Warm roasted mushroom, pear, walnut and avocado spinach salad: Roasted crimini mushrooms and red onion are tossed with spinach, walnuts, avocado, pear, and tangy balsamic vinaigrette in this irresistible and wholesome vegan salad.
How goes your week so far? Mine is going well, with the exception that I have an incredibly painful corn on the bottom of my foot that continues to be aggravated by walking and running on pavement and by my running shoes. You might not know that I don’t have a car, so I walk pretty much everywhere, including my grocery trips… yes, I could bike, but my bike is in a storage locker in the parking garage of my building and going down to unlock it and get it outside every time I need to go out is just a real hassle. So for that reason, I rarely bike, even though it is much more efficient and would be a heck of a lot easier on my feet. Anyways, I guess it might be time to get one of those corn remover pads so that I might be able to walk and run pain-free this summer!
And now, from my foot complaints to salad. How appetizing! Sorry. :/
roasted mushroom spinach salad with avocado, pear and walnuts: the details
Whenever I brainstorm salad recipe ideas, I think about wholesome, flavourful salads with a variety of textures and colours. Ideally, there needs to be a combination of raw and roasted elements, sweetness, crunch, and acidity/tang. Bonus points if there is something creamy or buttery, be that in the form of a creamy dressing, cheese, or avocado.
This particular salad checks off all of those boxes. It has spinach, roasted crimini mushrooms and red onion, walnuts for crunch, pear for sweetness, avocado for buttery creaminess, and balsamic vinaigrette for acidity. It really does make a great side salad with any entree or protein, including pasta dishes, chicken, fish, and eggs (if you eat them, of course).
ingredients you’ll need
For the salad, you’ll need crimini mushrooms, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, spinach or kale, walnuts, avocado, and pears.
For the dressing, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, garlic, maple syrup, and dijon mustard.
the method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the quartered mushrooms and red onion in the centre of a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and add a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and spread out in an even layer. Roast for 17-20 minutes.
Make the dressing: Combine the oil, balsamic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, maple syrup, and dijon mustard in a jar. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
Meanwhile, make the rest of the salad: Place the chopped spinach (no need to chop if using baby spinach) or kale in a large bowl. Add the still warm roasted mushrooms and onion. This will cause the spinach or kale to wilt slightly. Drizzle with ¼ cup of the dressing and toss to coat. Top with walnuts, avocado, and pears (you can reserve some for garnishing individual servings if you like). Toss again and plate. Serve with additional dressing, as desired.
frequently asked questions
Can this salad be made ahead? Yes, but I would recommend keeping all of the components separate until right before serving, since the pears and avocado turn brown when exposed to air and spinach becomes soggy quite quickly. Feel free to roast the mushrooms/onions and make the dressing up to a couple of days in advance, then reheat the mushrooms right before tossing the salad.
I’m allergic to nuts; what should I replace the walnuts with? I love roasted pepitas or sunflower seeds!
What should I serve this salad with? I love it as a side dish with this Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta!
How can I turn this salad into more of a meal? Add 1-2 cups of cooked chickpeas or lentils, and serve on a bed of quinoa, millet, or brown rice, or with a side of toasted bread spread with soft goat cheese and olives. Delish!
nutrition fun facts
This salad is packed with healthy fat thanks to the avocado, extra virgin olive oil, and walnuts. Avocado and extra virgin olive oil are both rich in monounsaturated fat, one of the “good” fats that benefits your body in myriad ways. Best known for its cardiovascular-protective properties, monounsaturated fat helps to lower low density lipoprotein (LDL- the so-called “bad” cholesterol) levels in the body, thereby reducing risk of heart disease. Furthermore, avocado is rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that most people could use more of! Walnuts are an excellent source of plant-based omega 3 essential fatty acids, which are important for brain, eye, and heart health as well.
So fear not the good fats in this salad. They are sooo healthy for you! They help you feel satiated while giving you glowing skin and hair, balanced blood sugar, and healthy mood and hormones.
more delicious and satisfying salad recipes
- Thai Tempeh Quinoa Mango Salad
- Chickpea Brown Rice Broccoli Salad with Balsamic Tahini Dressing
- Roasted Beet Salad with Pecans and Feta
Finally, I hope that you love this warm roasted mushroom, pear and avocado spinach salad! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made!
Enjoy!!
Print
Warm Roasted Mushroom, Pear, Walnut + Avocado Spinach Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Warm roasted mushroom, pear, walnut and avocado spinach salad: Roasted crimini mushrooms and red onion are tossed with spinach, walnuts, avocado, pear, and tangy balsamic vinaigrette in this irresistible and wholesome vegan salad.
Ingredients
Salad
- 5 cups crimini mushrooms, scrubbed clean with a damp cloth and quartered
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 packed cups chopped kale or spinach (from 1 large bunch)
- ⅓ cup walnut halves, roasted if desired
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 2 pears, sliced
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the quartered mushrooms and red onion in the centre of a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and add a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and spread out in an even layer. Roast for 17-20 minutes.
- Make the dressing: Combine the oil, balsamic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, maple syrup, and dijon mustard in a jar. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
- Meanwhile, make the rest of the salad: Place the chopped spinach (no need to chop if using baby spinach) or kale in a large bowl. Add the still warm roasted mushrooms and onion. This will cause the spinach or kale to wilt slightly. Drizzle with ¼ cup of the dressing and toss to coat. Top with walnuts, avocado, and pears (you can reserve some for garnishing individual servings if you like). Toss again and plate. Serve with additional dressing, as desired.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
Keywords: roasted mushroom spinach walnut pear salad with avocado
And that’s all for today, folks! Looking forward to sharing my next recipe with you very soon: Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars! 🙂
Sue
We enjoyed this for lunch today. Love your recipes! Thanks Allison.
★★★★★
Allison
Thanks, Sue! I’m so happy to hear it! 🙂