Years ago, I used to be really finicky with my salads. As in, veggies only. What do you mean you put fruit with greens in a salad? I used to think this was odd and so wrong. Again, perhaps this is derived from salads my Mom made when I was young, they were always the traditional veggies-only types.
My perceptions changed when I finally tried a salad with berries in it, perhaps Moms everywhere are right when they say you really don’t know until you try it. Go figure.
Flash forward to now and I love experimenting with different combinations of fruit in my salads. It really is a great way to boost those vitamins for the day, and adds that special sweetness to crisp fresh veggies.
One huge love of mine is this Spinach and Fruit Salad, which my mother in law introduced me to last year. It marries spinach with mandarin oranges, blueberries, feta cheese and red onion with the sweet tanginess of a raspberry vinaigrette. Really, it’s the greatest combination.
After an extremely long Winter of comforting meals and hearty dishes, I’m lightening up for Spring and bring more salads onto my plate. Spinach and Fruit Salad was the first to be made when the temps rose last weekend. Hello good friend!
You can bookmark and print off the recipe below, which is mainly just a list of ingredients with no measurements. The beauty of this salad recipe is that you can have as little or as much of each, as you wish. I tend to go light on the red onion {kids request}, and heavy on the fruits. That though, is totally up to you – enjoy!
- Fresh Spinach
- Blueberries
- Mandarin Orange slices
- Red Onion sliced
- Feta Cheese
- Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Add the spinach, fruits, onion and cheese to a large bowl and toss to gently mix.
- Add desired amount of Raspberry Vinaigrette {I find a little does go a long way} and again toss to blend.
- Serve ... easy right?
Looking for more Spinach recipes?
- Spinach Salad Bites
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Spinach & Goat Cheese Quesadillas
- Spinach & Cheese Egg Muffins
- Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells
- Spinach Mushroom Crepes
Stacie says
03/14/2014 at 7:02 amI was the same way as you and only used veggies in my salad. It’s amazing how good fruit tastes in a salad! I love berries like you, but I’ve also tried salads with apples and they are also good!
Tammi says
03/14/2014 at 9:26 amNever tried apples! i need to add them next time!
Stacey says
03/14/2014 at 7:55 amI just started using fruit in my salads as an adult. There was something about the fruit and veggie combo that was just a no-no when we were growing up; now it just makes sense. One of my favourites is pomegranate seeds, red onion, almond slivers and creamy poppy-seed dressing…I could eat that daily, if it weren’t for the pain of getting out the seeds.
Tammi says
03/14/2014 at 9:27 amOhhhh, yes! That sounds delish! I’ve never tired pomegranate seeds before, they don’t last long in this house to add them! lol
Victoria Ess says
03/14/2014 at 7:57 amThis looks so refreshing! I love using spinach as the base for my salads.
Tammi says
03/14/2014 at 9:28 amAlways! I’ve been hiding spinach in foods for years! lol
Jody says
03/14/2014 at 8:08 amI love fruit in my salads – this looks like a great combination of flavors, I’m sure my whole family would love this one.
Tammi says
03/14/2014 at 9:29 amMandarins & blueberries are a great combo. The entire taste is like no other. Love it!
Cupcakes & Crossbones says
03/14/2014 at 8:29 amYummy and healthy! Perfect!
Tammi says
03/14/2014 at 9:29 amMmmmm!
Chandra Christine O'Connor says
03/14/2014 at 8:32 amyummy throw in some dried cranberries too with spinach so good
Tammi says
03/14/2014 at 9:30 amOhh, great idea!
Teresa Claire says
03/14/2014 at 9:57 amI haven’t tried fruit with my veggie salads but I will print this one off and try it. I love spinach and berries are an everyday food for me. I actually have all of the ingredients at the moment…will make a super healthy lunch. Thank you, Tammi and btw…the pictures are amazing! I never seem to be able to take an appetizing photo of food.
Jo-Anna says
03/14/2014 at 9:57 amMmm this salad looks so fresh & delicious! The perfect winter pick me up!!
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion says
03/14/2014 at 5:48 pmBeautiful, vibrant and healthy spinach with fruits. I just love this combination:)
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:25 amIt’s so good and looks pretty too! 🙂
Stephanie @ Spaceships and Laser Beams says
03/15/2014 at 6:00 amLove this! A healthy delicious treat! 🙂
nikki robak says
03/15/2014 at 6:24 amnot a big fan of spinich, but this sounds pretty good
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:27 amIt’s very good, you need to give it a try!!
Christy Martin says
03/15/2014 at 6:29 amLooks so spring-like! We will entertaining quite a few next weekend and this would be perfect for the kids and the adults would love it too! Thanks for the idea.
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:28 amYou are very welcome Christy!
Elizabeth D. says
03/15/2014 at 7:59 amThat sounds really good. Years ago I read an article that said the healthiest salads have foods from the five colour groups i.e. green, white, red, orange/yellow, purple/blue and I started putting more effort into making more colourful salads which of course meant more fruit in them. It was wonderful and resulted in such tasty salads and no end to the possibilities. I see that the salad you made hits all those marks:
Green = spinach
White = feta cheese
Orange/yellow = mandarin orange
Red = red onion
Purple/blue = blueberries
It’s no magic formula, but it does make you think about what you’re preparing instead of making the same old boring salads every day. Your salad looks great. I’ll have to give it a try as it’s getting warmer here and I’m starting to think of salads for meals again. 😀
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:29 amThat is one excellent way of looking at this Elizabeth! I need to use this method more often!!
Ester G says
03/15/2014 at 8:35 amI love mixing fruit into my salad. Another nice combination is thinly sliced watermelon with thousand island dressing
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:30 amFunny you should mention that – I think Thousand Island dressing was the ONLY dressing I’d eat as a kid. Probably for a lot of year cause now, i just can’t. lol Watermelon is a great idea though, I need to try this addition next time!
Nicole W. says
03/15/2014 at 11:17 amI loooove spinach and strawberry salads with feta cheese and some sort of nut (usually sliced almonds or pieces of walnuts). I recently purchased a black cherry balsamic vinegar from a local olive oil/balsamic place, and it’s delicious as a salad dressing! Will need to give mandarin oranges and blueberries a try next time!
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:30 amI would love to add nuts sometimes yet, with my husbands allergies, I don’t even consider it anymore. Boo! lol
Florence C says
03/15/2014 at 6:20 pmSalads can be delicious. I like adding different fruits, nuts and cheese to them all the time. I use mostly spinach.
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:31 amSame here Florence, the darker leaf, the better for you!
Holly Wright says
03/15/2014 at 7:53 pmThis salad looks delicious, I never would have thought to mix spinach a fruit!
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:31 amHa! Happy I’m not the only one that thought it was ‘odd’ for so long!
😉
Soozle says
03/16/2014 at 8:57 amSounds perfect 🙂 I love a fruit and spinach salad!
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:31 amThey are so delish!!
cheryl says
03/16/2014 at 8:08 pmive never thought about using fruit in a salad! This sound so tasty and seems like a perfect combo of sweet, savory mmm!
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:32 amIt’s delicious!!
Shannon Gnocato says
03/18/2014 at 2:14 amI love the mix of fruit in my salads – I try a bunch of different variations to mix it up every now and then.
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:33 amNice! I’d love to hear what your favourite combinations are!!
[email protected] of Laughter says
03/18/2014 at 11:24 amThis looks so good Tammi! I love the blueberries in it! Such a fresh twist on a great spring salad! Have a great week! Angie xo
Tammi says
03/19/2014 at 6:32 amThank you Angie! 🙂
Heidi C. says
03/22/2014 at 8:08 pmThis salad sounds and looks so fresh and tasty! Perfect for the start of spring (even if the weather isn’t cooperating).
Sydney says
03/23/2014 at 7:43 pmThis looks delicious! so healthy. I love spinach salads, Kale is great too.
sweetkeet says
06/27/2014 at 12:32 pmGreat light meal, full of flavour and nutrients! Since I’m not a fan of feta, I might try ricotta instead.
Terry Perron says
01/21/2015 at 7:27 pmThis looks great just printed, will be making very soon, but I will also add Strawberries.
Wanda Tracey says
06/20/2015 at 8:42 pmI love salads and when they have fruit in them they look double refreshing and delicious looking.Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Elena says
11/23/2015 at 5:18 pmI didn’t realize you had all these great salad recipes on your site! I love fruits in my salad and I have one everyday for lunch. I have a major sweet tooth though, so it makes the salad much more appealing for me.