I came up with the recipe for this salad one day when I was craving something light and fresh for lunch that still took advantage of some fun fall ingredients I had in my fridge. Let's be honest, here in the Midwest this is the time of year that is frigid in the morning and sunny and 75 degrees by afternoon. So on this warm afternoon I didn't necessarily want to cozy up with some soup. I needed something lighter! So I rounded up some fabulous ingredients and whipped up this Harvest Spinach Salad.

When building a salad I always need something green, something crunchy, something creamy, something salty or acidic and a protein! So this one has spinach, walnuts, goat cheese and squash, olives and balsamic vinaigrette, and finally, prosciutto! I've also settled on the fact that this Aged Balsamic Dressing from Aldi's is the best balsamic vinaigrette. It has just a few simple, clean ingredients and its delicious!

It could not be easier! I made this quickly for a lunch but that same week also prepped it for a dinner party. It keeps amazingly well, I would just suggest waiting until serving time to dress it. So let's cook!

How To Make The Best Salads

If you need a quick lesson on WHAT exactly makes restaurant salads taste so much better than when you make it at home...check out this blog all about how to make the perfect. salad!