This Blackberry Spinach Salad is one of the easiest salads you’ll ever make. Topped with a ginger lime vinaigrette, or your own favorite vinaigrette, this salad packs a powerful punch on flavor while delivering a nourishing and satisfying salad for your meal.
Spinach salad comes in many forms, from fresh to wilted with a variety of toppings – like strawberries, bacon, cheese, walnuts, and my favorite – blackberries! It’s one of the healthiest things to put on a salad. And when you catch them in season, blackberries are affordable as well as sweet and juicy. Nutritionally, they deliver on vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. All the more reason to top your spinach salad with blackberries.
How to make spinach salad with blackberries:
- Make the vinaigrette – I find it easiest to make the vinaigrette first. That gives it time to blend flavors together for a more flavorful dressing. The ginger lime vinaigrette comes together quickly and easily.
- Gather your salad ingredients and clean the spinach, if needed, and blackberries. Toast the almonds in the oven while you prep the spinach and blackberries.
- Assemble the salad and top with ginger lime vinaigrette or the vinaigrette of your choice. It’s really that easy to make this simple spinach salad!
How healthy is spinach salad?
Wondering about the health benefits of blackberry spinach salad? Let’s break it down by some of the ingredients.
- Spinach – It’s one of many nutritional stars in the leafy green vegetable category. For starters, it’s very low in calories with only 7 calories per cup according to the USDA. It’s rich in a wide array of essential nutrients like vitamins A and C, magnesium, vitamin K, iron, and folate. It also provides a good amount of other nutrients like potassium, B vitamins, and calcium. However, it’s high oxalate content can inhibit absorption of iron and calcium. To combat that, have a source of vitamin C alongside it to increase absorption.
- Blackberries – That leads us to blackberries, which are an excellent source of vitamin C! They’re also high in fiber, manganese, and rich in antioxidants.
- Almonds – These crunchy gems provide a rich supply of heart healthy fats, vitamin E, magnesium, and protein. And they can help you feel full for a longer period of time.
- Feta cheese – While feta cheese can be high in sodium, it also provides a calcium and protein to the mix. If you’re concerned about sodium, feel free to leave it out or substitute a lower sodium cheese instead.
How to Make it a Meal
While Blackberry Spinach Salad makes a great side dish, there are ways you can customize it to make it your main course:
- Top it with shredded chicken or tuna! I like to use leftover rotisserie chicken this way.
- Use it as the base for a grain bowl. Just add in your favorite grain, like quinoa or farro, and your choice of protein.
- For a vegan main course, substitute the feta cheese with cubed tofu and add more nuts to it. And substitue the honey with maple syrup or another plant-based type syrup.
However you decide to serve this salad, you’ll love the bright, fresh flavors it brings to your meal. Enjoy!
Easy Blackberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 3 c fresh spinach
- 1 c blackberries
- 2 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/4 c Feta cheese, crumbled
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp fresh minced or grated ginger
- 1 pinch red pepper (optional)
- 1 pinch kosher salt (taste before adding)
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Toast the sliced almond
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Place sliced almonds on a small baking sheet in a single layer.
- Toast almonds in the heated oven for 6 to 7 minutes, until fragrant. Watch carefully as almonds burn easily. Remove from oven and let cool.
Make the vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, honey, lime juice, fresh ginger, red pepper and salt (if using). Slowly whisk in the olive oil until combined.
Assemble the salad
- Clean the spinach and blackberries.
- For each salad, place in a bowl 1 1/2 c. spinach, 1/2 cup blackberries, 1 Tbsp. sliced, toasted almonds, and 2 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese.
- Top with prepared vinaigrette just before serving. **
Notes
