Autumn Spinach Salad, the best fall salad recipe with fresh spinach, blue cheese, pecans, red onion, pear, and an easy sweetened dijon vinaigrette.
This post is sponsored by SPLENDA®. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting brands I love so I can keep bringing you more fabulous recipes!
Fall is here, and I have a fabulous Autumn Spinach Salad for you all today. Full of fresh flavors like baby spinach, toasted nuts, crumbled blue cheese, red onion slices, fresh pear, and mixed with an easy homemade dijon vinaigrette sweetened with SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener. This spinach salad is like Autumn in a bowl. You will want to put this salad not only on your holiday menu, but your weekly menu!
Hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner, isn’t it? I’m super excited about all the holiday baking and cooking; actually, I’ve already gotten started. That’s not strange, right? This year is going to be a little different for me. Unfortunately, I had a small scare at the doctor’s office earlier this year. Everything turned out ok, but knowing diabetes and other conditions run in my family, I knew I had to take my health a bit more seriously.
Conducting a healthy lifestyle is a daily struggle, but I’m doing great. I have my occasional setbacks, but I’m eating healthier, exercising more, and watching my sugar intake. I’m eating a lot more fresh fruits and vegetables, and less sugar and desserts on a daily basis. I know, no fun right? Wrong! I feel better than ever and there are so many food possibilities. I’m still enjoying some treats on occasion, but I’m eating better on a regular basis and swapping out sugar where I can.
When I agreed to swap out sugar for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products I was excited to come up with a few recipes. It’s so easy to swap out sugar with SPLENDA® Sweetener Products. No strange formulas to follow when changing recipes, and no extra ingredients to add when using it for cooking or baking. The products bake, cook, and pour just like sugar and there’s fewer calories. Couldn’t be easier.
With all the upcoming holiday baking and cooking, who couldn’t use a little more “easy” in their life? SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, and SPLENDA® Sugar Blend are all good substitutes to swap for sugar in all your favorite recipes. Want to start swapping your sugar? Sweet Swaps is a great site to check out with lots of tips, tricks, and recipes about swapping out the sugar in your diet.
So let’s talk about this Autumn Spinach Salad recipe! I’ve been making this salad and vinaigrette for years. This spinach salad is bursting with flavor and fresh ingredients including loads of fresh spinach, toasted pecans, sliced fresh pears, crumbled blue cheese, and red onion slices. How easy is that? It’s the perfect fall dish. It’s a great side dish for any meal OR as a main dish. You could even add a little precooked chicken for a heartier main dish.
After you get your salad together, make the vinaigrette in a separate bowl. Typically, there’s a lot of added sugar in the dressing. I generally use granulated sugar, but I thought I’d swap out the sugar in the recipe for SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener.
The salad dressing is super easy and only takes a few minutes to put together. Most of the ingredients you probably have in your house. The salad turned out fabulous! I really couldn’t tell the difference without the sugar and neither could my family. It was just as delicious as ever. There’s a good chance that if you’re at my house this fall you’ll be having this salad. :)
Here’s to a healthy and happy holiday season! Hope you enjoy my Autumn Spinach Salad!
Be sure to check SPLENDA® products out on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Follow the fun with #SweetSwaps and post your own sweet swaps! Can’t wait to see what you all come up with!
Autumn Spinach Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Salad:
- 12 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves washed & dried (about 12 cups)
- 2 ripe pears cored & thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves toasted
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 small red onion peeled & thinly sliced
Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener granulated
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl, toss together spinach, pear slices, pecan halves, blue cheese, and red onion sliced until well combined.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, SPLENDA<sup>®</sup>, mustard, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in olive oil until well combined.
- Pour desired amount of dressing over salad, and toss to combine. Serve with any remaining dressing.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
About Lisa Huff
Lisa Huff is a Cookbook Author, Freelance Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Blogger/Writer, and award-winning home chef. She loves creating unique recipes from healthy to decadent including cocktails, appetizers, main dishes, dessert recipes and more and has appeared on various shows, publications, and websites.
Delicious salad! Was immediately asked to bring to another Christmas dinner!
So nice to hear, thank you! :)
Looks super easy and super yum! thanks! :)
What a lovely salad! I love fall salads with pears! So smart! And a simple dressing to boot! perfect!
Thanks Wendi!