I love getting together with friends – I have been friends with my college roommates for almost 20 years and love that we still make time to get together every now and then. We will usually make some of our favorite meals we ate in college – pizza bombs or navajo tacos – yum! We all pitch in and bring the fixings for the meal along with some sides and dessert. My roommate Emily brought this Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad to one of our get togethers and I have been hooked since! Every get together I take it to, people always ask for the recipe. Healthy spinach, candied almond slivers, bacon, mandarin oranges, and creamy poppy seed dressing are the perfect combination, and super easy to throw together!
The longest part of the recipe is the Slivered Candied Almonds I shared a while back, and really those really take only 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cool!
Really such a simple salad! It is best eaten fresh so I just bring all the fixins to the party. I toss the spinach in the bowl and top it with the candied almonds, mandarin oranges, mozzarella cheese, and bits of bacon on top….
Drizzle the poppy see dressing…..
And toss with tongs to serve!
Such a delicious combination, and we eat it with just about anything – from soups- to ham dinner- to pizza. So delicious!
I think the bacon and the candied almonds are what take it to the next level.What is a favorite salad topping for you?
See the Happy!
- 16 oz bag spinach washed
- 11 oz can mandarin oranges drained
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more if desired)
- 1/4 cup bacon bits I use Oscar Mayer real bacon bits
- 1/2 cup candied almond slivers recipe link above
- 1/2 cup poppy seed dressing I love Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
- Make your candied almond slivers. Make sure they have at least 30 minutes to cool. I usually do mine the night before.
- Put your washed spinach in large bowl. Sprinkle the cheese, bacon bits, and candied almond slivers over the top. Drain the mandarin oranges and place on top. Drizzle the poppy seed dressing over salad - as much as you would like and toss with salad tongs. Serve with your favorite main dish and enjoy!
This salad sounds wicked good! I could totally see myself eating one of these pretty much every day for lunch!
Love a good salad recipe! Sometimes salads are so super boring, so I skip them. This one looks like a serious hit!
That salad looks so very refreshing and light. I will try it for my lunch tomorrow, since I have all the ingredients ready.
What a beautiful and colorful salad. That lemon poppy dressing sounds delightfully delicious. I’ve never put mandarins in salad before.
This looks like a really yummy salad! I’d go for this any day for lunch! Pop some grilled chicken slices, and call it dinner!
I love how colourful and vibrant the salad looks, so delicious! I love the sound of the mandarin especially, a perfect spring dish!
I am a big fan of salads with a crunch so those candied almonds are right up my alley. I would probably eat them alone too!
I love that we are getting into salad season! It’s so light and refreshing during the warmer months of the year! I can’t wait to try this!
Oh my! That looks amazing! I know a lot of people who are into salad and I’m sure they’re going to love this. I’m sharing this with them.
Belle | One Awesome Momma
Yum this look a lovely spring salad. Perfect for a nice snack to have.
I love spinach salad. I also love mandarin oranges so combining them sounds so good! I’ll have to try this sometime.
This salad reminds me of the one I used to get at my favorite restaurant in college. Poppy seed dressing is so delicious and makes any salad an extra special treat.
I first tried a mandarin salad when I was in the hospital. I was relay surprised at how tasty it was!
I want to try this salad as i love poppy seed dressing, mandarin,s spinach and almonds. You have all my favorite ingredients in one bowl
oo this looks delicious! I love salads that are a little more interesting! I don’t think I have ever thought to add mandarins though
This looks delicious! I normally don’t put fruit in my salad but I’m loving the bacon going into this!
I’ve been I to eating spinach lately. This salad is the perfect Summer salad.
This salad looks delicious. I love when salad has a little bit of sweetness in it and this is def one.
Wow! This is such an iron rich salad. I love spinach and this makes a very healthy dish.
This salad looks so delicious! I am going to have to pick up the stuff to make it this weekend.
Such a unique salad! I need to try this! I’ll let you know how it turns out!
This salad looks so flavorful and refreshing. I think it is the perfect dish for enjoying for lunch at work on the go.
This looks like a salad my mom used to make! I’ve never thought to try it with poppyseed dressing!
Oh that looks so good. It is the perfect time of the year for salads. Going to try this one!