This Spinach Salad with Salmon and Avocado is perfect for a mason jar salad! It’s easy to make, healthy, and great for lunch or dinner!
A healthy salad perfect for lunch or dinner!
If you’re still on the hunt for something healthy this January and want something that can be for lunch or dinner then this salad is for you!
It’s hearty so you won’t be hungry in 30 minutes (I feel like I’m always hungry not long after eating a salad, lol).
It’s the perfect salad to take to work because you can pack it in a mason jar! Make it at the beginning of the week and have it ready to go!
A few other great salads you should try are Tuscan Tuna Salad, Chicken Avocado and Tomato Salad, and Turkey Cobb Salad.
Winter Salad Recipe
This salad is great because it’s using seasonal produce. I used Cara Cara oranges for a little more color but feel free to use regular oranges or even grapefruit!
This is a pretty hardy winter salad thanks to the salmon and garbanzo beans. If you don’t like garbanzo beans or don’t have them on hand use a cannellini bean. Smoked salmon would also be great in this salad.
And as long as you check your labels this salad is gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free! However, if you can indulge in nuts pecans are another great addition.
Mason Jar Salad
As I mentioned earlier this would make a great salad to take to work. One note though about the avocado….leave it out until that morning and put it in the top of the jar to help prevent it from becoming overly browned.
You can try tossing it with some lemon juice and putting the avocado in ahead of time but I still find it browns. The only way I have found an avocado not to brown is to completely seal off any air.
When you make this salad as a mason jar salad be sure to put the salad dressing and other wet ingredients at the bottom of the jar and the greens at the top.
Otherwise, you will have slimy greens, yuck!
How long do salads in a jar last?
You can be pretty safe with them lasting 5 days. However, I have had them last up to 7 with no issue. I think it depends on how you pack your jar and with what ingredients.
I don’t like to overpack my jar and squish all the ingredients together. Maybe this works or maybe it’s just me, who knows??
Now, when it comes time to eat this salad I like to give it a little shake just to remix the dressing at the bottom. Then dump everything onto a large plate or bowl and enjoy!
I know some people eat them straight out of the jar but this salad wasn’t designed to be one of those, sorry! And I have tried that before and it’s actually really hard and a pain if you ask me!
Spinach Salad with Salmon and Avocado
Ingredients
DRESSING:
- ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
SALAD:
- 8 cups baby spinach or greens of choice
- 12-14 (oz)(375g) cooked salmon
- 1 (15.5oz)(439g) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cara cara oranges
- ¼ cup (75g) pomegranate seeds
- 1 large ripe avocado, sliced or chopped
Instructions
DRESSING:
- In a small mason jar combine all the dressing ingredients and shake well to combine, set aside.
SALAD:
- Start by removing the membrane from the oranges. Do this by cutting off a thin slice from both ends of the orange. Place a flat end on a cutting board and cut away the remaining peel working from the top to the bottom.
- Hold the orange in your hand and cut into the center between one orange section and the thin white membrane. Cut along the other side of the section next to the membrane. Remove the cut section and repeat with remaining sections.
- Arrange your salad in a large bowl as desired and drizzle with dressing just before serving.
TO MAKE MASON JAR SALAD:
- Divide the dressing among four large mason jars.
- Top with about 1/3 cup of beans, 1/2 of an orange, 2 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds, and about 3 ounces of salmon. Repeat for other 3 jars. Top each with about 2 cups of spinach.
- If you choose to add the avocado do so the morning you are taking the salad to prevent as much browning as possible. Use 1/4 of an avocado per jar.
Notes
- Use any orange or grapefruit in place of Cara Cara oranges.
- Use cannellini beans in place of garbanzo beans if you prefer.
- Smoked salmon is also a great substitute.
- Nutrition info– Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate.
I love all the beautiful colors in your pictures! Your food just sings!
Thank you so much!!
I love the salmon, avocado and orange combination. This salad looks amazing!
Thank you so much!
So tired of the same old salad and this one was such a great change! YUM!
YES!! I get tired of boring salads too!! Thanks!
Love the salmon in the salad! I have never tried that before. Plus, always great to be able to stuff a salad in a jar!
Thank you Julie!! It’s a great one to pack and take somewhere!