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Mandarin Orange Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing
This light, flavorful Mandarin Orange Salad includes spinach, dried cranberries, almonds, feta cheese, and mandarin oranges and pairs perfectly with our Creamy Citrus Dressing. Serve on special occasions or on any weeknight.
Yield: 4 large salads or 8 side salads 1x
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 0 minutesTotal: 15 minutes
Units:
Scale:
Ingredients
Creamy Citrus Dressing:
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salad:
- 8 cups baby spinach leaves, loosely packed (roughly chop if leaves are big)
- 1/2 cup mandarin orange segments, drained
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (or pecans)
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
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Instructions
- For the Dressing: Pour all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, close lid tightly, and shake until combined (or whisk everything together in a bowl). Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
- For the Salad: In a large salad bowl or platter, either layer or toss the spinach, orange segments, crumbled cheese, sliced almonds, and cranberries. Set out the dressing alongside the salad when serving.
Notes/Tips
- I’d recommend serving the dressing on the side or eating immediately after dressing the salad. It won’t last long after tossing with the dressing, because the citrus begins to break down the spinach.
- Spring mix greens are a good replacement for the spinach.
- I prefer to cut the little mandarin orange segments in half, but you can leave them whole.
- These salad dressings are also very good on this salad: