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Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese also has almonds and optional cranberries, and this is perfect for the holiday table!

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Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese finished salads on plates

Years ago I spent a couple of hours looking through food magazines (remember those?) and then marched into the kitchen and came up with this Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese without a recipe except the one I made up in my head. The salad also had almonds and optional cranberries, yum! I’ve served this many times for special dinners through the years, and it’s always been a hit so today I am recommending it as a Friday Favorites pick for your Thanksgiving menu! 

This beautiful salad has Dried cranberries and I think that really gives the salad a Thanksgiving feel if you want to serve it for that big food holiday. You can skip the dried cranberries if you want an even lower-carb salad that will still be a wow with the almonds and goat cheese, but if you check the nutritional information you’ll see the the small amount of cranberries doesn’t add that many carbs per serving.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

What is Goat Cheese?

There are many kinds of cheese made with goat’s milk, but for this recipe you want the kind of soft goat cheese that comes in a log. The imported kind is Chevre (which means goat cheese in French) but the Kirkland Goat Cheese from Costco is really delicious and works perfectly well here.

What if you don’t have white balsamic vinegar?

Slightly-sweet white balsamic vinegar is perfect for the dressing for this salad. But if you don’t have that and don’t want to buy vinegar for one recipe, use any mild white vinegar (and possibly add a bit more sweetener when you make the dressing.

Thanksgiving Spinach Salad with Dried Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese process shots collage

How to make Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe:)

  1. Whisk together the white balsamic vinegar, sweetener, olive oil, and salt to make the dressing.
  2. Measure out the salad toppings.(Thanks to Ree for the cute measuring cups that came in the mail!)
  3. Toss the spinach with the dressing (you might not need it all) and top each salad with the almonds, goat cheese, and dried cranberries.
  4. That’s all there is to this delicious salad.
  5. This salad will be a big hit on the Thanksgiving table or any special meal.
  6. If some people don’t like goat cheese, use Feta or Parmesan for a salad that will still be delicious.

Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese large thumbnail of finished salads

More Spinach Salads to try:

Balsamic Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Feta
Mediterranean Spinach Salad
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Spinach Salad with Shrimp

Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese finished salads on plates
Yield: 4 servings

Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese is a delicious way to get some greens on the holiday table or serve this any time of year for a special meal!

Ingredients

  • 5 oz. baby spinach leaves
  • 2 T dried cranberries (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 3 oz. goat cheese (the type that comes in a log; Costco brand is good)

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 T white balsamic vinegar (could use regular balsamic)
  • 1/2 tsp. Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or other sweeter of your choice (see notes)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Wash spinach if needed and spin dry, then place in large bowl.
  2. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, sweetener and salt, then whisk in olive oil.
  3. Toss spinach leaves with dressing (you may not need all the dressing if you prefer your salads on the dry side).
  4. Arrange spinach on individual serving plates and sprinkle each salad with dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and goat cheese. Serve right away.

Notes

I would use Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for this salad. Use more dried cranberries if you aren't being that careful about carbs!

Recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from holiday food magazines.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 235Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 254mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 10g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Salads

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Dried cranberries are relatively high in sugar, so keep that in mind if you decide to use more than the small amount specified in this recipe. With the limited amount of cranberries and the use of Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), this Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese is not that high in carbs as a splurge for a holiday meal. If you don’t want to splurge or you’d prefer to use your carbs on other holiday foods (!) the salad will still be delicious (and very low in carbs) without the cranberries.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Thanksgiving Recipes or Salads to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for This Recipe:
Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Almonds, and Goat Cheese was first posted in 2007, yikes! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2021.

Pinterest image of Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

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