Spinach Salad With Cranberries, Apple, Feta, Bacon & Pecan Nuts

This is a really nice salad to accompany a BBQ.

The apple provides a nice crunch to the spinach base.  The cranberries, feta & bacon add a wonderful mix of flavours to the salad.  Topped with toffee toasted pecan nuts for that extra crunch and taste and you have a great salad to accompany a BBQ meal on those balmy summer evenings.

There is also a vinaigrette to accompany this salad.  The vinaigrette has a mild salty mustard taste that blends perfectly with the salad.  However for those that don’t like a salad dressing, this is a great salad on it’s own.

Print Recipe

Spinach Salad With Cranberries, Apple, Feta, Bacon & Pecan Nuts

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 300 g Baby Spinach
• 1/2 Red Onion thinly sliced
• 8 slices Short Cut Bacon diced
• 250 g Feta Cheese crumbled
• 100 g Dried Cranberries
• 2 Apples halved, cored & thinly sliced

Toffee Pecan Nuts

• 1 cup Pecan Nuts chopped
• 1/3 cup White Sugar
• Cayenne Pepper pinch only
• Salt to taste

Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil use extra virgin
• 1 clove Garlic crushed
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp White Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Pepper to taste

Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Servings people Ingredients 300 g Baby Spinach 1/2 Red Onion thinly sliced 8 slices Short Cut Bacon diced 250 g Feta Cheese crumbled 100 g Dried Cranberries 2 Apples halved, cored & thinly sliced Toffee Pecan Nuts 1 cup Pecan Nuts chopped 1/3 cup White Sugar Cayenne Pepper pinch only Salt to taste Vinaigrette 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar 1/2 cup Olive Oil use extra virgin 1 clove Garlic crushed 2 tsp Dijon Mustard 1 tsp White Sugar 1/2 tsp Salt Pepper to taste

Instructions

Vinaigrette

1. In a pouring jug, mix the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, mustard sugar, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Toffee Pecan Nuts

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Spread pecan nuts onto a baking tray and toast in oven for approx 6-8 minutes until lightly toasted.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, add sugar, cayenne pepper and salt. Cook until sugar liquefies.
4. Add toasted pecan nuts and stir to coat with the sugar mixture.
5. Remove nuts from saucepan and allow to cool completely on baking paper. Note: leaving the nuts to cool in the saucepan will make them very difficult to remove as they will stick to the base of the saucepan.

Salad Assembly

1. In a large serving bowl, start with the spinach as the base then progressively add the remaining ingredients: onion, apple, bacon, feta, cranberries & pecan nuts.
2. Toss to mix through.
3. Serve with the vinaigrette alongside for people to optionally add. Note: this is a nice salad even without the vinaigrette.