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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.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Marinate time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

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

Equipment

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

Method
 

Vinaigrette Instructions
  1. In your blender, add all ingredients, and blend well. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. Serve immediately.
  4. 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!