Summer Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing is full of fresh summer fruits and vegetables with a snappy, sweet-tart dressing.
One thing my Mom did every night of the week growing up was serve dinner with a fresh salad. Grown and with a family of my own, I love to do the same, and my Summer Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing is an absolutely sensational fresh salad!
Fresh baby spinach is tossed with dried cherries, sweet corn, sliced almonds, red onions, crumbled blue cheese, and a homemade Lemon Poppyseed dressing that’s equal parts sweet, tart, and fabulous, and highlights the fresh and crunchy toppings.
It’s the perfect salad for summer – light and full of color and flavor – and can be assembled in minutes!
Start by adding 5oz baby spinach to a large mixing bowl.
Then add 1/2 cup dried cherries, which I love for their sweet chewinesss.
2oz crumbled blue cheese (or chevre or feta if you’re not feeling the blue!)
1/2 cup sliced almonds.
And 3/4 cup sweet corn. I prefer fresh sliced from the cob, especially in the summer, which you can eat raw. If you’re eating this in a cold season, frozen then thawed sweet corn is great!
Finally add 1/4 cup chopped red onion.
Next shake up a homemade Lemon Poppyseed Dressing – that’s just fresh lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, shallots, salt, and poppy seeds – then drizzle on top. This dressing is phenomenal — perfectly sweet, tart, and savory!
Toss the salad to coat then serve it on up! Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 3/4 cup sweet corn, ~1 ear sweet corn
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 oz crumbled blue cheese, or feta or chevre
For the Lemon Poppyseed Dressing:
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Combine ingredients for Lemon Poppseed Dressing in bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid then whisk or shake to combine. Can be made up to 5 days ahead of time.
- Add remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl then drizzle on desired amount of dressing and toss to coat.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I made this last night & it was SO delicious!!! I added an avocado ‘cuz duh. ;)
Yuuum – GREAT addition! I’m so glad you liked it! :)
I made this salad over the weekend and it was a big hit! I was left with a lot of dressing, which I was excited about so I would have it for lunches this week. I kept it in my fridge and it turned solid. Any tips to keep that from happening?
I’m so glad to hear it! The dressing firmed up because it has olive oil in it – all you’ll need to do is run the jar under hot water until it’s melted a bit then shake and use! :)
How long will the dressing keep?