Spinach Salad with Feta and Candied Pecans is one of those salads that feels like it came from a good bistro, not something you whipped up in 15 minutes in your own kitchen. It’s a beautiful blend of peppery spinach, salty feta, candied pecans, and a smooth raspberry vinaigrette.
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I’ve been making some version of this salad for years. It works as a starter, a light lunch, a side for grilled salmon, or for adding something fresh to the table when everything else is rich and heavy.
Table of Contents
Recipe at a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Skill level: Easy
Ingredient Notes
For the Salad
- Baby Spinach: I recommend buying this in a clam shell so it’s already washed and dry.
- Feta Cheese: Don’t buy pre-crumbled feta as it’s often dry and will fall right to the bottom of the bowl. Look for one in a block and crumble it yourself. (I love creamy sheep milk feta.) Crumbled goat cheese is also great on this salad.
- Candied Pecans: You can use store-bought candied pecans or, even better, make these Praline Pecans (easy stovetop recipe).
For the Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Red Wine Vinegar: It’s worth buying a good quality red wine vinegar. Some of the cheaper varieties are harshly acidic.
- Shallot: Look for a small, firm shallot bulb. Fresh shallots have similar, but more delicate flavor to red onion.
- Fresh Raspberries: You want fresh, vibrantly red raspberries.
- Raspberry Preserves: Look for raspberry preserves where “raspberries” is the first ingredient.
- Honey: I like to use a mild, local honey for this vinaigrette.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Use any good quality extra-virgin olive oil that you’d gladly dip your bread into.
Why This Recipe Works
- Sieved dressing: Pressing the vinaigrette through a fine-mesh sieve removes the seeds and gives you a smooth, restaurant-quality texture that coats the leaves beautifully.
- Two-stage tossing: Coating the leaves with dressing first, then adding the toppings, keeps the heavier ingredients from sinking straight to the bottom of the bowl.
How to Make Spinach Salad with Feta and Candied Pecans
Make the dressing: Blend vinegar, shallot, raspberries, preserves, and honey while slowly streaming in olive oil, then press through a fine-mesh sieve.
Assemble and serve: Toss the spinach with a light coating of dressing in a large bowl. Top with feta, candied pecans, and fresh raspberries; serve right away.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can make the Raspberry Vinaigrette up to a week in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container, though you may need to whisk or shake it to re-emulsify before serving. Once you’ve tossed the spinach with the vinaigrette, it’s best to serve the salad immediately.
More Delicious Spinach Salads
Spinach Salad with Feta and Candied Pecans
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 small shallot coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries (plus more for serving; below)
- 2 teaspoons raspberry preserves
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1/2 cup candied pecans coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
To Make the Dressing:
- Combine red wine vinegar, shallot, raspberries, raspberry preserves, and honey in a blender pitcher; blend until smooth.
- With the blender running, slowly stream in the olive oil and blend until the dressing emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into a small pitcher, pressing with the back of a spoon to catch the seeds. (see recipe note #1)
For the Salad:
- Add the spinach to a large salad bowl and lightly drizzle with dressing, just enough to coat (see recipe note #2). Toss gently to dress the leaves without bruising.
- Add a touch more dressing if needed, then scatter the candied pecans, cheese, and raspberries over the top. Serve right away.
Notes
- If you don’t mind seeds, you can skip the step of straining them out.
- Tossing the spinach by itself first keeps the toppings from sinking to the bottom. Start with a light coat of dressing; you can always add more once everything is assembled.
- The recipe makes about ¾ cup dressing, so you may have extra. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use within one week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
