Happy Healthy Mama

Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes » Loaded Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Basil Dressing

Last updated on . Originally posted on By / 22 Comments

Loaded Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Basil Dressing

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This Loaded Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Basil Dressing is full of nutrition and bursting with flavor! You’ll love this healthy, vegan salad. 

Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Crispy Chickpeas, Tomato, and Avocado Basil Dressing. A hearty, filling salad that can be a meal in itself! Easy healthy recipe.

Save This Recipe!

Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get new recipes from me every week!

Save Recipe

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Happy Healthy Mama.

Who is ready to get their salad on?  This salad has everything a salad could ever want.  It’s hearty and filling thanks to the addition of quinoa and crispy chickpeas.  It’s got greens. A fresh tomato thrown in the mix, along with an Avocado Basil Dressing that is salad dressing perfection.  This salad wants for nothing.Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Crispy Chickpeas, Tomato, and Avocado Basil Dressing. A hearty, filling salad that can be a meal in itself! Easy healthy vegan recipe.

Avocados are my favorite way to make creamy salad dressings without adding any dairy.  Adding fresh basil to it gives this salad a flavor that screams summer. Can you tell I’m ready? My girl Meghan only has 13 days of school until summer break.  The weather’s been glorious.  Bring on the summer salads. Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Crispy Chickpeas, Tomato, and Avocado Basil Dressing. A hearty, filling salad that can be a meal in itself! Easy healthy vegan recipe.I started out drizzling the dressing for the sake of pictures, but the magic of this salad comes when you toss everything together, and every leaf is covered in the creamy avocado dressing.  Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Crispy Chickpeas, Tomato, and Avocado Basil Dressing. A hearty, filling salad that can be a meal in itself! Easy healthy vegan recipe.

This is one salad I’m going to be making over and over again.  I hope you do, too!

Looking for other salad recipes? Try my Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado and Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Crispy Chickpeas, Tomato, and Avocado Basil Dressing. A hearty, filling salad that can be a meal in itself! Easy healthy vegan recipe.

Loaded Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Basil Dressing

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe
Print Recipe

Description

This healthy vegan salad is loaded with flavor!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Salad

  • 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 5 ounces baby spinach leaves
  • 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks

For the Dressing

  • 1 avocado
  • 3–5 basil leaves (depending on their size)
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • a pinch or two of salt
  • water (1/4-1 cup)

Instructions

  1. Put the quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat.  Add the chickpeas and salt and sauté until the chickpeas are browned and crispy, about 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Put the avocado, basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in the blender.  Blend and add 1/4 cup water.  Add more water as needed to make the dressing to your desired consistency.  It should be thick and creamy.
  4. To assemble the salad, add the baby spinach to a large bowl.  Top with the quinoa, chickpeas, tomato chunks, and drizzle with part of the dressing.  Toss and add more dressing so everything in the salad is coated.  Season generously with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

The amount of water you need and the amount of dressing you have will depend on the size of your avocado.  I recommend a medium-sized avocado.  If it’s too small it might not yield enough dressing, and if it’s huge you may have too much.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
  • Calories: 354
  • Sugar: 6
  • Fat: 15
  • Carbohydrates: 45
  • Fiber: 13
  • Protein: 13

 

If you make this or any Happy Healthy Mama recipe, I would LOVE to see it! Please snap a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook @happyhealthymama.com Happy cooking!

Would you like to save this recipe for later? Here’s an image to save to your Pinterest recipe board!

 

Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Crispy Chickpeas, Tomato, and Avocado Basil Dressing. A hearty, filling salad that can be a meal in itself! Easy healthy vegan recipe.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Maryea says

      Hi Nicole! Thanks for asking. I have so many of my older recipes that need to be updated with the nutritional information. I just updated the recipe card to show the stats. This salad has 354 calories per serving. I hope you love it!

      Reply

  5. Melissa says

    Made this for dinner and doubled everything to have lunch all week! The dressing in particular I loved. Simple and delicious 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  8. Monalisa's perfect weight says

    Thanks for the recipes <3 , should try these on Saturday. i hope i make it well so my husband would enjoy it.

    🙂

    Reply

  10. Christina says

    Looks wonderful. Love the idea of using avocado to make a creamy salad dressing without using dairy!

    Reply

      • Jillian says

        How long will the dressing last and what’s the best way to store it? I was thinking of making this for my lunch all week.

      • Maryea says

        You’ll want to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I don’t know if it would last the whole week, but it should be good for 2-3 days.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.