spinach salad in a white bowl on a light brown circular mat on a white and gray countertop

Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Written by on in Recipes, Salad, Side Dish
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Summer makes me think of fresh veggies. There is nothing like tomatoes grown from your own garden. Making a salad that is beautiful and tasty doesn’t have to be complicated. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand, or you can use the ones I have suggested. Whatever you choose, this Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette will make your mouth happy!

For these images, I do not have garden fresh veggies because it is still June, and tomatoes don’t come on until later in the summer. But I am anxiously awaiting my tomatoes! I also like to grow bell peppers. This year I only planted green ones, which I am regretting at this point, because last year I grew a plant that did several colors of bell peppers, and that was so fun.

I absolutely love cilantro. I know that it is one of those flavors that you either love it or hate it. For me, it’s all LOVE. This vinaigrette is very simple, and uses ingredients that I often have on hand, and you probably do too. Just add all the ingredients to your blender, blend, and it’s ready.

spinach salad in a white bowl on a light brown circular mat on a white and gray countertop

Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

A refreshing, light summer salad with a spinach base, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, and black beans mixed with a delicious cilantro-lime vinaigrette. Add protein if desired.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Marinate time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • blender
  • medium bowl & large bowl
  • cutting board
  • knives, spatula, spoon

Ingredients
  

Cilantro- Lime Vinaigrette

  • 1/3 C olive oil, I like a light flavored one
  • 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • 1 TBSP honey
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 C fresh cilantro, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Veggies/Beans to marinate

  • 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/4 C red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 C yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 can black beans, rinsed well
  • 1/2 C canned corn {or fresh if it's been cooked}

Salad Base

  • baby spinach

Healthy Protein/Fat Ideas

  • grilled chicken
  • avocado
  • salmon

Instructions
 

Vinaigrette Instructions

  • In your blender, add all ingredients, and blend well. Set aside.
  • Chop tomatoes and bell peppers. Add to a medium bowl. Add black beans and corn to bowl. Pour vinaigrette on top and mix well. YOU MAY NOT NEED ALL THE VINAIGRETTE. Save extra vinaigrette in for mixing the salad later.
  • Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Give it a good stir before adding it to your salad.
    chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, black beans, and corn with cilantro-lime vinaigrette in a large glass bowl

Salad Instructions

  • Just before you are ready to serve, add a large amount of spinach to a large bowl. Add veggie/bean/corn marinate and toss {you may not need the whole amount-I just spoon on and eyeball how much I want}.
    spinach salad with cilantro-lime vinaigrette in a white bowl on a light brown circular mat
  • You can also add grilled chicken or salmon or avocado to this salad.
    spinach salad with cilantro-lime vinaigrette with grilled chicken on top in a white salad bowl
  • Serve immediately.
  • If there are extra of the veggie/bean/corn mixture, store in the fridge. I will often dump out some of the extra marinate in the bowl so they don't get soggy. Plus you may have saved extra marinate already, so just use that when building your salad the next day.

Notes

This amount of veggie/bean/corn mixture will make a LARGE salad.  If you are just making salad for a couple or yourself, I would definitely half this recipe.  You can save the extra mixture in the fridge and make yourself a yummy salad for a couple days.
The veggies/beans/corn mixture is also great with tacos, to eat as salsa, or just to eat with grilled salmon or chicken as a main dish option.  The options are endless!
Keyword cilantro-lime, dairy free, gluten free, healthy, salad, spinach salad, summer salad, vinaigrette

I hope that this Fall you will be making this salad a lot- I know I will! The honey I like to use is the organic raw honey at Costco. I use Bragg’s apple cider vinegar for this recipe too. I know as a busy mom that it is sometimes hard to get yourself a healthy lunch. This is the perfect recipe. You marinate the veggies/beans/corn, grill up some extra chicken when you’re grilling anyway, and have some baby spinach on hand. This easily makes lunch for several days. And you will feel happy knowing you are taking care of yourself.

Emma

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