Pineapple Spinach Salad
Pineapple spinach salad is a fun twist on the traditional strawberry spinach salad. There’s pineapple in every bite…because who really wants to eat spinach?
The other day my 3-year-old daughter responded to a request with “Whatever, Mom.”
It was in that same moment that I noticed not one, but two pimples on her face. Like the 13-year-old kind. Chicken or the egg, my friends? Is her attitude making her pre-pubescent or the other way around? And where is my toddler??
In other news, I’m trying to be healthy lately. It’s the wrong time of year for that (hello, fall baking) but I’m making an effort for the sake of my love handles. They have developed their own personalities lately, and it’s time for me to end my relationship with them. (Although I must say, I won’t be dismissing them entirely. How else could I wave them at people, like Jennifer Lawrence does?)
This salad was born in the produce section. I mean, obviously, but I just mean that I was literally in the produce section at Safeway, staring at the 7-dollar boxes of strawberries and craving a strawberry spinach salad like nobody’s business. I couldn’t justify it, not in any part of my penny pinching brain. But then my eyes fell on a $2.99 pineapple and I thought, well, why not?
I really like how tangy this salad is. The pineapple, the feta, even the dressing. If it sounds like too much to you, omit the mustard from the dressing, or up the sugar. It’s such a simple dressing; you could put lots of different spins on it. Let me know if you try this out!
P.S. I’m doing a guest post for a friend this Friday! It involves steak. And goat cheese. You know you want in. Stay tuned!
Do you guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?
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Pineapple Spinach Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard, optional--taste it first
For the pecans:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
For the salad:
- 10-13 ounces spinach
- 1 pineapple, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 6 ounces feta
Instructions
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a mason jar or tupperware. Shake vigorously and set aside.
- In a small pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pecans and stir to coat. Add the brown sugar and stir again. Stir occasionally until the sugar starts to caramelize, about 2-5 minutes. Remove to a wax paper lined cookie sheet and let cool.
- In a large bowl add the spinach, pineapple, and feta. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the top with pecans and serve with the salad dressing (you might not use all of it).
Notes
Nutrition
Source: The Food Charlatan
This dressing goes great on pretty much everything.
More great salads!
Spinach Bleu Cheese Salad with Poppyseed Dressing:
Orange -Olive Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette:
More awesome salads from blogdom:
Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad from Cooking Classy
Peach and Arugula Caprese Salad from Love and Olive Oil
Caramelized Onion, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salad w/Maple Vinaigrette from NeighborFood
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Thank you for the wonderful pineapple spinach pecan salad, I added tomatoes and onion. It was delicious. The dressing, I added a little pineapple juice and also the dry mustard, oh wow, so good.
Love the idea of adding pineapple to the dressing Angela! Thanks for the suggestion!
Effortless and quick
I made it using tinned peaches instead of pineapple! Tinned peaches are not good for you(I’m not stupid), but I wanted to use them up as well as trying to make the spinach more palatable so very happy with the results
Haha! Not good for you but they sure are good ;) great swap Jess! Thanks for the idea!
I had some left over grilled pineapple, so made this salad. I added a bit of toasted coconut to increase the Hawaiian vibe. Delicious!
Omg!! Coconut! Grilled pineapple! That sounds amazing. Invite me to your next luau plz ;) Thanks for the ideas!
I had never made a spinach pineapple salad before and the first will certainly not be the last. We almost always have fresh pineapple in the fridge and fresh spinach as well. This was not only super delicious but a life saver for me as well. What? No salad makings for dinner? Just a patient container with the spinach. The only change I had to make was using goat cheese instead of feta. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Ooh this would be delicious with goat cheese! Great idea Laura! Man I wish I always had fresh pineapple in the fridge. :) Glad you liked it.
This salad was great. Took to Hawaiian get together and everyone loved it. Next time I would add a little more sugar to the dressing, because I have a sweet tooth, but everything was wonderful. Next time I will try strawberries. Don’t forget to put on the Feta cheese like I did. 😂
Great idea taking this to a Hawaiian party! It’s perfect for that. Thanks for the idea Jane! I’m so glad you liked it.
Great Salad
This is the best salad ever!! I make it often it is so easy! If you haven’t made it be sure and try it you will love it.
Thanks for the comment Judy! I haven’t made this salad in forever and now you’ve got me craving it. Pineapple forever! :)
Delicious salad! I broiled my pineapple to bring out the sweet. I think next time I’ll just toast the pecans, although the sugared pecans were delish. Maybe some toasted pine nuts instead. Great salad–thank you for posting. It’s cold and dreary here and this salad was sunny and delicious!
Ooh! Love that broiled pineapple idea! I’ll have to try it with pinenuts sometime too. Yum. Glad you enjoyed it Glenda, thanks for commenting!
I made it last night for our Christmas dinner. It was so good !! Everybody wanted the recipe ! Thanks !!
Hooray! I’m glad it was a success Julie! Happy holidays!
My brown sugar did not melt. Stayed crystallized…what did I do wrong?
I’m not sure what happened Beverly! The sugar is supposed to crystalize a little bit and stick to the pecans. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Beverly try melting the butter a little on low heat then adding the brown sugar and stir until all is melted. After the butter ,brown sugar mixture is melted add your pecans stir to coat and put in a 350 oven for about 8-10 minutes. Cool on some wax paper until they are set then break up to put on your salad or ice cream for that matter. I hope this helps.
Karen,
Made this salad tonight it was amazing! Even my husband loved it and he is not a fan of pineapple! Well done!
Awesome Shannon! I’m so glad you loved it, and that you could convert your husband. Pineapple is definitely worth converting for :) Thanks for the review!
Love it! You always seem to know what I’m craving — it’s been pineapple all week!
This looks amazing! I’ve never added pineapple to salad before. That is definitely going to happen very soon :D Thanks for sharing
Can you just make this for me? I realllly wish I had some right now. :)
This is just how I like my spinach salad – heavy on the toppings! I love pineapple, and those pecans are calling my name. What a great salad!
I like the way you think! Good things come out of frugality. :)
I’m completely convinced that toddler girls are pint sized teenagers. It’s like God is giving us advanced preparation for the actual teenage years, because He loves us and doesn’t want us to go into complete shock. When Trinity was little she shouted loudly in the preschool parking lot for all to hear that I was “practically ruining” her life. So. Much. Fun.
Love the switch-up of pineapple for strawberries! And those pecans look to die for!
Also, just watched the JLaw video. She wins.
Strawberry Spinach Salad (or Triple S as I like to call it) is my jam, but this may give it a run for its money. Your pictures are divine as always. Thanks for including my Maple Salad!
This is such a pretty salad Karen! I’m totally obsessed – and pineapple is way better than strawberry in my opinion!! Pinned :)
Exactly – why the heck not?! Pineapple is the new strawberry and this salad looks delish!
I’m all about that tang, and feta!
These looks delicious, Karen!
Loving all the fresh flavours and vibrant colours of the produce in this salad. Great recipe and one that I must try!
Karen, pineapple on a salad looks so good… my love handles will thank you as well! Wondering how so many food bloggers are so tiny!?!
I love spinach salads! Well, when they have lots of fruit, toasted nuts, and a sweet dressing. I never thought to put pineapple in but it sounds/looks fantastic!