This spinach apple salad with goat cheese can be made in a variety of different ways and you can swap or add ingredients as desired to build your perfect salad. Every great salad starts with a base of leafy greens with a mixture of chopped nuts, fruit or vegetables, and cheese on top so you don’t have to stick to the exact ingredients outlined in this recipe. If spinach really isn’t to your liking, for example, you can easily swap this out for another salad green for your base.
Some chefs will add ingredients like dried cranberries to this salad to introduce a touch of sweetness to the overall flavor profile. Fresh pomegranate seeds would also complement the apple, walnut, and goat cheese in this salad. The type of apple you select will affect the final taste too. A combination of sweet Pink Lady apples and tart Granny Smith apples can bring a nice balance to the dish. For a different dressing, you can use a topping like balsamic vinegar glaze, in place of the apple cider vinaigrette dressing shared in the recipe above, for a sweeter finish.
It’s worth taking the time to toast the walnuts. While this adds an extra preparation step, toasting helps to enhance the flavors of the walnuts, and introduces a pleasant crunch and additional texture to your salad.
For more ideas on how to elevate or twist your salad, look to a few of the top Michelin star chefs for inspiration, with tips like using a Champagne vinaigrette to add a touch of gourmet to your greens.
How to Serve it
In the recipe shared above, we’ve outlined a simple serving method using a delicious spinach salad dressing to serve. You can plate the salad up individually or leave it in a large salad bowl and place it in the center of the table for guests to help themselves for a more convivial atmosphere. If you like your cheese with a side of cheese, then you can crumble even more goat cheese on top of the salad. It’s an appetizing salad as a lighter main course, or can be served alongside mains like classic pasta. If you’re serving it as a main course, you may like to add a protein-based element such as roast chicken or grilled tofu for a heartier dish. Grilled salmon would also pair well with these flavors if you’d prefer a seafood option.
Storage
If you choose to store the salad, you shouldn’t add the dressing to the salad before doing so. If you mix it with the dressing it’ll become soggy during storage. If you keep the salad and the dressing separate, the salad will keep for a couple of days in the fridge in an airtight container, and the sauce can last for up to a week when stored correctly too. Any leftover salad that’s been out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours should be discarded to avoid any food-borne illness.
