Five ingredients. Five minutes.
This spinach salad tossed with lemon juice and olive oil with a surprise crunch from toasted pine nuts is a winner.
I realize claiming a salad ‘the best’ is risky. Let’s face it, there are some uh.maz.ing salads out there.
This one is a keeper, I promise.
I feel less cocky claiming this salad’s awesomeness since it’s not mine. One of my favorite peeps in the village introduced me to The Best Spinach Salad at a Christmas party she hosted last year. She and her sister, let’s call them the M-Sisters, are always full of goodness. As with most parties, the women folk gathered in the kitchen and while we were chatting, the M-Sisters asked me to whisk up the dressing for the salad. No problem, I thought, clearly unaware that I was about to eat a salad that I would soon dub The Best.
One of the best things about The Best Spinach Salad is its simplicity. I love the handful of ingredients – I bet you already have most on hand! Five simple ingredients and voilà you’ve got supper. The first basket of the season from our CSA Tecolote Farms arrived on Monday. The basket was overflowing with greens – heirloom spinach, arugula, baby lettuce mix, and curly cress. I tossed a healthy mix of all these greens into the salad last night. Husband and I toasted Tecolote Farms and the M-Sisters as we enjoyed The Best Spinach Salad.
PrintThe Best Spinach Salad
Ingredients
4–6 cups fresh spinach
1⁄4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbs fresh lemon juice (appx one lemon)
4 – 5 tbs extra virgin olive oil *
1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Squeeze the lemon into the bottom of a large serving bowl. Add olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Taste and add more lemon or olive oil to taste. Add salt and pepper.
Gently tear spinach and add to the bowl. Top with toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese. Toss and serve.
*The general rule of thumb for making a vinaigrette is a ratio of 3:1. 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, in this case lemon juice. I like this dressing lemony, so I use a more equal ratio.
Also, did you know you should keep pine nuts in the freezer? They go rancid quickly, so keep them in the freezer to prolong their perfect flavor.
Love,
Kristin
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Thanks for the recipe! I have a huge amount of spinach in my fridge and will eat this for lunch!
Yummy – thank you all for this tasty treat!
Out the door to Marble Falls. Perfect salad for guests tomorrow night. Perfect!
Thank you.
The biggest M sister’s daughter, Patricia, actually made this one up!!!! Love it!!!
xoxoxo
I’ve never tried eating spinach before. But I’ve seen tons of sites sharing different recipes of it. Is it that good? Well, guess I need to find it myself. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Getting older sure made me very health conscious. The fact that I was not use to eating veggies led me to search delicious recipes. I agree about the simplicity of the salad’s presentation and recipe. I am glad that it is that easy to make. I am sure I will enjoy this.
I’m slightly jealous of your CSA and all the produce you already had in April! I’m in the Seattle area and our farmer’s market has only been open for a couple of weeks. I keep all nuts and seeds in the freezer to keep them fresh and avoid rancidity.