Pear and Spinach Salad
Sometimes I like to just have a salad for lunch, it’s usually filling enough if you add a protein or carb, but I’ve also found that nothing rounds out the main dish better than a well-made salad. This spinach salad would pair nicely with grilled chicken, roasted pork or a delicious soup.
Salads can be healthy, but what makes them unhealthy are when we add in things like croutons, crunchy tortilla strips, fried chicken or shrimp, glazed nuts, and the heavy, processed, creamy dressings we drown them in.
The homemade dressing for this salad is a healthy alternative to creamy, store bought, bottled dressing and the ingredients are so simple that you will likely have them on hand already!
For the Dressing
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 5 cups baby spinach (about 5 ounces)
- 1 med Bosc pear, quartered and thinly sliced
Instructions
Directions:
Place sliced onion in a small bowl of ice water and let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place mustard, vinegar, water, oil, honey, salt, and pepper in a medium nonreactive bowl and whisk until combined.
Strain onion from ice water, pat dry, and place in a large nonreactive bowl. Add spinach, pear, and 3 tablespoons of the dressing and toss until evenly coated.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add more dressing as desired.
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