A colorful salad of fresh spinach, ripe blueberries, sharp parmesan, & crunchy pecans is a lovely spring recipe. It's fresh, nutty, sweet, & savory in every delicious bite. Toss together this easy recipe for spinach blueberry salad and fall in love.
In just 5 minutes this delightful spinach salad with blueberries & nuts comes together. All you need is 6 ingredients & an appetite for something fresh, healthy, & delish.
Like my recipe for Spinach Salad with Pears & Pomegranate Seeds, the sweet fruit paired with fresh earthy greens is a delight. Either of these easy recipes goes great with anything from Grilled Tri-Tip Steak to Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders.
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Is This a Healthy Salad?
Salads with fresh vegetables and salads are often very healthy. This one is packed with nutrients & health benefits for wellness. It is not drenched in a heavy bacon dressing like other spinach salads which makes it refreshing & light too.
Here is what makes this Spinach Blueberry Salad a good choice for a healthful & balanced diet -
- Spinach is a Superfood that helps with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, & iron. It's a cancer-fighting food that also reduces blood sugar & aids in bone health.
- Blueberries has many benefits including being rich in antioxidants, helps lower blood pressure, & full of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, manganese, & fiber.
Ingredients for Spinach Salad with Blueberries
Here is what you need to make this simple, fresh, & colorful salad. The key to enjoying a delicious salad is making sure you have fresh quality ingredients. When you only need 6 ingredients, make sure they count.
Buy prewashed spinach for a shortcut. If you are using homegrown or bunches of spinach, make sure you rinse & dry them completely before using.
- Fresh Spinach - I prefer baby spinach since it is more tender & smaller. I recommend removing some stems when they are really long.
- Blueberries - fresh juicy berries that are washed & dried.
- Pecans - whole or halves work great & I recommend salted for added flavor that also offsets the sweetness of the berries.
- Parmesan Cheese - fresh shavings are best to use.
- Olive Oil & Red Wine Vinegar - the classic combination for a simple dressing.
- Salt & Pepper - optional seasoning.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Spinach Blueberry Salad
There is so much to love about this salad recipe. I will say the best part about it is that it tastes amazing. But in a close second, having it ready in just 5 minutes is amazing.
Here are a few quick easy-to-follow steps for preparing this spinach salad with fresh blueberries, crunchy pecans, sharp parmesan, & a light oil & vinegar dressing.
- Wash & dry any ingredients that may need it - spinach and/or berries.
- Grab a big platter or serving bowl.
- To a large serving platter or salad bowl, add the rinsed & dry baby spinach leaves.
- Top the greens with blueberries, pecans, & parmesan cheese. Distribute them evenly throughout the spinach.
- Drizzle with olive oil & red wine vinegar - do not overdress. This is a light & healthy salad. You do not want the spinach to wilt.
- Add fresh cracked black pepper & salt if desired. Gently toss the salad with salad forks or tongs.
- Using tongs serve in individual salad bowls or on a plate as a side dish with your favorite entree.
- ENJOY! This makes 4-6 side dish servings or 2-3 main course servings.
Hint: Assemble the salad ahead of time for parties or meal time. Refrigerate until it is ready to serve. Then dress in olive & vinegar right before serving.
Substitutions
Here are some dietary changes or recipe alternative ingredients to make this exactly what you need.
- Spinach - instead of spinach use arugula or other hearty greens.
- Parmesan - use grated parmesan instead of shaved or try feta, blue cheese, or goat cheese instead.
- Pecans - instead of plain roasted & salted pecans use candied or spiced nuts.
- Nut-Free - instead of pecans use croutons for crunch without having nuts.
- Vegan/Vegetarian - omit the parmesan or sprinkle on nutritional yeast for a cheesy taste without the dairy.
This salad is gluten-free & meatless as written. For another easy recipe, try my Simple Spinach Salad with homemade croutons & the best dijon vinaigrette.
Variations
This simple salad is a great versatile recipe that can be elevated easily with some additions.
- Extra Nutty - also add walnuts
- Berry Deluxe - add strawberries & blackberries too
- Honey Balsamic - add this type of dressing for a punch of flavor.
- Protein - add shredded chicken, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, or pan-seared shrimp
Storing Salads
Salads, especially those with dressing, are best enjoyed immediately. You can make this salad ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4-4 hours before dressing it. Once dressed, it will last about 1-2 hours before the berries & spinach start to wilt & get mushy.
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared in the post. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- Buy prewashed spinach to cut down on time.
- Do not dress the salad until you are ready to eat it.
FAQ
If you want more than oil & vinegar on your spinach salad, try these other ideas for dressing it; honey mustard, honey balsamic, raspberry balsamic, or poppy seed.
Other Salad Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
What to Serve with Fresh Spinach Blueberry Salad
These are my favorite dishes to serve with blueberry spinach salad:
Spinach Blueberry Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves washed & dried
- ½ pint fresh blueberries washed & dried
- ½ cup pecan whole or halves
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan
- olive oil & red wine vinegar
- salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste optional
Instructions
- To a large serving platter or salad bowl, add the rinsed & dry baby spinach leaves.
- Sprinkle on the blueberries, pecans, & parmesan cheese. Evenly distribute them throughout the spinach leaves.
- Drizzle with olive oil & red wine vinegar - do not overdress. You can also use your favorite balsamic vinegar or vinaigrette dressing. ** see other dressing ideas in the Variations section above
- Add fresh cracked black pepper & salt if desired.
- Gently toss the salad with salad forks or tongs.
- Using tongs serve in individual salad bowls or on a plate as a side dish with your favorite entree. ENJOY immediately!
- Serves: makes 4 side dishes or 2 main course servings
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 174 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 15g | 19% |
| Saturated Fat 2.8g | 14% |
| Cholesterol 5mg | 2% |
| Sodium 59mg | 3% |
| Total Carbohydrate 8.9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.3g | 8% |
| Total Sugars 5.3g | |
| Protein 3.6g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 93mg | 7% |
| Iron 2mg | 9% |
| Potassium 227mg | 5% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Marci says
I did use a honey balsamic dressing from the store instead of the oil & vinegar but other than that had all the ingredients at home & made this. It was so good & we gobbled it up. It was the first bowl empty at our bbq on Saturday and was really good.
Angela says
Glad it was a hit.