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.)
Nutmeg Nanny says
What an amazing looking salad! I love the addition of fresh fall pears….yum!
Lisa Huff says
thanks! :)
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Good for you for swapping out the sugar! This is a beautiful salad and can imagine how tasty, too! Love the simple dressing! Great!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Patricia!
Pam Nobu says
Can’t wait to make this tonight. Lucky me, I just happen to have all the ingredients. I’ve been craving Ambler Farm Maple syrup though so I may swap it in as my sweetener. Thanks Lisa!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Pam!
Tina says
Wonderful idea Lisa! Never thought to use Splenda in dressing! Now I’m hungry for a yummy salad!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Tina!
Peggy Garbus says
Dear Snappy Gourmet,
This is one of my all time favorite salad combinations and I’m glad to see this recipe using Splenda. Good for the tastebuds; even better for the waist-line! Can’t wait to serve it to my family!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Peggy, hope you enjoy!
Marye says
Oh wow, this salad looks so yummy! I love pears and pecans together!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Marye! I love pears and pecans too. :)
Sofia says
I love spinach salad and this recipe looks so delicious!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Sofia!
LindaB says
This looks great, Lisa! I am planning to test out the dressing recipe soon. I love Splenda and have been using it in place of sugar in many of the recipes I’ve made over the past few years.
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Linda! Happy to hear you enjoy Splenda. :)
Anna says
Nice way to slash calories without missing them.
To me, Splenda tastes best in things with a little tartness or acid. I used to make a really good barbecue sauce with it.
Lisa Huff says
Thanks! BBQ sauce is a great idea!
Mary Bilyeu says
Looks gorgeous! The dressing is classic – no one would miss the sugar … :)
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Mary! My family definitely didn’t miss the sugar. :)
Veronica Callaghan says
I think this looks like it will be a family favorite!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Veronica! My family definitely enjoyed. :)
Pamela Shank says
What a delicious salad. My husband says this will be his new favorite. We love all of these ingredients and he has been using Splenda for years. I can think of several recipes I can use this vinaigrette on. Thank you
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Pamela! Sounds like you have a very sweet husband! :)
Joan says
This looks delicious! I’m making this!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Joan, hope you enjoy!
Pat says
Sounds like the perfect fall salad.
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Pat!
Amy Gettler says
So pretty and seasonal! I also need to cut back on the family sugar intake – I haven’t used Splenda in a recipe yet but I think I’ll try it!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Amy! Hope you enjoy!