Cranberry Mushroom Spinach Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
This Cranberry Mushroom Spinach Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette combines baby spinach leaves, dried cranberries, fresh mushrooms, chickpeas, and crumbled bacon, all tossed with a lemon basil dressing. This dish is easy to throw together and serves as the perfect lunch or dinner!
When I was younger, I remember eating a side salad filled with spinach leaves at a relatives house and thinking that it tasted like grass. I’m pretty sure I gagged on the salad and then refused to eat the rest.
For the next ten or fifteen years, I refused to eat anything other than regular leaf or romaine lettuce. I just couldn’t get the taste of grass and weeds out of my mind.
Luckily, my tastes have evolved over the years and I now love spinach salads. Although, there are still certain types of lettuce that tastes like grass to me…I guess I’ll never grow out of that phase.
But spinach salads, I could eat them all day, every day. I love the texture and the nutritional ingredients that it carries. And I love adding spinach to a hot skillet and watching it wilt. The flavor is amazing!
So needless to say, I’m happy that I found my love of spinach salads, because I could eat a salad just about every day (along with a big bowl of soup). And because it’s winter, I’ve been doing that a lot lately. Soup and salad make a delicious lunch or lighter dinner.
Especially when it comes to this Cranberry Mushroom Spinach Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette. This flavorful salad combines baby spinach leaves, dried cranberries, fresh mushrooms, chickpeas, and crumbled bacon, all tossed with a lemon basil dressing. This dish is easy to throw together and serves as the perfect lunch or dinner!
If you love spinach salads, then this dish was made for you. The dried cranberries and fresh mushrooms make the best flavor combination, especially when paired with the smokey bacon. And chickpeas goes with just about everything, so I couldn’t resist adding those in.
And let’s talk about this lemon basil vinaigrette. It’s simple to prepare and so full of flavor! It add the perfect touch to this salad because of the combination of the sweet and tangy flavor. The vinaigrette also keeps in this salad on the ligther side, without overpowering the other ingredients.
Cranberry anything may remind you of the fall or winter, but for me, it makes me think of fresh and healthy dishes. I just couldn’t resist adding dried cranberries to this salad, as I snack on them quite often.
I also love this Cranberry Mushroom Spinach Salad because it’s a breeze to whip up. Simply toss the ingredients together, mix the lemon basil vinaigrette, and your salad is ready to be devoured. What could be easier than that?
So the next time you’re in the mood for a spinach salad, try out this Cranberry Mushroom Spinach Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette. It makes a delicious lunch or dinner and is jam-packed full of nutritious (and delicious) ingredients!
Looking for more salads? I’ve got you covered!
Cranberry Mushroom Spinach Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh sliced raw mushrooms
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 5 slices bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
FOR THE LEMON BASIL VINAIGRETTE
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, juice from about 1 lemon
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- Pinch garlic powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach, mushrooms, chickpeas, bacon, and cranberries.
- To make the dressing, in a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, sea salt, pepper, basil, and garlic powder. Whisk until combined.
- Pour over salad just before serving.
I totally agree — cranberries are the perfect ingredient for a touch of sweetness in any salad at any time of year — especially when paired with bacon! Mmmm…
This is MY kind of salad, Gayle. Pinned so that I can come back to it!
And yes, I’m pretty sure that my kids would feel like they were eating weeds if I served them a spinach salad, too. 🙂
Thank you for the kind words and pin, Blair! I guess kids and spinach salads don’t really mix! 🙂
I didn’t even see spinach as a fresh salad green until adulthood. I thought it was that stuff in a box in the frozen aisle. Sad, right?
This looks so fresh and amazingly delicious!
Yes! It was so few and far between years ago. Then, all of the sudden, spinach salads started popping up everywhere!
I love spinach in salads too – it’s nice to have an iron boost and something different.
I am all over this dressing too. Delicious!
Thank you, Dannii! The dressing provides such a light and fresh touch to the salad!
I used to hate spinach salads too! I would eat the spinach first to get rid of it :/ But now I love it! Last night I made a spinach and arugula salad with lemon vanilla dressing. I should’ve waited just one more day so I could try this delicious combination!
Oh that lemon vanilla dressing sounds SO good, Megan! Definitely perfect for spinach salads!
Mondays are just those kinda days when I want a good lighter, and yet-still-packed-with-fun-stuff salad and this one definitely looks like it fits the bill! You packed SO many awesome things into this pretty salad, Gayle!
Thank you, Sarah! I agree, Mondays are for getting back on the healthier track after indulging way too much over the weekend! 🙂
So it wasn’t just my family that had spinach salads at all gatherings? I refused to eat those growing up too, Gayle! Funny how much our tastes change as we get older. Now I’m with you in my love of spinach, especially in salads! This one looks absolutely delicious, girlfriend! Love that you added pops of different textures and flavors with the cranberries, mushrooms and bacon! Plus that Lemon Basil Vinaigrette sounds off the hook delicious! Salad scrumptiousness right here! Pinned! Cheers, friend!
Thank you for the pin and sweet comment, friend! It is definitely interesting to see how tastes change as we get older. Now I crave spinach salads with anything and everything on it!
I remember growing up and if here was something that I didn’t like on my plate, I would try to hide underneath. Now, I love all sorts of fruits and veggies. Your salad got it going on, for sure, Gayle! Love the addition of chickpeas, too. What a great way to add some fiber. Now I want this for lunch 🙂 Pinning!
Thank you, Dawn! I always tried to eat everything that I didn’t like first when I was little, though I definitely gagged on spinach! 🙂
I really like the nutrition of spinach salads, but yeah, for years I refused to have anything but iceberg lettuce. How the times change! This sounds perfect for summer. Is there anything better on salads than dried cranberries? And the lemon basil dressing sounds delicious!
Thank you, Amanda! I agree about the cranberries, I love the flavor and texture!
The first time I had a spinach salad I was in college (can you believe it?) …anyway – I did love it! All of your mix-ins have me thinking back to that perfect salad from long ago! 🙂
Thank you for the salad love, Annie!
I was the weird kid that loved and ate all the green leafy vegetables. I would practically eat anything that one of my favorite adults would eat. It had to be good if they liked it, right? Spinach is pretty much a staple salad ingredient now. I can’t enjoy a salad without it. Love that you added cranberries to this one. And that dressing sounds amazing!!
I think I ate pretty much all greens, except for spinach salads when I was little, although I did (and still) love spinach! So weird, right? 🙂 Thanks for the kind words, Jen!
Hahaha! It’s so funny how our tastes change as we get older! I am still not much of a salad eater but my husband and kids LOVE salad and all the green things and I know they would love this with the cranberries and bacon! I’m going to have to up my salad game for their sake. Lol
That’s so great that your kids love salad! Maybe they’ll rub off on you one day! 🙂
Grass and weeds? Yikes!! I’m super happy to hear that those “flavorful” memories have been washed away. 😉 It seems like the best solution to just keep making and eating more of your delicious spinach salads. 🙂 I have no choice but to share this, G! The colors, the combo of mushrooms and cranberries… I’m just drooling and happily sighing here. Pinning! Hope you have a great week, Gayle. 🙂
Thanks for the sweet comment, Demeter! I’m so glad those those grassy memories are now gone! 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful week, too!
Love fresh spinach salads, but I did not like spinach as a child at all! This looks fresh and delicious! Will try it, because I make a salad every day! The dressing sounds amazing!
Thank you, Mira! This dressing is my favorite!
I love spinach salads, but I totally see how your young mind would taste it and think GRASS, haha!! This one looks SO good though, because obvs bacon makes everything better 😀 and that dressing sounds sooo incredible.
Thanks, Rachel! And YES! Bacon makes everything better! 🙂
It has been AGES since I had a spinach salad, and now looking at yours I can’t wait to have another one…I think this exact one would be perfect!
Thanks, Kate!
I’m definitely picky about salads. I like baby spinach, but do not like field greens at all! This salad looks like the perfect balance of flavors and textures! And that lemon basil vinaigrette I could drink through a straw!
Thank you, Rachelle! I can eat field greens, but that’s definitely not a favorite of mine, either! 🙂
Dear Gayle, I just love the sound of this…what a perfect salad for the warmer weather. It’s a light and satisfying meal for when the temps get too high. I’ve always been a big salad fan…I grew up in a home where my mother made sure to have a salad on the table every night! Looks wonderful dear. xo, Catherine
Thank you for the kind words, Catherine! I agree, this salad is perfect for spring! 🙂
Soup and salad is one of my favorites, even in the summer. This dressing sounds fantastic!
Thanks, Alyssa! It’s a favorite of mine in the summer, too!
When I was younger my dad used to eat leaf spinach in a salad and he wanted me to try it. I tried anything, so I did and chewed on it for what seemed like an hour! I avoided spinach for a long time. After learning baby spinach was much more tender, I tried it and loved it ever since! This salad looks fantastic, Gayle!
Haha that’s funny that it was so chewy back then! 🙂 Thanks for the salad love, Keri!
I don’t eat many spinach salads, but I do enjoy them when I have them. And I’m obsessed with putting dried cranberries in salads. So good!
Thanks, Christin! I agree, dried cranberries give salads such a nice touch of sweetness!
I love the chickpeas, mushroom and spinach in here! Sounds wonderful especially with that Vinaigrette!
Thanks, Manali!
haha I was definitely the same way – growing up I refused to eat anything other than iceberg lettuce!! Silly silly me! Now I LOVE spinach salads and this one sounds delicious!!
Thank you, Ashley!
I love spinach salads and this recipe looks fantastic! I am also an absolute sucker for chickpeas on salad. This looks delicious Gayle!
Thanks for the salad love, Ashlyn!
Some greens are definitely like weeds and grass, so I understand! Spinach is one of my top favorite greens — it’s so versatile and my kids even like it. There’s nothing like a good spinach salad with mushrooms and bacon, either, and I love the addition of the cranberries and that vinaigrette!
Thank you, Marcie! I love bacon and mushrooms together too, especially in spinach salads!