Spinach Salad with Warm Citrus Bacon Vinaigrette
Here’s a refreshing Baby Spinach Salad recipe with spinach, mango, raspberries and red onion, all tossed in a warm, citrus vinaigrette.
- 2 slices bacon
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ medium Granny Smith apple, (thinly sliced)
- 4 cups bagged, pre-washed baby spinach
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup chopped peeled mango
- 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, (toasted)
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
- Cook the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan; crumble. Discard the drippings.
- Add the orange juice, brandy, vinegar, and honey to the pan; cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Stir in the bacon, salt, and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the water and lemon juice. Add the apple; toss to coat. Remove the apple from the bowl with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add the spinach, onion, and mango to the apple. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, and toss gently to coat.
- Arrange about 2¼ cups of the salad on each of 2 plates; top each serving with 1½ teaspoons walnuts and half the raspberries. Serve immediately.
Sometimes you want a salad that has all kinds of goodies in it that regular ol’ salads just don’t have. That’s this salad! It’s filled with fruit, and I absolutely love the bacon dressing it’s tossed in too. The warm vinaigrette very slightly softens the spinach, so it’s not so tough. This is one delicious salad.
bacon
orange juice
brandy
red wine vinegar
honey
salt and pepper
lemon juice
Granny Smith apple
fresh baby spinach leaves
red onion
fresh mango
chopped walnuts
fresh raspberries
How to make a Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Citrus Bacon Vinaigrette:
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette, and toss gently to coat.
How to toast walnuts:
Since you’ll only need a tablespoon of chopped walnuts for this recipe, the best way too toast them is in a skillet. Place a skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the chopped walnuts. Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant and toasted. Remove from the pan to a cutting board or paper towel to let cool.
The Best Salad Recipes:
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
