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Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Candied Pecans is colorful and packed with flavor! Tart pomegranates and sweet candied pecans give it a yummy crunch.
Table of Contents
- Salad with Fresh Color and Flavor
- Ingredients in Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad
- Spinach Salad Additions and Substitutions
- Optional Vinaigrette Dressing
- Make this Spinach Salad a Meal
- How to Make Candied Pecans
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Other Delicious Salad Recipes
- How to Make Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges
- Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges Recipe
Salad with Fresh Color and Flavor
This Mandarin Spinach Salad Recipe with Candied Pecans is the perfect salad to serve no matter the season. Spinach Salad is ideal for taking to potlucks and summer barbecues because it’s so pretty; it tastes fresh and delicious and can feed a crowd, but is gorgeous enough to serve on a Christmas buffet or Thanksgiving Day table. Even my picky kids love this salad because they think the pecans taste like candy. Easy to make and versatile, you’ll want to make this salad all year round!
Ingredients in Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad
Salad Ingredients
- Baby spinach
- Brianna’s poppyseed dressing
- Mandarin oranges
- Pomegranate seeds
- Blueberries
For the Candied Pecans
- Pecans
- Sugar
Spinach Salad Additions and Substitutions
- Serve this salad with pomegranate seeds and candied pecans for a sweet Christmas salad.
- Swap out the pomegranate seeds for fresh raspberries or strawberries during the summer months for a light summer supper.
- Add craisins, dried cranberries, raisins, dried mango, feta cheese, or creamy goat cheese for added texture and flavor.
- Toss the fresh spinach with romaine lettuce or a spring mix to add bulk if you need to serve a lot of people.
- Try toasted almonds instead of pecans.
- red onion
- green onion
- bacon pieces
- cilantro
- mushrooms
- tomatoes
- eggs
- walnuts
- sesame seeds
Optional Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar (white vinegar works too)
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Shake all ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, or whisk together in a bowl and pour over salad.
Make this Spinach Salad a Meal
It’s easy to turn this Mandarin Spinach Salad into a full meal! All you need to do is add some diced meat and you’ve got the perfect summer supper that’s ready in no time!
- Add grilled chicken, sliced over the top.
- Grill up a pork tenderloin and slice into the salad.
- Dice turkey, or even leftover Sunday ham into the salad.
How to Make Candied Pecans
Making your own candied pecans is really easy! All you need are some pecan halves and some sugar. Add the pecans and sugar to a small skillet and heat up on the stove. The trick is to make sure to watch them closely and stir constantly! They are perfect just after the sugar melts and coats the pecans. Once the sugar melts they can burn fast, so be sure to watch it really closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Seasoned Grilled Chicken or Shrimp would be great to serve with spinach salad. Try our lemon baked chicken!
I would go with a goat cheese, gorgonzola, or crumbled feta cheese.
Once you add the dressing, you only have about a day before it gets too soggy.
Read Next: 25+ Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Other Delicious Salad Recipes
Some of our other favorite salads that make great side dishes are:
- Nuts About Berries Salad – a yummy berry salad with a berry dressing.
- Homestyle Potato Salad – the best potato salad ever!
- BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad – a pasta salad with a yummy BBQ ranch flavor.
- Asian Cucumber Salad – perfect side dish to Asian food.
- Kona Grill’s Red Pepper Coleslaw – a yummy twist on traditional coleslaw.
- Waldorf Salad – a tasty apple, grape, and walnut salad.
- Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad – perfect with Hawaiian dishes like Kalua pork.
- Creamy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad – great for BBQ’s.
- Light Greek Pasta Salad – a savory salad with greek dressing.
- Grilled Caesar Salad – Caesar salad with grilled romaine.
- Harvest Pear Salad – an Autumn favorite.
- Mom’s Traditional Macaroni Salad – a staple at our family picnics.
How to Make Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges
Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges
Ingredients
- 6 cups baby spinach pre-washed
- 3/4 cup poppyseed dressing Brianna's
- 22 ounces mandarin oranges 2 cans, drained
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 cup blueberries
Candied Pecans
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/3 cup sugar
Instructions
For the Candied Pecans:
- In a small skillet, cook the chopped pecans and sugar over medium heat over the stove. Stir constantly until the sugar melts and coats the pecans. Remove from heat and cool completely.
For the Salad:
- Toss the spinach in the poppyseed dressing, then sprinkle on all remaining ingredients.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
Don’t love one of the ingredients? No problem! Here are some helpful substitutions and additions to Spinach Salad:- Serve this salad with pomegranate seeds and candied pecans for a sweet Christmas salad.
- Swap out the pomegranate seeds for fresh raspberries or strawberries during the summer months for a light summer supper.
- Add craisins, dried cranberries, raisins, dried mango, feta cheese, or creamy goat cheese for added texture and flavor.
- Toss the fresh spinach with romaine lettuce or a spring mix to add bulk if you need to serve a lot of people.
- Try toasted almonds instead of pecans.
Candied pecans on top of any salad, is just the best!! This is full of everything I love, from the crisp greens & pomegranate to the mandarin oranges.
I sure love colorful salads! You know that means it’s super tasty!! And, this is! Love the crunch & the bursts of flavor from the pomegranate.
Thanks a lot for sharing this awesome mandarin spinach salad candied pecans recipe! It’s easy to make and tasted so good! Will have this again!
So fresh,colorful and healthy. The sweetness with the crunchy candied pecans is perfection!
Such a great recipe for a winter salad! Love this!!
This salad looks so delicious and the perfect colors for Fall! I am a big fan of candied pecans but with all the other tasty ingredients in this salad, I may actually eat the whole salad and not just dig out the candied pecans!