Blueberry Salad with Spinach and Feta

Today’s recipe, Blueberry Salad, is a celebration of the blueberry season and local farmer’s markets. I have been joined by Yankee Candle’s Farmers Market Collection to enhance the experience and help me bring the farmer’s market home with me. If you are a fan of savory fresh fruit salads such as my Apple Salad, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Peach Avocado Salad, and Watermelon Salad, I am pretty sure you will enjoy this recipe as well.

Packed with juicy blueberries, baby spinach, crunchy pecans, and creamy feta cheese and drizzled with a simple lemon vinaigrette, this spinach and blueberry salad recipe is not only delicious but also easy and quick to put together. Not to mention, it is the perfect salad for all your summer cooking.

Why Should You Make It?

If you consider the fact that most of us eat with our eyes, you would not go wrong with if you included this blueberry summer salad as a part of your summer cooking spread. But there is more to love because it is:

1. Packed with superfoods: My husband refers to this salad as “Blueberry Spinach Power Salad” as it is packed with superfoods like spinach, blueberries, onions, and pecans. If you are fan of Dr. Oz, you know he refers to blueberries as brain berries.
2. Quick & easy to make: All you need is 15 minutes to make this salad from start to finish. It is so easy that it is great for even beginner cooks.
3. Easy to customize: I made my blueberry salad with feta and spinach but you can play with the choice of greens and cheese and use peppery arugula and blue cheese instead. I made sure to include other creative variations below to help you make this delicious salad your own with what you have in your fridge.
4. Serve it as a side salad or a light main course: You can serve this simple salad as a side dish with all your grilled meats and vegetables or by itself as a light but filling lunch.

Ingredient Checklist:

To make this fresh blueberry salad recipe, you will need two sets of ingredients:

• The homemade dressing: For the salad dressing, I used my go-to lemon vinaigrette but adjusted the amounts to work for this spinach blueberry salad. You will need freshly squeezed lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, fresh garlic, and salt and pepper.
• Salad ingredients: You will need fresh blueberries, raspberries, baby spinach, red onion, crumbled feta cheese, and pecans.

Ingredient Substitutions & Notes:

• Salad greens: I used baby spinach but any leafy greens would work here. Spring mix, arugula, romaine lettuce, butter lettuce can all be used in place of baby spinach. Or better yet mix whatever greens you have on hand. I make mixed green salad with blueberries all the time.
• Berries: I used a combination of fresh blueberries and raspberries but a strawberry blueberry salad is also delicious.
• Cheese: If you are following a vegan diet, then omit using cheese. If you are not you can use feta cheese like I did or change it up with crumbled blue cheese, creamy burrata cheese, goat cheese, or even shaved parmesan cheese. My favorite combo after the one I shared here is Goat Cheese Blueberry Salad.
• Salad dressing: If you are a fan of balsamic vinegar, then use my Lemon Balsamic Dressing instead of the basic lemon dressing I used.
• Nuts: I added a handful of pecans for a nice crunch but any nuts would work here. Swap pecans with sliced roasted almonds, walnuts, or even cashews. And if you have nut allergies use a handful of sunflower seeds.
• Want to make it more filling? Add in a cup of cooked quinoa for some plant protein. Blueberry Quinoa Salad is one of my go-to meal prep recipes during the summer months.
• Add a ripe avocado: Avocado comes on top of the list of healthy fats and would make this salad even more delicious.

How To Make A Blueberry Salad

The process of making this blueberry spinach salad has 3 folds and takes no more than 15 minutes to put together.

1. Make the lemon dressing by simply whisking together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.

2. Assemble the salad: Place all the salad ingredients – baby spinach leaves, sliced red onion, feta cheese, pecans (almonds would also work) and fresh blueberries (or a mix of berries) – in a large salad bowl.
3. Season/Dress & Toss: Finally, drizzle your blueberry feta spinach salad with the dressing and give it a gentle toss. That’s it!

How To Make Ahead & Store Leftovers

• Make Ahead: You can make this blueberry spinach salad a day before. To do so, prepare the salad ingredients and dressing and store them in separate airtight containers. Drizzle the salad with the dressing right before serving. Give it a toss and serve.
• Storage: Place the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge up to 2 days.

Calorie Information

The recipe below serves 4 servings as a side dish. This blueberry salad is only 196 calories per serving. Not too bad for a delicious and filling summer salad, right?

Make freshly picked farm flavors & smells as a part of your table set up:

If you have ever been to one of the many Yankee Candle stores throughout the country, you know how amazing their candles smell. Having been a fan for years, I can tell you that this new collection is nothing short of incredible. Whether it is the Dried Lavender and Oak, Farmstand Festival (my favorite), or Ciderhouse, it is perfect for any home gathering when you want to share the delicious smells of the farmer’s markets with your friends and family.

I use them every day as a part of my summer table set up.

Other Blueberry Recipes You Might Like:

If are making this spinach salad with blueberries, you might need some more blueberry recipe inspiration to try. Here are a few more recipes you can make:

• Blueberry Puree Recipe – An easy & quick to make homemade blueberry puree that you can make with both frozen and fresh blueberries
• Blueberry Flavored Spelt Scones – Date sweetened scones that are made with spelt flour and flavored with lemon and blueberries
• Frozen Blueberry Margaritas – The most refreshing margaritas that you can make summer blueberries
• Flourless Blueberry Muffins – Blueberry muffins made with coconut and almond flour and sweetened with bananas and maple syrup.
• Healthy Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins – Almond flour blueberry muffins sweetened with maple syrup.

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Blueberry Salad with Spinach and Feta Cheese recipe

4.88 from 8 votes

By: Aysegul Sanford

Yields4 servings

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

This Spinach Blueberry Salad recipe is a delicious summer (or any time of the year) salad made with a mix of fresh berries, baby spinach leaves, feta cheese, and red onion. It is drizzled with an easy to make lemon-olive oil-mustard base dressing. We love ours topped off with pecans but almonds would work just as well. Whether you serve it as a side dish for 4 or as an entree for 2, it is the perfect blend of savory and sweet.

Ingredients 

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For The Salad Dressing:

• ▢ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For The Blueberry Spinach Salad:

• ▢ 6 cups baby spinach, washed and spin-dried
• ▢ ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
• ▢ 1 ½ cups blueberries
• ▢ ½ cup strawberries or raspberries, washed and hulled
• ▢ ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ▢ ½ cup pecans or almonds, lightly roasted

Instructions 

• To make the blueberry salad dressing: Place all ingredients in a mason jar, put the lid and give it a good shake.
• To Make the salad: Place baby spinach, red onion, blueberries, strawberries (or raspberries), feta, and pecans in a large bowl. Drizzle it with the dressing. Give it a gentle toss.
• Taste for seasoning and add in if necessary. Serve.

Notes

A Few Helpful Notes:

• As in most recipes that use feta cheese as a garnish, I recommend tasting the saltiness of the cheese before adding salt into the dressing. You can then adjust the amount accordingly.
• If you have in on hand, a splash of raspberry vinaigrette (approximately 1 tablespoon) takes this salad to the next level.
• I highly recommend spending a few extra minutes to toast pecans before adding them into the salad. Doing so adds another layer of earthy flavor to the overall recipe. Also, you can swap pecans with other nuts like sliced almonds, walnuts, or even hazelnuts.
• To Make Ahead: You can make this blueberry spinach salad a day before. To do so, prepare the salad ingredients and dressing and store them in separate airtight containers. Drizzle the salad with the dressing right before serving. Give it a toss and serve.
• To Store leftovers: Place the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 551mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4329IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

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