Spinach Salad with Pears, Cranberries, and Candied Pecans is a refreshing autumnal salad that’s an ideal addition to your fall menu!
The standard Thanksgiving desk is loaded with carb-heavy dishes. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, salads drenched in sweetened whipped cream, dinner rolls, pies, and extra! Fall Salad Recipes will be the right more healthy addition, particularly one with fabulous autumn flavors!
Why You Should Make
- This Spinach Salad with Pears, Cranberries, and Candied Pecans is tossed with a maple French dressing.
- A inexperienced salad is an ideal method to stability out the carb loading that’s typical of many fall meals (like Thanksgiving!).
- This salad dressing with a contact of maple syrup is extremely scrumptious and memorable!
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Freshly Floor Black Pepper, Brown Sugar, Butter
- Balsamic Vinegar – I prefer to buy an 18-year-old balsamic. It’s candy and syrupy and can make a world of distinction in your salad dressing.
- Entire Grain Mustard – I exploit Gray Poupon.
- Maple Syrup – Use actual maple syrup, not artificially flavored.
- Pecan Halves – In the event that they aren’t the freshest, you possibly can gently warmth them in a dry nonstick pan to carry out their important oils (extra taste!)
- Purple Onion – See tip under.
- Dried Cranberries (Craisins) – Mine have been a bit of outdated so I briefly rehydrated them by including them to a bowl full of some scorching water from my teapot. Dried cherries would even be scrumptious on this salad.
- Child Spinach – The leaves and stems are extra tender than common spinach. Snip off any thicker stems if desired.
- Agency Pears – Bosc or Bartlett. Quarter, core, and reduce into skinny slices. Do that as near serving time as doable to reduce browning. See tip under.
Make
Recipe Suggestions
- This salad dressing with a contact of maple syrup is a brand new favourite. It’s extremely tasty. Be at liberty to shake up the number of nuts. Use walnuts or hazelnuts for those who desire.
- PRO-Tip: When making the salad dressing, slowly whisk the oil into the opposite elements. Whisking repeatedly will emulsify the dressing, which implies it’ll maintain the oil from separating from the remainder of the elements.
- Toss in some blue cheese if you would like a heartier salad. It pairs effectively with pears.
- PRO-Tip: To take a number of the chew out of the onions, soak them in ice water when you prep the remainder of the salad. Drain and pat dry earlier than including to the salad.
- PRO-Tip: The pears will oxidize (flip brown) as soon as they’re sliced. It’s finest to chop them proper earlier than serving. Drizzling with an acidic combination just like the salad dressing will assist decelerate oxidation if it’s good to prep forward of time.
- You possibly can glaze the pecans early within the day in order that step can be out of the best way.
Incessantly Requested Questions
Apart from pears, strive including in some apples, cooked squash or candy potato cubes to your salads. Roasting cauliflower, fennel, and different greens will carry out their sweetness making them salad worthy. Strive greens like arugula and child kale. Grains like rice, farro, and quinoa can be utilized as a substitute of lettuce as the bottom of an autumn salad.
A maple French dressing is at all times a success. The sweetness of maple syrup balances out the acidity of the vinegar. Or strive decreasing some apple cider till syrupy for added sweetness.
You Might Additionally Like:
Substances
Salad dressing:
- ½ cup additional virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons complete grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
Candied pecans:
- ⅔ cup pecans
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salad:
- 1 cup thinly sliced pink onion
- ⅓ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 8 cups child spinach
- 2 agency pears Bosc or Bartlett, unpeeled, quartered, cored and reduce into skinny slices
Directions
- To make salad dressing, mix the vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
- Drizzle in olive oil whereas whisking consistently. Put aside.
- To sweet the nuts, soften butter in a saucepan. Toss in pecans and blend until coated. Add brown sugar and cook dinner, stirring, until caramelized. Place on parchment to chill.
- To assemble the salad, toss spinach, onions, and pears with dressing (rewhisk as wanted).
- Prime salad with cranberries and pecans.
Notes
Impressed by The New Thanksgiving Desk by Diane Morgan.
It’s possible you’ll soften your cranberries in a little bit of salad dressing earlier than including to salad, if desired.
Advisable Merchandise
As an Amazon Affiliate and member of different affiliate packages, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Diet Info:
Yield:
8
Serving Measurement:
1 bowl
Quantity Per Serving:
Energy: 286Whole Fats: 23gSaturated Fats: 4gTrans Fats: 0gUnsaturated Fats: 18gLdl cholesterol: 8mgSodium: 329mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
