Toasted Pine Nut and Cherry Salad
This toasted pine nut and cherry salad recipe is made from five simple ingredients and packs some serious flavor. It’s bright, fresh and beyond delicious. The creamy, tangy goat cheese pairs perfectly with the sweet seasonal cherries. Topped with toasted pine nuts for an extra punch of nuttiness and this combination is hard to resist. You guys are going to love this simple and fresh salad. It’s honestly one of my favorite salads of all time!
About this Toasted Pine Nut and Cherry Salad Recipe
For a heartier meal, add your favorite protein. Grilled chicken or salmon would work perfectly. You could also probably get away with a piece of grilled flaky halibut too. This cherry salad is easy to make and goes well with so many different meals.
For this cherry salad recipe, I made a simple yet flavorful red wine vinaigrette dressing. Personally, I like to serve the dressing on the side, but you can toss the spinach in the dressing as well. Use as much or as little dressing as you like. You can store the extra dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use it on salads, sandwiches, or as a marinade for chicken. It will last up to a week in the refrigerator.
Health Facts
Cherries are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. They help decrease inflammation in the joints and muscles by lowering uric acid levels in the body. This can decrease painful arthritis and even help relieve symptoms of gout. (1)
Looking for more salad recipes to try this summer? Try my Mediterranean Salmon Salad or my Chicken Salad. The chicken salad is perfect for lunch through the week or as a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Toasted Pine Nut and Cherry Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1.5 cups fresh cherries , pit and slice in half
- 3-4 cups baby spinach, packed
- ⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts , toasted
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt, to taste
- cracked black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- 1 platter
- 1 non-stick skillet
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
Prepare the Salad
- Pit and slice the cherries.
- Toast your pine nuts in a pan stirring them frequently to prevent burning. Let the pine nuts cool completely before adding them to the salad.
- Grab a large mixing bowl. Add the washed and dried baby spinach to the bowl.
- Gently toss the spinach with some of homemade dressing. Use as much or little as you like.
Assemble the Dish
- Add the dressed spinach to a platter. Add the pitted and sliced cherries on top of the spinach. Add the toasted (and cooled) pine nuts and finish the dish with crumbled goat cheese.
5 Comments on “Toasted Pine Nut and Cherry Salad”
So good! Will definitely make again. The dressing compliments it so well!
I only used 1/4 cup olive oil. That was plenty. This was a hit with the family!
Just getting ready to make this for the first time and realizing the vinegar amount seems way off. It is a vinaigrette after all! What is the correct amount? For now, I’ll wing it and use normal vinegar:oil ratio. 🤷🏻♀️
thank you for catching this! It should have read 1/4 cup. You can serve the dressing on the side and save any extra!
From the non-cook here, this recipe caught my eye because of the cherries, and the presentation. It came out just like the photo… beautiful presentation and tastes just as good! Once again, my 21yr old son devoured it! Thanks, Healthyish!