Sugar Toasted Almond Spinach Salad

Rating: 4.71 stars
21 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 16
  • 4 star values: 4
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

This recipe is easy to make, but tastes impressive and is always a big hit at barbecues. You can swap the mandarin oranges for dried cranberries depending on your personal preference.

By M Pineda
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Ingredients

12
Original recipe yields 12 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Combine almonds and sugar in a small skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir until sugar is melted over almonds, about 3 minutes. Spread almonds in a single layer on waxed paper to cool.

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  • To make the salad dressing, whisk together the vinegar, salad oil, sugar, mustard, poppy seeds, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

  • Toss together the romaine lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, onion, and oranges in a large bowl. Sprinkle almonds and drizzle dressing over top of salad just before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
262.1 calories; 10.9 g protein; 17.9 g carbohydrates; 25.8 mg cholesterol; 244.7 mg sodium. Full Nutrition

Reviews (19)

Read More Reviews

Most helpful positive review

Rebecca Turner
Rating: 5 stars
11/29/2010
LOVE IT! I'm a pretty boring salad eater. I normally don't like a "busy" salad at all. We made this for Thanksgiving and we all loved it inlucding me! Definitely make the dressing and the home-made candied almonds are amazing! Make more almonds than it calls for and save them to eat later! So good! Read More
Helpful
(28)
21 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 16
  • 4 star values: 4
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Rebecca Turner
Rating: 5 stars
11/29/2010
LOVE IT! I'm a pretty boring salad eater. I normally don't like a "busy" salad at all. We made this for Thanksgiving and we all loved it inlucding me! Definitely make the dressing and the home-made candied almonds are amazing! Make more almonds than it calls for and save them to eat later! So good! Read More
Helpful
(28)
cookingmomma
Rating: 5 stars
10/26/2010
I made this salad to go with our dinner tonight. My husband who is basically a meat-and-potatoes man loved it! He ate two helpings. I cut the red wine vinegar down to a 1/2 cup and used Honey Dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard. This is definitely a keeper! Read More
Helpful
(13)
Dee Dot
Rating: 5 stars
01/10/2011
Guests raved at this dish. I made it like the recipe except for doubling the almonds decreased vinegar to 1/2 cup and used dijon mustard instead of yellow. More people asked for the recipe than anything I've ever made. Will make it again and again and again. Read More
Helpful
(11)
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SunnyByrd
Rating: 4 stars
08/20/2008
I love the combination of stuff in this salad! I had sliced almonds not slivered but the sugaring technique worked great (I was a little skeptical). The dressing is seriously mustardy and vinegary but mellows as it sits - still you may want a little more oil and sugar to tame it. Thanks for the recipe! Read More
Helpful
(8)
Anna-Bat
Rating: 5 stars
04/20/2011
This salad turned out wonderfully. I made it for 10 people at Passover and there was only about one serving left. Per other reviews I changed the yellow mustard for Dijon mustard and cut down the vinegar to 1/2 cup. Though I only had about 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar so I also put in 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and it was delicious. Omitted the mushrooms and the cheese ( I don't like these things ) used about 1/2 of a large red onion and upped the mandarin oranges to closer to 2 cups. The almonds turned out fantastically and I can see why people say to double those! All the flavors blended well together and it was a light refreshing salad to have. Will definitely be making again now that the weather is warming up! Thanks for a great recipe! Read More
Helpful
(7)
Dianne
Rating: 5 stars
10/19/2010
There is so much I love about this salad - the crisp romaine the crunchy sweet almonds the refreshing oranges and the zippy dressing. It's such a great combination of ingredients! The only change I made was using dijon mustard instead of yellow. I would cut the vinegar back to 1/2 cup next time for a better balance of oil and vinegar. Also be sure to get the almonds nice and brown to enjoy their flavor fully - it's the highlight of this salad. Read More
Helpful
(7)
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Debster
Rating: 5 stars
11/30/2010
Delicious!! Read More
Helpful
(7)
Olivia Gauthier
Rating: 5 stars
02/07/2011
salad was great! Esp. the twist on toasted almond with sugar.. very easy and delicious! Read More
Helpful
(6)
Chef4Six
Rating: 4 stars
05/26/2009
I only made the sugar toasted almonds - and they were so quick to make and really super easy!!! I love the extra crispiness it gives. I will make the salad soon. Read More
Helpful
(5)
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