tomatoes eggs walnuts sesame seeds
Optional Vinaigrette Dressing
1 teaspoon dijon mustard ½ cup balsamic vinegar (white vinegar works too) 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil) 1 Tablespoon honey 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon minced garlic salt and black pepper, to taste
Shake all ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, or whisk together in a bowl and pour over salad.
Make this Spinach Salad a Meal
It’s easy to turn this Mandarin Spinach Salad into a full meal! All you need to do is add some diced meat and you’ve got the perfect summer supper that’s ready in no time!
Add grilled chicken, sliced over the top. Grill up a pork tenderloin and slice into the salad. Dice turkey, or even leftover Sunday ham into the salad.
How to Make Candied Pecans
Making your own candied pecans is really easy! All you need are some pecan halves and some sugar. Add the pecans and sugar to a small skillet and heat up on the stove. The trick is to make sure to watch them closely and stir constantly! They are perfect just after the sugar melts and coats the pecans. Once the sugar melts they can burn fast, so be sure to watch it really closely. Read Next: 25+ Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Other Delicious Salad Recipes
Some of our other favorite salads that make great side dishes are:
Nuts About Berries Salad – a yummy berry salad with a berry dressing. Homestyle Potato Salad – the best potato salad ever! BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad – a pasta salad with a yummy BBQ ranch flavor. Asian Cucumber Salad – perfect side dish to Asian food. Kona Grill’s Red Pepper Coleslaw – a yummy twist on traditional coleslaw. Waldorf Salad – a tasty apple, grape, and walnut salad. Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad – perfect with Hawaiian dishes like Kalua pork. Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad – great for BBQ’s. Light Greek Pasta Salad – a savory salad with greek dressing. Grilled Caesar Salad – Caesar salad with grilled romaine. Harvest Pear Salad – an Autumn favorite. Mom’s Traditional Macaroni Salad – a staple at our family picnics.
How to Make Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges
Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad
Cucumber Onion Salad
Mom’s Potato Salad
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