The PERFECT spring salad for Easter, Mother’s Day, or just Thursday! This crunchy, colorful, Fully Loaded Raspberry Salad is spectacular!
Tossed with a sweet, tangy Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette, our Fully Loaded Raspberry Salad recipe is filled with fresh summer staples like raspberries, shallots, cherry tomatoes, and mixed greens, along with protein-packed almonds, quinoa, and feta cheese. It’s stunning and scrumptious!
What Makes this Raspberry Salad “Fully Loaded”
This is not your grandma’s holiday pretzel and jello “salad”! This spring salad is a crispy, healthy, versatile DREAM that’s “fully loaded” with tasty, life-giving nutrition like fiber, prebiotics, protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, and tons of vitamins and minerals. Each bite is sweet, tangy, and crunchy—and just look at those gorgeous colors! This salad will help you feel great and live your best life!
Other Healthy Salad Recipes
- Summer Bounty Salad is the ideal recipe for your delicious garden veggies!
- Kale Quinoa Salad is fresh, filling and loaded with lemon and parmesan cheese – so good!
Ingredients
Greens: We’re going for your favorite mixed greens, whether that’s spring mix, romaine, spinach, kale, iceberg, or butter lettuce.
Fruit: There’s a reason we call this a raspberry salad – raspberries! (But almost any fruit is delicious with this salad, from blueberries and strawberries to diced apples and pears.)
Veggies: Cherry tomatoes and shallots add loads of taste and nutrition!
Salad Fillers: Quinoa adds protein and a great, mouthy “feel” to this salad, and sliced, toasted almonds round out the fresh flavors with a warm, rich crispness.
Dairy: Feta cheese has that perfect soft texture and tangy taste, giving this salad so much depth!
Dressing: This sweet and tangy Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette tops off this amazing summer salad recipe!
How to Make a Fully Loaded Raspberry Salad
STEP ONE: Prep the quinoa, fruits, and veggies to your preferred size and texture. Add the mixed greens to a large salad bowl. Add the quinoa, tomatoes, feta, almonds, onion, and raspberries over the greens.
STEP TWO: Pour your desired amount of dressing over the salad.
STEP THREE: Toss everything to coat the salad ingredients fully in the dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy! It’s super easy!
Tips for Success
- To wash the berries without mashing them, fill a large bowl with cold water, place the berries in a colander, and dip the colander down into the water.
- Don’t just drizzle the dressing over the salad – toss it well to cover every bite!
- Add water to almost any salad dressing to make it go further.
- Lightly toasted almonds add amazing flavors to this fresh summer salad’s profile. You could also use walnuts, pistachios, pecans, or sunflower seeds.
- Blueberries make a nice substitution if raspberries aren’t in season yet…you just have to change the recipe name. 🙂
- Be creative – swap the feta for goat cheese or fresh mozzarella balls.
- Top this salad with sliced chicken or a salmon filet, and you’ll have an easy, elegant dinner!
Can You Make this Salad in Advance?
Yes, but place each ingredient in its own airtight container and don’t combine until ready to eat. When all the ingredients are ready, building a luscious salad only takes a couple of minutes! The salad fixings should last 4-5 days in the fridge.
What Can I Do with Leftover Raspberries?
Raspberries don’t have a very long shelf life, so if you have some leftover, consider freezing them for smoothies! You could also make a delicious sauce like this Easy Raspberry Sauce (ready in 15 minutes) or a Raspberry Pancake Syrup that’s perfect for waffles, pancakes, and dessert drizzles!
Other Spring & Summer Salad Recipes
- Summer Watermelon & Cucumber Salad
- Strawberry Feta Salad
- Boozy Tropical Fruit Salad
- Summer Harvest Salad
- Caprese Salad
- Carrot Zucchini Salad
*This post originally posted on 05/12/2015.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed greens (your favorites)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup red quinoa cooked
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup sliced almonds toasted (see notes)
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- ¼ cup shallots peeled and minced
- 8 tablespoons Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette to taste
Instructions
- Add the mixed green to a large salad bowl. Add the tomatoes, quinoa, feta, almonds, raspberries, and shallots to the bowl.
- Pour your desired amount of dressing over the salad. Toss to coat evenly with dressing.
- Serve immediately and enjoy with your favorite meals!
Notes
- To toast the almonds: Place a skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the almonds. Stirring occasionally, cook the almond slices for 3-5 minutes until golden and toasted. Transfer them to a bowl to cool. This step can be done ahead of time so they’re ready for your salad when you want to eat.
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