Quinoa, Pomegranate and Spinach Salad
Spinach, Quinoa And Pomegranate Salad
This quinoa, pomegranate and spinach salad makes a colorful fall side salad or a light meal.
It is fresh, crisp and nutritious. Paired with homemade balsamic vinaigrette, which brings all ingredients together and makes the salad perfectly delicious! I made it for a quick lunch the other day and just couldn’t stop taking pictures of it. Then of course I had a hard time choosing pictures to post, since it looked colorful and beautiful.
Spinach, Quinoa And Pomegranate Salad
It is really easy to throw together, too. Almost no chopping involved and it can be stored in the fridge in air tight container without the dressing on for 2-3 days.
Pomegranates are in season, I just bought a dozen, because I love them and it is the perfect time to just build a salad around them.
For this salad I used baby spinach, pomegranate, quinoa, apple, onions and blue cheese. Then I felt adding some extra crunch will be nice, so I added a handful of candied pecans I had in my pantry. It worked fine, adding the nuts created a depth of flavor. A simple, but very balanced combination -blue cheese brought creaminess, light sweetness from the pomegranate, crisp apple and some mild red onion flavor. This salad is totally customizable, just feel free to add what you like. Well, you know I love quinoa, so I had to add some. It basically added some protein and made the salad more filling.
Spinach, Quinoa And Pomegranate Salad
The salad is loaded with nutritious ingredients, perfect for the colder time of the year, when we tend to forget the importance of eating more fruits and veggies, to help keep our immune system in a good shape.
This Quinoa, Pomegranate and Spinach salad could be a great choice for your holiday menu, too! Enjoy!
Spinach, Quinoa And Pomegranate Salad
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Quinoa , Pomegranate and Spinach Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups baby spinach rinsed
- 1/2 apple chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa — (see how to cook here)
- 1/4 chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
- optional: a handful of toasted — (or candied) pecans
Dressing:
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup — (honey or agave nectar can be substituted)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Salad:
-
In a medium bowl place spinach, then top with quinoa, pomegranate, onions, apple and blue cheese. Add candied (or toasted) pecans (optional).
Dressing:
-
Whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl to blend well.
-
Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.
I think you might just have made my perfect salad. I just love pomegranate in salad. It gives it extra texture and a night little zing too. I love it. Great recipe 🙂 I am going to share on Twitter.
I’m glad you like it Dannii!
I wish I were having this for lunch today!! So gorgeous.
Thanks Joanne!
What a beautiful salad, Mira! I love all of the colors and flavors in this dish. I’ve never cooked with pomegranate seeds before, but I love their flavor! Such a great salad! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning Gayle!
YUM YUM YUM! this salad is screaming my name right now! absolutely de-lish pinned!
Thanks Michele!
This salad is so bright and pretty 🙂 It would make the perfect meal/side dish at any meal! Pinned 🙂
Thanks for pinning Ceara!
I love everything about this gorgeous salad! The apples and pomegranate make this so pretty and festive and perfect for fall! Love the pictures too!
Thanks Kelly!
This is a gorgeous looking salad Mira! Love how bright and colorful it is. Pinned! n gorgeous pictures like always!
Thanks Manali!
YUM!! Doesn’t this look delicious!! Talk about beautiful, healthy food! What a great way to nourish your body! I NEED This in my life!!! #perfectlunch #lovelydinner 🙂
Thanks Cailee! I knew you were gonna like it!
Wow! I am digging your photography! Just beautiful… And this salad – divine! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Annie!
I love the candied pecan addition to the salad, not that all the beautiful flavors you combined aren’t enough, but the candied pecans are really the icing on the cake! Pomegranates are my favorite salad ad-on. They are so much color, life, texture and zip to a salad. Plus, it’s so hard to eat healthily around the holidays, that I love having a salad such as this lined up for the Friday and weekend after Thanksgiving. Helps me to bounce back. Love the red onion in here too =)
Yeah Laura, the pecans were a great addition! I like to eat salads the day before and after Thanksgiving, just to make sure I’m not over eating!
Mira, I love the bright colors and flavor combinations you included in this salad! We always have pomegranates in the house in the winter and have the greatest time extracting the seeds. I just bought some rainbow quinoa from Trader Joe’s and can’t wait to try this! Your pictures are really stunning…
Thanks Heather! Pomegranates are great for winter!
Wow! Beautiful salad! I’m sure it tastes just as delicious! 🙂
Thanks Valya!
I forget to eat salads in this chilly weather, but I love how seasonal this one is, think this might be tomorrow’s lunch.
I hope you like it Janette!
Love this! I’ve been so obsessed with quinoa lately and this is right up my alley.
Thanks Katya! I love quinoa, too!
Ahhh such a pretty salad and so are the pictures Mira. I bet it’s delicious too.
Thanks Kathy! Yeah, it was light and delicious!
Delicious salad. I am crazy about pomegranate lately:)
Thanks Ilona!
What a great idea to add quinoa to a salad to make it more filling! I have everything for this right now and will definitely be trying it, I love all the colours, so pretty!
THANKS STACEY!
Wow! This salad looks fantastic! And your pictures just POP!! 🙂
Thanks a lot Renee!
The salad is so beautiful and I like the flavor of the dressing! Pomegranate is not in season here, but think I’ll make a gorgeous salad even without it! Pinned! 🙂
Thanks Maggie 🙂 you can definitely skip the pomegranate and add something of your choice or even leave it as it is 🙂
Great dish ….love the healthy and yummy combination <3
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Thanks!
So colorful and healthy! This would make a fabulous Thanksgiving salad.
Thanks Linda!
This really looks like the perfect salad! So beautiful, nutritious and delicious!
Such a colorful, healthy, and delicious salad recipe, Mira! I could eat this salad every day!