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Pasta Chicken

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

Published: Apr 01, 2015 | 199 Comments

This is a sponsored post. This post is brought to you by Marzetti® Simply Dressed® and BlogHer.

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

This Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing) is so good, you might as well double the recipe when you’re making it! The recipe is filled with so much flavor, that I’m having a hard time finding the right words to describe it but I will try. 🙂 Let’s start with the salad ingredients. They are amazing: fresh produce (spinach), combined with fresh fruit, nuts, and dried cranberries:

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

Look how pretty the salad looks when all ingredients are mixed together. Just look at all those natural colors. I love to make salads that use the most vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables:

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

But what really boosts the flavor of this salad and combines all the fresh fruit and the fresh produce together so well is the amazing dressing: Marzetti Simply Dressed Balsamic Vinaigrette. The dressing is so good that my husband, who never eats salads for lunch, ate a whole bowl of it at noon and asked for seconds! Eating a huge amount of salad for lunch is so out-of-the character for my husband that I was shocked.  It is really one of the best tasting store-bought balsamic vinaigrettes that I ever tried!

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

What I also love about this dressing is that it uses a minimal number of simple ingredients, such as extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, etc. It has no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors or colors added. I see this dressing as a great way to incorporate more fresh green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, and other produce into my family’s diet. Perfect for a fresh lifestyle!

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

There is something else that I really appreciate about this dressing. I am currently gluten free. Naturally, first thing I did was to visit the Marzetti Simply Dressed website, and, lo and behold, all of their dressings (except Ginger Sesame) are clearly marked as gluten-free! Few things in life make me happier these days than seeing a clear gluten free label on a product I like! 🙂

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

Because Marzetti Simply Dressed dressings have no preservatives, they have to be refrigerated, so make sure to look for them in the refrigerated section of grocers’ produce departments. You will definitely find me looking and searching for more flavors of this brand: I really want to try their Champagne Salad Dressing, Pomegranate Salad Dressing, or Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Dressing, to name just a few!

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

Make sure not to add the dressing to the salad until serving time, otherwise the spinach will wilt quickly. Add the dressing right before you’re ready to serve! Also, drizzle just enough dressing to coat the leaves–don’t pour all of it at once–let your taste buds be your guide and use just enough to coat the salad lightly! Enjoy!

Print
Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)

Ingredients

  • 10 oz fresh baby spinach (about 10 cups of torn leaves)
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, sliced
  • 1 Gala apple, sliced
  • 1 or 2 avocados, sliced
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 2 whole fresh mandarin oranges, peeled; or 1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions

  1. Chop 1/4 cup of pecan halves into smaller bites - set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients except for 1/4 cup of chopped pecan halves.
  3. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the salad. Serve immediately.
3.1
https://juliasalbum.com/apple-cranberry-spinach-salad-with-pecans-avocados-and-balsamic-vinaigrette-dressing/

Note: This post is sponsored by Marzetti and the product has been provided by them. The opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

How will you use Marzetti Simply Dressed refrigerated salad dressings to make fresh and simple meals for you and your family? Leave a comment below to enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

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This sweepstakes runs from 4/1/2015 – 5/31/2015.

Be sure to visit the Marzetti® Simply Dressed® brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

This is a sponsored post. This post is brought to you by Marzetti® Simply Dressed® and BlogHer.

Filed Under: Appetizer, Apples, Avocado, Cranberries, Fruit, Gluten Free, Healthy, Nuts, Pecan, Recipe, Salads, Spinach, Vegetables, Vegetarian Published: Apr 01, 2015 199 Comments

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Previous Post: « White Chicken Chili with Pinto Beans and Chickpeas
Next Post: Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kirti Yadav

    Aug 21, 2017 at 5:34 am

    I love the idea of adding avocado and spinach in this salad because usually, my salad has either sweet fruits or its veggies salad. I will try this.

    Reply
    • Julia

      Nov 03, 2017 at 6:51 pm

      Thank you! I am glad you like this recipe! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Julia

    Jul 05, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    Emily, so glad your family liked it! Thank you for stopping by. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Emily Wong

    Jul 02, 2016 at 10:30 pm

    Made this recipe tonight for my Mother in laws birthday and everyone loved it! This is going to be my go to recipe for parties now. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! My sister in law even asked for the recipe :))

    Reply
  4. Debbie

    May 30, 2016 at 6:32 pm

    Not a big fan of spinach. What else can I use. Thanks

    Reply
  5. Keely

    Mar 18, 2016 at 5:17 pm

    Delicious looking salad! Nice to see a dressing that is more natural!

    Reply
  6. Angela Saver

    May 31, 2015 at 11:26 pm

    I would use Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Ranch Dressing on our Turkey Bacon Wraps & also to top our Spinach Salad!

    andysavi.mom@gmail.com

    Reply
  7. Stephanie Larison

    May 31, 2015 at 10:13 pm

    I’m on a diet right now, so I’d use the ranch on a chef salad, yum! Maybe even add some chicken breasts into it, too.

    Reply
  8. Sabrina P

    May 31, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    Fruit in a salad is so good with the right dressing.

    Reply
  9. Veronica Garrett

    May 31, 2015 at 7:42 pm

    I would use the Ranch Dressing in my grilled chicken salad.

    Reply
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