Spinach Watermelon Feta Salad - Baby spinach flavored with the juices of fresh cubed watermelon, creamy chunks of feta cheese, sweet sliced red onion, with pistachios for a wonderful crunch, all drizzled with a delicious lime vinaigrette. You're going to love this salad!
I prefer to eat at home where I can be as loud or as quiet as I like, can have second helpings, and I don’t have to worry about the service. However, last week we dined out, and I decided to stick to my usual route and order items that I haven’t or won’t make at home. One item on the menu caught my eye. It was a spinach watermelon feta salad with a lime vinaigrette. Now before you judge me for ordering a salad while out, I can guarantee you it wasn't just any other salad. Nope. No crunch, sloppily-chopped lettuce drowned in house dressing with long strands of onion and bland tomato wedges from last week's produce section here. This salad combined watermelon, feta, pistachios and red onion - all topped with a lime vinaigrette that tied everything together to create an orchestra of flavor in my mouth. Damn, can I get an encore! Finally, I could see what all the fuss was about.
The salad was simple. A bed of baby spinach, some cubed watermelon, a few cubes of minted feta cheese, thickly sliced red onions, pistachios, all covered with a lime vinaigrette. The salad was refreshing, but the vinaigrette included cumin which made it taste a little harsh. The onions were thickly sliced and overpowered every bite, so I placed them to the side. I knew I could recreate this at home and it would be delicious.
The lime vinaigrette is the perfect compliment for this salad and has equal amounts of lime juice and olive oil, whereas vinaigrettes are usually one part acid to two parts oil. The reason for the 1:1 ratio is because the watermelon juices release and mix with the vinaigrette to mellow out the acidity. There’s really no need for the extra oil. I’m telling you, you will be tempted to drink the juice remaining at the bottom of the salad bowl. Another reason to eat at home - no one will judge you.
The thing about this recipe is you can control the amount of salad ingredients. I'll give a recommendation, but if you want it loaded with watermelon, then by all means load it up.
I have to say, my recreation surpassed the restaurant’s. You don’t have to go out to a fancy restaurant to enjoy this salad. You also won’t be judged if you drink the liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Go ahead, drink it up.
Try some of my other salads:
- Sweet and tangy cucumber salad
- Mexican street corn salad
- Sonoma chicken salad
- Peruvian oil and vinegar potato salad
Life is too short for mediocre food.
Spinach Watermelon Feta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Salad:
- 2 - 3 big handfuls of baby spinach
- 4 cups cubed watermelon - more or less
- 4 ounces or so of crumbled feta cheese
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup salted and toasted pistachio nuts you can roughly chop, if desired
Lime Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine salad ingredients into a big bowl or layer the ingredients onto a platter starting with the spinach, following with the watermelon, onions, feta, and pistachios.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to combine or if serving on a platter, simply drizzle vinaigrette over the top.
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