Apple Walnut Salad is a delicious blend of spinach, tart juicy apples, walnuts and creamy bleu cheese crumbles. It is simply perfect for fall.

Apple Walnut Salad is a delicious blend of spinach, tart juicy apples, walnuts and creamy bleu cheese crumbles. It is simply perfect for fall. // addapinch.com

I love Labor Day! Not only has Labor Day always signified the beginning of school, football games, and putting away of white shoes, it has always also been the weekend we celebrate my Mama. Mama’s birthday always falls sometime around the big weekend and we take the opportunity to celebrate her big day all weekend long, if possible.

When I was a little girl, we’d usually spend the long weekend on our houseboat on the lake. We’d alternate from fishing to just drifting along on floats alongside the houseboat as we were anchored in our favorite cove. My sister and I would splash each other as we squealed and then called for Mama to make the other one stop. I think I was actually the one to start the splashing, but at that age, you’d never want to admit that your sister was right. That would have been worse than the scolding for sure.

I have such great memories of that old houseboat.

Especially on the nights we decided not to dock and would just anchor in the lake for the night. The string lights on the deck of the houseboat would sparkle across the water and we would just sit out for hours watching for shooting stars. Sometimes we saw them and sometimes I’d get bored and scare my sister trying to convince her that I thought I saw a UFO to the point where I actually just scared myself. I was the mischievous one for sure.

My poor Mama.

It’s no wonder that I have a lot of making up to do from my childhood. Usually that means food. You know, food is the way to the heart, they say. So this year for her birthday, I decided to something a little bit different for her celebration supper. We had Shrimp and Grits and this gorgeous Apple Walnut Salad with Bleu Cheese Crumbles topped with the out of this world Bacon Vinaigrette that I talked about last week.

This salad will now forever be known in my house as the perfect September salad.

It couldn’t be easier to make either.

My Apple Walnut Salad is simply a bed a spinach topped with thin slices of tart, juicy Granny Smith apples, a handful of walnuts and then a heavy sprinkle of bleu cheese crumbles. But the crowning glory comes from that drizzle of Bacon Vinaigrette right on top.

Mercy!

It paired perfectly as the starter for the Shrimp and Grits, but I know it will be heavenly with my slow cooker BBQ pork chops, a BBQ chicken, or even my simple skillet steaks. It would also be just fine right on it’s own as a light salad for lunch or supper. You could change the dressing from the bacon vinaigrette to a red wine or balsamic vinaigrette and it would work just fine as well.

Here’s the recipe for my Apple Walnut Salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Apple Walnut Salad Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Apple Walnut Salad is a delicious blend of spinach, tart juicy apples, walnuts and creamy bleu cheese crumbles. It is simply perfect for fall.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, sliced thinly
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles
  • 1 bacon vinaigrette recipe

Instructions 

  • Assemble salad by layering spinach topped with apple slices, walnuts, and bleu cheese crumbles. Serve with a drizzle of bacon vinaigrette or your favorite vinaigrette dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1566IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Originally published September 3, 2012. Republished September 2015.

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




15 Comments

  1. Oh my…your salad looks so refreshing and delicious. The ingredients are similar to an apple salad I had at Disneyland and I had been craving for some. Thanks for sharing. Guess I’ll make this at home tonight! 🙂

    1. I hope you love it, Amy! It is one of our favorite for this time of year and even throughout the holidays!

  2. Love the sound of this salad, except I want a sweet apple. Not a big fan of Granny Smith. Will be making this soon…just sounds like fall!!!!! Thanks.

  3. I adore simple salads like these 🙂 I love pears and walnuts and blue cheese <3 Happy Monday, sweet Robyn.

    Bacon vinaigrette is hands down one of my favorite vinaigrettes EVAH.

    1. You are the sweetest! Yes, pears would be amazing in this salad, too! Now I’m craving this salad with pears AND apples. YUM!

  4. I’ve only had apples in a salad once. I need to do it more often. This is such a perfect seasonal salad!