Healthy Spinach Salad Recipe With Goat Cheese, Pear & Creamy Balsamic Dressing Salads Lunch Vegetarian

Looking for fresh and easy for lunch or dinner? This salad recipe with goat cheese and pear is my go to for a healthy balanced meals without any big planning needed. This easy, nutritious meal, with ingredients that can be adapted based on what you have on hand, saves the day for me. I'll share my favorite combination but I'll also include some ideas for you to play with to make it your go to favorite as well.

The salad is a light and healthy mix of salad greens or spinach, sweet pepper, fresh pear, goat cheese and almonds. The salad dressing is a simple mixture of balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and maple syrup. Adjust the ingredients to your taste buds. Like it with a little more spice? Add a bit more Dijon. Like texture? Make that country Dijon! Sweeter? Maybe a bit more of the sweetener of your choice.

Buying good-quality balsamic vinegar is a game changer! If you use great balsamic it's naturally sweet so you don't need any additional sweetener. I find mine at a local store and farmers market. I've found it's worth the extra investment for the smooth sweet finish.

This healthy spinach salad is a lovely, filling meal. I usually add a piece of my easy homemade bread (recipe coming soon) or a few crackers when there isn't fresh bread at home. Make it easy on yourself while still nourishing your body with great whole foods!

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 - 12 ounces salad greens or spinach (my preference is spinach)
• 1 sweet pepper, thinly sliced (yellow, orange or red)
• 1 pear (or apples or any fruit, even strawberries)
• 2 - 4 ounces goat cheese (or any favorite cheese or cheese substitute to make this vegan)
• handful of slivered toasted almonds (or cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or walnuts)

Dressing

• 2/3 cup good balsamic vinegar 
• 1/2 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup, agave, honey or sugar (optional)

Here's how to make it:

1. To make the salad, put greens in a large bowl. I like to de-stem the spinach, but to save time just add your greens as they are. Add the pear and sliced peppers. Lightly toast the almonds, or don't bother to save even more time. Add them to the greens mixture. Top with crumbled goat cheese or slice other cheese into bite-size pieces.
2. To make the salad dressing, mix the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar and give it a good shake. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the ingredients to fit your tastes. 
3. Pour the salad dressing over the greens and toss to coat. 

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