Spinach & Roasted Eggplant Salad

This Spinach & Roasted Eggplant Salad will be your new favorite recipe! I am so excited to share it with you. πŸ™‚

I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but up until a few years ago I had no idea what an eggplant was.

I envisioned it being a weird ugly vegetable that stunk like rotten eggs.

Seriously, who was I back then?! Ha!

Birds eye view of an Eggplant, Apple, and Spinach Salad with the dressing on the side.

I blame my parents. Okay, I don’t really…well, maybe just a little. LOL Still joking! πŸ˜‰ 

Don’t worry though, I have forgiven them and have tried my best to get them to love eggplant just as much as I do.

I am so happy to tell you that my mom loves this Spinach & Roasted Eggplant Salad!

Salad loaded with bell pepper, crumbled goat cheese, and roasted veggies in a white bowl.

I was inspired to develop this vegetarian Spinach and Roasted Eggplant Salad from a recipe I found a few years ago at SugarFreeMom.com. Her recipe is fantastic, but I decided to jazz it up a little to suit my tastes!

Up close shot of cubed baked eggplant in a salad tossed with a homemade dressing.

I wanted a little more texture so I added gluten free pecans and a pinch more sweetness in the dressing so I added several drops of Stevia.

This salad packs so much flavor that I crave it if I haven’t eaten it in a while.

The sweetness of the roasted apples and eggplants paired with the crunchiness of the sweet bell pepper and pecans is simply divine!

Tossed clean eating spinach salad with vegetarian toppings in a white bowl and a beautiful eggplant in the background.

I literally cannot imagine my food life without eggplants now. We grew them in our garden for the first time this past summer and I cannot tell you how excited I was to eat them!

We grew two different kinds, a speckled light purple variety and the most well-known dark purple kind.

This coming summer I am going to plant SO MANY MORE of these little beauties so I can have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Healthy and easy vegetarian side dish with dressing and apple in the background.

When I find a great deal at our local grocery store, I snatch up as many eggplants as I think I can use for the upcoming week!
 

I often bake them according to this recipe to eat during the week, even if I don’t make this entire salad.

 
I love to nibble on these right out of the fridge! Call me strange, but it is like a little treat! Yes, vegetables, a treat. Wow, I really may be strange! πŸ˜‰
 
Please enjoy this Spinach and Roasted Eggplant Salad as much as I do. Happy Eating!

Spinach & Roasted Eggplant Salad

This healthy and easy vegetarian meal has roasted eggplant and baked apples. Throw these on a bed of baby spinach, julienned bell pepper, crumbled feta or goat cheese, and pecans. You can make your own vinegar dressing too! Low carb, gluten free (& grain free), and dairy free (if you omit the cheese) has all the clean eating vibes. Eat these roasted veggies for a 21 day fix or Whole30 snack. Serve in the fall at Thanksgiving like me!
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Cuisine: All American
Keyword: apple, eggplant, homemade dressing, roasted vegetables, salad, side dish, spinach, vegetarian
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 185kcal
Cost: $10.00

Equipment

  • baking pan
  • large bowl

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

  • 1 eggplant, cubed with skin approximately 1" cubes
  • 1 apple, diced with skin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil spray
  • 5 oz clamshell baby spinach
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper, julienned
  • 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Dressing

  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1.5 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp honey or 4 drops liquid Stevia
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • few dashes black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Place cubed eggplant and diced apple on a baking sheet lined with a
    Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat or parchment paper. Spray lightly with the olive oil spray and sprinkle garlic salt and pepper evenly.
  • With a spoon, gently toss coated eggplant and apple on baking mat to evenly coat each piece with seasoning.
  • Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until eggplant is browned and tender. Stir mixture after 20 minutes. Set aside and let cool while you prepare the salad and dressing.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
  • In a large serving bowl, combine spinach, orange pepper, feta cheese, and pecans.
  • Add the eggplant and apple mixture to the spinach. Then pour in the dressing. Gently toss and Viola you are ready to serve!
  • Refrigerate leftovers...if you have any!

Notes

Any size eggplant, apple, or bell pepper will work for this recipe! The more the merrier, but no worries if your produce is on the small side.
You can substitute 4 drops liquid Stevia for the honey in the dressing to make this recipe sugar free.
I like goat cheese so I often use that in place of crumbled feta! 
Here is the original salad recipe from Brenda at Sugar-Free Mom: http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/roasted-eggplant-apple-spinach-salad/

 

12 Comments

  1. I never tried eggplant until I lived in England – and at first I didn’t really like it. Now I love it! We call it Aubergine over here – I’m constantly saying the wrong name depending on where I am! Love this salad, Sammi. It ticks all the boxes – delicious, nutritious, satisfying and easy! Thank you so much for sharing with us at Hearth and Soul. I’ve featured this post at the party this week. Hope to ‘see’ you there!

    • I was dumbfounded for the longest time by the difference in names! Ha! Thank you for your kinds words. This salad is just divine and certainly on my list of “to-make” now that eggplant season is here!

  2. I had only eaten eggplant parmagian in restaurants until about 4 years ago and I’m retired! We start off cooking what our mothers cooked. Pinned and shared.

  3. I love eggplant – what a great salad! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner link party!

  4. Yum, this looks delicious, I cannot wait to give this a try. I just added eggplant and bell peppers to my shopping list. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

  5. You’re not alone! I had never tried eggplant until I was an adult either! I’m still looking for a great way to prepare it, and this is definitely on the top of my list to try when we get eggplant in our CSA share. Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop! πŸ™‚

  6. I’m 30 & I don’t think I’ve ever had eggplant…must try it! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty πŸ™‚

    • Brittany, it is comforting to know I am not the only one who was introduced to eggplant so late in life πŸ˜‰ I actually just made this salad again yesterday. SO GOOD! I hope you enjoy it too πŸ™‚

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




*