No slicing, dicing or chopping required! This Mandarin Orange Salad is the summer side dish that goes with everything. Sweet oranges, crunchy almonds and a zingy bite from a quick homemade vinaigrette that comes together in minutes.
Add chicken or salmon to make it a fuss-free meal.
Mandarin Orange Salad with Spinach
I texted my Mom, “hey, what was that mandarin orange and spinach salad you used to make all the time?” She texted this recipe card back:
Based on the stains, you know it’s a keeper of a recipe.
What Goes in Mandarin Orange Salad
The basics of this easy summer salad include:
- Fresh spinach
- Toasted sliced almonds (but if you don’t toast ’em, I won’t judge. It’s summer afterall.)
- Canned mandarin oranges, drained
- An easy vinaigrette
I followed Mom’s recipe except for the sugar. I substituted it with honey. And for the vinegar, I went with my favorite white balsamic. You could go with regular white vinegar, champagne vinegar, pretty much any light colored vinegar will work here.
Don’t skip the hot sauce! I used a few dashes of Tabasco.
How to Make Mandarin Orange Salad
Add the salad ingredients to your bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Toss it all together, wham, bam, thank you, m’am!
Other Summer Salad Recipes
What to Serve with Mandarin Orange Salad
This is a great side dish for entertaining because you can make it ahead and toss it as soon as you’re ready to serve. It goes great with grilled meats, sandwiches, or can even be made into a main course by adding chicken or salmon.
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Mandarin Orange Salad
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Mandarin Orange Salad is the summer side dish that goes with everything. Sweet oranges, crunchy almonds and a zingy bite from a quick homemade vinaigrette that comes together in minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oil (I like avocado oil)
- 2 Tbs sugar
- 2 Tbs vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- dash pepper
- dash hot sauce
- 1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
- 1 15oz can mandarin oranges, juice drained
- 16 oz fresh spinach
Instructions
- In a jar or salad dressing container, combine the 1/4 cup oil, 2 Tbs sugar, 2 Tbs vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, a dash of pepper and a dash of hot sauce. Whisk to combine and stir up / shake right before serving as the oil and vinegar will separate.
- Heat a dry pan over medium high heat on your stovetop. Add 1/4 cup sliced almonds to the pan and move pan in circular motions so the nuts move around and get toasted evenly. Keep an eye on the almonds so they don’t burn! Once toasted and fragrant, transfer the toasted nuts to a cup or plate until you’re ready to assemble your salad.
- Combine 16 oz fresh spinach with 1 15oz can drained mandarin oranges in a large salad bowl. Add the toasted almonds to the salad. Add as much dressing as desired to the salad and toss to evenly coat the spinach leaves.
- Serve immediately!
Keywords: oranges, spinach, salad, summer salad, vinaigrette
I love the groupings of pictures when doing food blogs like this. I haven’t done it yet with a recipe but it’s really effective. I needed a recipe from Hubby’s Gram (who long since passed), and Tim (hubby), his mom texted me. It’s so great to see the stains and the use.
Back before I meet Tim, I never wanted my cookery books to get messy and since meeting him, my entire outlook changed. Now, a worn book, is a happy book. A few stains and splashes, just adds to it’s charm.
Happy Cooking and Happy Shooting!
★★★★★
Absolutely! I agree <3 Thanks for stopping by and saying 'hi'!
Many thanks. This is the recipe I remember. Simple ingredients.