Quinoa, Pomegranate and Spinach 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.

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.

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!

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4.80 from 5 votes

Quinoa , Pomegranate and Spinach Salad

By Lyubomira from CookingLSL

This quinoa, pomegranate and spinach salad makes a colorful fall side salad or a light meal.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Total: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 1

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Ingredients 

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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.

Nutrition

Calories: 912kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 84g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 741mg, Potassium: 633mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 5680IU, Vitamin C: 24.2mg, Calcium: 113mg, Iron: 3.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

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