Sep 12th 2026

Winter Spinach Salad with Orange, Walnuts & Dijon Vinaigrette

Simple French Salads

Winter Spinach Salad with Orange, Walnuts & Dijon Vinaigrette

Three ingredients in the bowl, three in the dressing. Fifteen minutes, no cooking, and it still tastes like someone thought about it.

It shows up in French homes in the winter for one simple reason: citrus is in season, and it’s one of the only fresh, bright things around when everything else on the table is heavier.

Why This Combination Works

Spinach on its own is a little flat. Orange segments bring the acidity and the sweetness that spinach doesn’t have. Walnuts add the crunch and a bit of bitterness that balances the two. And the Dijon vinaigrette ties it together instead of just sitting on top of it.

None of this is complicated. It’s just a handful of things that were never competing with each other in the first place.

A good salad isn’t about how many ingredients you can fit in the bowl. It’s about which three or four actually belong together.

The Recipe

Serves 4. 15 minutes, no cooking.

For the Salad

  • 4 cups baby spinach, or any spring green mix
  • 1 orange
  • ⅓ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

For the Dijon Vinaigrette

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  1. Segment the orange. Peel it fully, then cut out the segments from between the membranes, leaving the skin and pith behind.
  2. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until combined.
  3. Toss and serve. Combine the spinach, orange segments, and walnuts in a bowl. Add the vinaigrette right before serving and toss.

The French Way of Doing It

Dress it at the last minute. Spinach wilts fast once vinaigrette hits it. Toss it right before it goes on the table, not while you’re still cooking everything else.

Whisk, don’t shake. A vinaigrette whisked by hand emulsifies better than one shaken in a jar, and it takes the same amount of time.

Want to Get Vinaigrette Right Every Time?

A proper emulsion is one of those small techniques that changes everything you make afterward. It’s one of the basics I cover in our cooking classes, along with a handful of others you’ll use constantly.

See Our Cooking Classes

If Dijon is doing a lot of the work in this dressing, our guide to Dijon mustard is worth a look — not all mustards behave the same way in a vinaigrette.