Mixed Berry Spinach Salad and Poppy Seed Dressing
Berry Spinach Salad with farro and crunchy walnuts, dressed with a tangy Poppy Seed Dressing – this is a salad for dinner you’ll be happy to see!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
For the Poppy Seed Dressing
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 – 3 tablespoons honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or yogurt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
For the Salad
- spinach (baby kale, arugula, or a spring mix is also good)
- crumbled feta or goat cheese
- avocado, diced
- sliced strawberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries
- Sweet and Spicy Walnuts – recipe below. Can substitute with roasted/salted pecans.
- Instant Pot Farro – see notes
For the Sweet and Spicy Walnuts (Optional but they really make the salad shine. Can be prepared at least a week in advance)
- 3 cups walnuts
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
For the Poppy Seed Dressing
- Place all ingredients in a jar. Shake until thick and incorporated. If the dressing is thinner than you like, add an extra tablespoon of mayo or yogurt. Taste and add extra salt or honey to taste.
For the Salad
- Combine desired amounts of salad ingredients on a plate. Drizzle with salad dressing and serve immediately.
- Note: I left out the measurements on purpose so it could be adjusted to feed an individual or a crowd. To make a large salad for a crowd, I suggest filling a bowl with spinach, folding the salad dressing and half of the toppings into the spinach, then scattering extra toppings on top. This will prevent all of the “goodies” from sinking to the bottom of the bowl when it’s served.
For the Sweet and Spicy Walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
- Place walnuts in a bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and maple syrup and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle nuts with salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon and again toss to coat.
- Spread nuts on to baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Watch closely and toss them with a spatula every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning.
- Remove from oven and set the pan on a cooling rack. The nuts will crisp as they cool.
Notes
- For Instant Pot Farro, combine 1 cup of rinsed farro, 1 ¼ cups water, and ¼ teaspoon salt in the pressure cooker pot. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. Fluff and serve. For more details, see this post about Instant Pot Farro.
- Preparing the farro, walnuts, and salad dressing ahead of time will make the salad come together in minutes when you’re ready to serve. Cooked farro can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Walnuts can be stored at room temperature for a week or in the freezer for 3 months or so. Salad dressing can be stored for 1 – 2 weeks in the fridge.
- The salad dressing is enough for about 6 cups of greens – perfect for having on an individual salad all week or for one big salad for a crowd.
- If you like massaged kale salads, I suggest chopping up Tuscan kale and massaging a bit of salad dressing into it 15 minutes before adding remaining toppings and extra dressing (this is delicious!)
- Adjust the ingredients to fit your taste. Chopped mango, mandarin oranges, cranberries, or pomegranates make a great substitution for the berries. Roasted butternut squash is also amazing.
- For a more complete meal, add grilled chicken or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken.