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    Simple Spinach Salad

    Published: Mar 12, 2019 / 12 Comments

    11.6K shares
    • Facebook118
    Recipe Print

    Simple Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts, Parmesan Cheese and easy homemade salad dressing.  Ready in 15 minutes!  This healthy spinach salad is a great addition to your family weeknight dinners.

    simple spinach salad with pine nuts and shaved parmesan cheese

    If you want to add something healthy and easy to your weekly dinners, you HAVE to make this simple spinach salad.  It goes perfectly with pasta, such as chicken pasta or shrimp pasta.  It's also a great side dish for seafood dinners.  For example, serve it alongside trout recipe or with pesto shrimp.

    This salad takes only 15 minutes to make. Toss fresh baby spinach with the simple dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper.   Dress it up with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese.

    Made with baby spinach, this is the best spinach salad to prepare on a busy weeknight!  The salad itself has only 3 ingredients, and the homemade salad dressing requires only 4 (olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and cracked black pepper!).   You can also use your favorite salad dressing or a store-bought dressing.

    If you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen, quick and easy spinach salad is what you need!

    Substitutions

    • What is a good substitute for spinach?  Arugula has a mustard-like yet soft flavor and is a great substitute for spinach.
    • What can you replace pine nuts with?  If you don't want to use pine nuts, use toasted slivered almonds or sliced almonds.  You can also use toasted pumpkin seeds.
    • What cheese can you use instead of Parmesan?  You can replace Parmesan with Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheese.  You can also use goat cheese or feta cheese.
    • Salad dressing.  Use a simple dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Or, use any store-bought salad dressing of your choice.

    Toppings for simple spinach salad

    Add simple toppings to your salad to make it a little bit more sophisticated.  Here are some suggestions:

    • Vegetables.  Top spinach salad with sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, or diced cucumber.
    • Berries.  Sliced strawberries go really well in salads.  You can also use blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
    • Fruit.  Add sliced apple, pear, mango, or grapes to your spinach salad.
    • Dried fruit.  Top spinach salad with raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries.
    • Nuts.  Add pine nuts, slivered almonds, pecans to your spinach salad.  Make sure to lightly toast nuts in the preheated oven.  Nuts taste better and have a better, crunchier texture after light toasting.
    • Condiments.   Capers, sun-dried tomatoes, or olives are all great toppings on salads.
    • Cheese.  Add shaved Parmesan, Pecorino Romano or Asiago.  You can also use feta, goat cheese, or Gorgonzola cheese.
    • Other toppings.  Add diced cooked bacon, chopped eggs, or grilled chicken.

    simple spinach salad with pine nuts and parmesan cheese

    How to make a spinach salad

    1. First, combine baby spinach leaves in a large bowl.
    2. Then, add your favorite salad dressing.  Toss to combine.
    3. Next, top the salad with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese.
    4. Finally, sprinkle coarsely ground black pepper over the salad.

    How to toast pine nuts

    1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
    2. Spread the pine nuts in one layer over the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
    3. Roast for 5 minutes.
    4. Note: pine nuts get burned really quickly.  Watch them closely and remove them promptly from the oven.

    Spinach salad dressing

    This recipe features the best salad dressing for spinach salad.  Why?  Because it is so simple and it requires basic ingredients found in any pantry.  You only need 4 ingredients: olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and coarsely ground black pepper.

    Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until emulsified.

    Other spinach salad recipes

    • Strawberry Spinach Salad with Mango and Avocado
    • Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
    • Chopped Salad with Spinach, Apples, Gorgonzola Cheese
    simple spinach salad
    4.96 from 25 votes

    Simple Spinach Salad

    Easy Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan and a homemade dressing made with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and black pepper.  Ready in 15 minutes!  The best salad for a family weeknight dinner.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories per serving 203 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    Dressing

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

    Spinach Salad

    • 6 oz spinach fresh
    • ⅓ cup pine nuts toasted
    • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shaved

    Instructions 

    Dressing

    • Add dressing ingredients to a medium bowl.  Whisk to emulsify.

    Spinach Salad

    • Add spinach to a large bowl.
    • Toss with the salad dressing.
    • Top with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese.  Season with extra black pepper, if desired.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Simple Spinach Salad
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    203
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    19
    g
    29
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    3
    g
    19
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    4
    mg
    1
    %
    Sodium
     
    206
    mg
    9
    %
    Potassium
     
    304
    mg
    9
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    3
    g
    1
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Protein
     
    5
    g
    10
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    4035
    IU
    81
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    13.4
    mg
    16
    %
    Calcium
     
    116
    mg
    12
    %
    Iron
     
    1.9
    mg
    11
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Keyword simple spinach salad
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jeebsah

      July 03, 2021 at 8:44 am

      Easy, quick & delicious. Just what I was looking for. I used shredded parmesan, sliced almonds, and raison. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 13, 2021 at 5:59 pm

        You are very welcome! Glad you found the recipe useful!

        Reply
    2. Andrea

      June 05, 2021 at 6:50 am

      Super easy and tasty salad! Will be making this frequently! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
    3. Sukriti

      February 23, 2021 at 8:26 pm

      This is a great idea, and with minimal effort! I used grated parmesan instead and the result was fantastic! Also, substituted pine nuts with walnuts.

      Reply
    4. Kari Mason

      October 07, 2020 at 8:24 pm

      This salad is absolutely delicious!I make lots of salads and this is my new favorite!

      Reply
    5. Hellen

      June 16, 2020 at 5:22 pm

      My favorite salad. Simple and fast. I wash spinach, arugula, and lettuce in bulk, once a week with a vinegar solution to kill bacteria ( https://lazyplant.com/misc/wash-vegetables ). I also use sesame seeds and walnuts. I tried pine nuts. Loved it...

      Reply
    6. Vivian

      February 15, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      I made this today. Very easy, tasty and healthy. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 19, 2020 at 5:13 pm

        You are very welcome! Glad you liked the salad!

        Reply
    7. Debra Z.

      December 20, 2019 at 6:21 pm

      Exactly what I was looking for! I googled “simple spinach salad” and found this. Perfect with my red sauce and gnocchi.

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 20, 2020 at 5:28 pm

        So glad you found this recipe useful! Thank you for your comment!

        Reply
    8. Great salad

      July 28, 2019 at 2:05 pm

      I served it with marinated chicken. Used roasted sunflower seeds instead.

      Reply
      • Julia

        September 28, 2019 at 9:57 pm

        Glad you liked it!

        Reply

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