I am so excited to share this fall spinach salad recipe with you! It is amazing. In fact, I am not ashamed to say that I ate two huge bowls of this heavenly stuff after I shot these pictures. I would have eaten more, but then I remembered the six other people living with me and the guilt of eating all this salad by myself kept me from eating the entire bowl.
Because I very easily could have eaten this entire bowl by myself.
Even my kids who don’t love salad (or even really like it), love this salad. There is just so much to love. The fresh Granny Smith apples, combined with crisp bacon, sweet and crunchy walnuts, beautiful dried cranberries, and soft cheese, all covered with a maple vinaigrette, makes this salad a hit wherever it goes. It is the ultimate fall salad.
Start by making the candied walnuts and cooking the bacon. While these little nuggets of goodness are cooling, chop the apples.
Combine the spinach, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese, candied walnuts, and chopped bacon in a large bowl. Combine the salad dressing in a separate bowl or jar, and then pour that goodness over the top.
You will want to serve this right away, and when you do, people will be singing your praises.
Ingredients
- 6 cups spinach
- 1 cup candied walnuts
- 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into slices or chunks
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup bacon crumbles or pieces
- 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese
- Dressing:
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- For the candied walnuts:
- 1 cup walnuts
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Start by making the candied walnuts. Combine the sugar, walnuts, and ground cinnamon in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Watch carefully. When the sugar starts to melt and carmelize, stir constantly until all the sugar is melted onto the walnuts. Put the walnuts onto a silpat liner to cool.
- While the walnuts are cooling, cook the bacon. Cut up or crumble the bacon.
- In a large dish, combine the spinach, candied walnuts, chopped Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, bacon crumbles, and Gorgonzola cheese.
- In a separate small bowl, make the salad dressing by whisking or stirring together the maple syrup, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Pour the salad dressing over the salad. Stir to combine and serve immediately.
Recipe Source: adapted from this recipe from Controlling My Chaos.
Check out these other fall recipes and printables:
Don’t forget to pin the image below to save for later! ♥
