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Then, Mother Nature got confused and summer-like temperatures re-emerged. I’m not complaining. I’ll take as many sunny and 80 degree days that she wants to give me.
With those warmer temperatures came a salad craving, so yesterday I scoured the fridge to see what I could come up with. I had the right ingredients for a tasty salad: baby spinach leaves, grapes, feta, and walnuts.
I wanted something a little different though, and thought roasting the grapes would make this a decidedly fall salad. It was a good choice, as roasting fruit brings out so much flavor and concentrates the sweetness.
The grapes, tossed first in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, become extra sweet and tangy. When the warm grapes are combined with the feta, toasted walnuts, and spinach, the spinach leaves become a little wilted and no extra dressing is needed.
I gobbled this salad up faster than a hungry pregnant lady in her third trimester (oh wait…that’s me!) and wished I had more. Try it. You’ll see what I mean.
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Spinach salad with roasted grapes, feta, and walnuts
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Makes 1 very large main-course portion or 2-3 small side salads 1x
Description
A simple spinach salad dressed with warm, sticky-sweet roasted grapes, feta cheese, and toasted walnuts.
Ingredients
- 2–3 large handfuls baby spinach leaves
- 3/4 cup grapes, halved
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1–2 pinches salt
- 1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the grapes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Toss to evenly coat.
- Place the grapes on a baking sheet (Tip: use parchment paper for easy clean up!) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and use a spatula to toss the grapes around a little. To the other side of the pan, add the walnuts. Put the baking sheet back into the oven and roast for another 5-6 minutes. The grapes should roast for a total of about 15-16 minutes and the walnuts needs about 5-6 minutes to get toasted.
- Combine the spinach leaves, grapes, walnuts, and feta cheese in a bowl. Use your hands or two forks to toss the salad, making sure the glaze-y grapes touch all of the spinach leaves. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large main
- Calories: 511
- Sugar: 19g
- Sodium: 666mg
- Fat: 43g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Protein: 13g
It sounds funny to me too :).
My boy is not very fond of fruits (he has 5 types he eats on a regular basis), so he gets most of them in smoothies made with fruits and vegetables:). He knows they are there because we make the smoothies together and he never refused a smoothie. I am glad he likes his veggies though :).
Thank you for the recipe! I made the salad last night and it was a hit for me, my husband. and our 2 year old. I did not add the vinegar and the salt because I wanted my kid to try it (and he loved it). We will make it again tonight. In addition we will have salmon with steamed broccoli and cauliflower. (I should mention that after 5 minutes my walnuts were burnt :), so I put another batch in and I let it in the oven for 2-3 min. Ovens are different. I should have checked the walnuts frequently during the 5 minutes they were roasting :)).
Ooh sorry about the walnuts! You definitely need to keep your eye on nuts in the oven. (Why does that sound funny to me?? :-)) I’m glad you liked the recipe and am super impressed your 2 year old ate it, too! I can’t wait until Meghan will eat salads with us. *Sigh* Someday.
I don’t normally do this, but I have to say the salad did not meet my expectations. It sounds and looks yummy, and I followed the recipe instructions step by step. The best part was the taste of the roasted walnuts and the feta cheese, and the dressing itself was quite tasty; however, it only reminded me that I do not like spinach, and I prefer eating grapes that are juicy, plump, and cold. The warm, stringy spinach was too overwhelming for me. I’m glad I tried it, but I’ll be sticking to cold, fresh salads from here on out.
Dawn–thanks for coming back and letting me know you tried it. Even if you don’t like how a recipe turns out, I really appreciate the feedback. I’m sorry the salad wasn’t up to your expectations. It’s strange that you describe the spinach as stringy; mine definitely didn’t get to the point of stringy. It was just slightly wilted. Anyway, I do appreciate all feedback, so thank you!
This salad is to die-for-delicious! Just made it for lunch and it was soooo tasty. Might just have to have it again tomorrow. It’s that good. And, so filling, too.
I’m glad you liked it! There’s just something about roasting grapes that really brings out some great flavor.
LOVE the photography!!! And this salad looks delicious. Bravo for eating so fresh and healthy while pregnant with a 3 year old!!
Thank you, Catherine!
This looks so good! Even better- I have all of the ingredients on hand! Will be making that for tomorrow’s lunch… 🙂
I used up all my feta or I would have had this every day this week. I love it!
I’ve never heard of roasted grapes! Sounds interesting. 🙂
Roasted olives? That sounds great! I bet they really bring out the salty flavor of the olives! Know what would be great with this? Some fresh rosemary or oregano! I’m just obsessed with those herbs lately.
Those are grapes, not olives. 😉
Duh! That is really weird, I kept thinking grapes in my head, but I wrote down olives? maybe my brain needs a little nap…
Ooo… roasted grapes. I like that idea (and have never thought of it). 🙂 Yum!
This looks SO good! I love using yummy toppings in place of dressing on salads. The flavors seem to meld better.
That is a delicious salad you just made! I am still eating salads as it is STILL hot here and will be for awhile longer…
Never would of thought to roast grapes. Love it. 🙂
Roasting anything makes it 10 times better, in my book, so why not grapes? I never would have thought to do it but now I must try it!
I loved feta in my salads, when I was still eating cheese. Adds so much flavour!
Love the idea of roasting grapes! I bet it´s super yummy!
Roasting the grapes- I never would have thought of that! A warm grape with all the goodness around it souds truly delicious on a fall salad! ….A great way to mix up the greens!
This looks amazing! Hope you are continuing to feel well. Tried your sweet apple-bean dip last night with sliced apples and it was really, really good. My 10 y/o drank it after dipping his apples. Yes, he drank it. He liked it that much.
Oh, that is hilarious!