Spinach Salad with Pears, Cranberries, and Candied Pecans is a refreshing autumnal salad that’s an ideal addition to your fall menu!
The standard Thanksgiving desk is loaded with carb-heavy dishes. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, salads drenched in sweetened whipped cream, dinner rolls, pies, and extra! Fall Salad Recipes will be the proper more healthy addition, particularly one with fabulous autumn flavors!
Why You Should Make
- This Spinach Salad with Pears, Cranberries, and Candied Pecans is tossed with a maple French dressing.
- A inexperienced salad is an ideal technique to stability out the carb loading that’s typical of many fall meals (like Thanksgiving!).
- This salad dressing with a contact of maple syrup is extremely scrumptious and memorable!
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Freshly Floor Black Pepper, Brown Sugar, Butter
- Balsamic Vinegar – I wish to buy an 18-year-old balsamic. It’s candy and syrupy and can make a world of distinction in your salad dressing.
- Complete Grain Mustard – I exploit Gray Poupon.
- Maple Syrup – Use actual maple syrup, not artificially flavored.
- Pecan Halves – In the event that they aren’t the freshest, you’ll be able to gently warmth them in a dry nonstick pan to convey out their important oils (extra taste!)
- Purple Onion – See tip under.
- Dried Cranberries (Craisins) – Mine have been just a little outdated so I briefly rehydrated them by including them to a bowl full of some sizzling water from my teapot. Dried cherries would even be scrumptious on this salad.
- Child Spinach – The leaves and stems are extra tender than common spinach. Snip off any thicker stems if desired.
- Agency Pears – Bosc or Bartlett. Quarter, core, and reduce into skinny slices. Do that as near serving time as attainable to attenuate browning. See tip under.
How one can Make
Recipe Suggestions
- This salad dressing with a contact of maple syrup is a brand new favourite. It’s extremely tasty. Be happy to shake up the number of nuts. Use walnuts or hazelnuts when you favor.
- PRO-Tip: When making the salad dressing, slowly whisk the oil into the opposite substances. Whisking constantly will emulsify the dressing, which suggests it would maintain the oil from separating from the remainder of the substances.
- Toss in some blue cheese if you need a heartier salad. It pairs effectively with pears.
- PRO-Tip: To take a few of the chew out of the onions, soak them in ice water whilst you prep the remainder of the salad. Drain and pat dry earlier than including to the salad.
- PRO-Tip: The pears will oxidize (flip brown) as soon as they’re sliced. It’s greatest to chop them proper earlier than serving. Drizzling with an acidic combination just like the salad dressing will assist decelerate oxidation if it’s good to prep forward of time.
- You may glaze the pecans early within the day in order that step shall be out of the way in which.
Steadily Requested Questions
In addition to pears, strive including in some apples, cooked squash or candy potato cubes to your salads. Roasting cauliflower, fennel, and different greens will convey out their sweetness making them salad worthy. Strive greens like arugula and child kale. Grains like rice, farro, and quinoa can be utilized as a substitute of lettuce as the bottom of an autumn salad.
A maple French dressing is at all times successful. The sweetness of maple syrup balances out the acidity of the vinegar. Or strive lowering some apple cider till syrupy for extra sweetness.
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Elements
Salad dressing:
- ½ cup additional virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons entire grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
Candied pecans:
- ⅔ cup pecans
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salad:
- 1 cup thinly sliced crimson onion
- ⅓ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 8 cups child spinach
- 2 agency pears Bosc or Bartlett, unpeeled, quartered, cored and reduce into skinny slices
Directions
- To make salad dressing, mix the vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
- Drizzle in olive oil whereas whisking always. Put aside.
- To sweet the nuts, soften butter in a saucepan. Toss in pecans and blend until coated. Add brown sugar and prepare dinner, stirring, until caramelized. Place on parchment to chill.
- To assemble the salad, toss spinach, onions, and pears with dressing (rewhisk as wanted).
- Prime salad with cranberries and pecans.
Notes
Impressed by The New Thanksgiving Desk by Diane Morgan.
It’s possible you’ll soften your cranberries in a little bit of salad dressing earlier than including to salad, if desired.
Beneficial Merchandise
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Vitamin Info:
Yield:
8
Serving Measurement:
1 bowl
Quantity Per Serving:
Energy: 286Complete Fats: 23gSaturated Fats: 4gTrans Fats: 0gUnsaturated Fats: 18gLdl cholesterol: 8mgSodium: 329mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
