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Fall Salad with Maple-Balsamic Dressing

The maple-balsamic dressing adds a perfect balance of sweetness and tang, enhanced by a touch of Dijon mustard. Blending these ingredients creates a creamy, luscious dressing that clings beautifully to each leaf and mix-in.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: pasta salad
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Salad:
  • Baby spinach leaves 10 ounces
  • Diced apple fresh and crisp
  • Sharp Cheddar cheese diced
  • Dried cranberries
  • Pecans chopped

Method
 

  1. Balsamic vinegar
  2. Pure maple syrup
  3. Dijon mustard
  4. Extra-virgin olive oil
  5. Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  6. Instructions
  7. In a spacious salad bowl, combine the baby spinach, diced apple, sharp Cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans. Gently toss the ingredients to ensure an even mix.
  8. For the dressing, blend together the balsamic vinegar, pure maple syrup, and Dijon mustard in a blender on medium speed. While blending, pour in the olive oil steadily to create a smooth, emulsified dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, blending until creamy and well combined. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss lightly, and serve immediately.

Notes

Cook's Note: For convenience, you may tear the baby spinach leaves if a smaller leaf size is preferred.