READY IN 33 mins

Sugar Toasted Almond Spinach Salad

Read Reviews (12)

"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." — M Pineda

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.
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.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 3 mins
READY IN 33 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Nov 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!

—Rebecca Turner

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Oct 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!

—cookingmomma

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13 Ratings

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Jan 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.

—Dee Dot

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Aug 19, 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!

—SunnyByrd

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Apr 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!

—Anna-Bat

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Nov 30, 2010

Delicious!!

—Debster

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Oct 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.

—Dianne

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Feb 07, 2011

salad was great ! Esp. the twist on toasted almond with sugar .. very easy and delicious !

—jaylivg

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Nutrition

Calories
262 kcal
13%

Carbohydrates
17.9 g
6%

Cholesterol
26 mg
9%

Fat
17.4 g
27%

Fiber
2.3 g
9%

Protein
10.9 g
22%

Sodium
245 mg
10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Sugar Toasted Almond Spinach Salad

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 262
Calories from Fat: 157

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17.4g 27 %
Saturated Fat 6.2g 31 %
Cholesterol 26mg 9 %
Sodium 245mg 10 %
Potassium 368mg 10 %
Total Carbohydrates 17.9g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 2.3g 9 %
Protein 10.9g 22 %
Sugars 12.5g
** Vitamin A 67 %
** Vitamin C 32 %
** Calcium 34 %
** Iron 13 %
** Thiamin 11 %
** Niacin 29 %
** Vitamin B6 8 %
** Magnesium 18 %
** Folate 43 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.