This Keto Spinach Salad in a jar is a simple and easy way to meal prep for a healthy and delicious dinner. Made using baby spinach, shredded chicken, freshly pickled red onions, cucumbers, and sponsored by NatureSweet, this delicious salad is a must for the New Year! Just shake, pour out onto a plate or into a bowl, and enjoy.
I love salads. Not only are they a great and healthy addition to meals or to have as snacks, but it's true that you can really make a salad in a ton of different ways.
Simply switching out the types of veggies that you use, or adding in kale, spinach or other fresh greens makes each and every salad taste 100% unique.
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What I love about this layered salad recipe is that it takes literally minutes to prep and get ready. When I'm running low on time, salads are the go-to recipe that never let me down.
Why choose NatureSweet Cherubs?
I'm a tomato lover. I've grown up eating tomatoes my whole life, most times straight from the garden. There's nothing quite like the taste of a sweet ripe tomato.
Since I have quite the palate for tomatoes, I have to say that NatureSweet Cherubs literally taste like they're garden-fresh. I'm talking like “you just walked out your back door to pick them from the vine" fresh.
They're the perfect-bite-sized treat that tastes heavenly on their own or pairs perfectly with salads, too. This is why I always choose this brand of tomatoes as my go-to tomatoes from the store.
Not only are they crazy good but they're super healthy as well. NatureSweet Cherubs are low-calorie, low-fat, sodium-free, and are a great source of fiber.
I can totally see why they are the #1 selling tomato in the world! NatureSweet does an amazing job at handpicking the tomatoes at the peak of freshness when they are firm to the touch and bright red to draw in the eyes. Did you know that they are handpicked and shipped within 24 hours? That’s what makes them so sweet and fresh.
And when you take a bite? Perfection each and every time.
Once you make this simple salad recipe, you're going to see why I choose NatureSweet Cherubs as my added tomatoes of choice!
Ingredients
This easy salad recipe takes minimal ingredients to make. I love pickling my own onions and adding those in as well, so I've included that easy recipe, too.
Joy Filled Eats Sweetener - My favorite sweetener for most recipes. Find out how I make it here.
Salt - Just a pinch of salt as it will go a long way in this recipe.
Olive Oil - I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil as this works best with the ingredients.
Apple Cider Vinegar - This is the main ingredient that pickles the onions.
Red Onions - You can really use any type of onions that you want to but I prefer the hint of sweetness of the red onions. I also enjoy the added coloring that it brings to the salad.
Baby Spinach - I love eating spinach salads because spinach offers great health benefits. Baby spinach leaves are nice and small, making them perfect for this easy salad in a jar.
Shredded Chicken - If you have leftover chicken, shred it and use this recipe! You can also cube the chicken but the shredded chicken tends to have a better texture with the layers of the salad.
Tomatoes – NatureSweet Cherubs are my favorite tomatoes! I love how they have a nice "pop" to them when you bite into them. They're also a tad bit sweet and are a heart-healthy veggie, too!
Cucumbers - The sliced cucumbers give an awesome crunch to this dish that really helps it to stand out and add flavor.
Shaved Parmesan Cheese - Since there is some sodium in parmesan cheese, pay attention to how much you want to add. I prefer having more cheese than not enough but that is because I love cheese.
How To Make Keto Spinach Salad
Step One: To make the pickled onions: combine the boiling water and sweetener in the jar. Once dissolved, add in the oil, vinegar, and salt then mix. Stir in the onions.
Step Two: Add a layer of cucumbers followed by a layer of NatureSweet Cherubs.
Step Three: Top with shredded chicken and then the baby spinach.
Step Four: Add the shredded parmesan cheese as the very top layer of the salad.
Expert Tip: If the jar seems really full, gently push down and make room. The baby spinach will be a bit "fluffed" so pressing it down gently will give you space for the cheese.
Variations of Keto Spinach Salad
Pecans - If you want even more crunch, consider adding in some pecans! You can halve them or chop them up, and they'd be great to sprinkle on with the cheese at the end. (Walnuts would be another great nut option to include.)
Feta - Parmesan cheese is great but adding some Feta cheese is a good choice, too! You know what they say - "feta is betta!"
Berries - If you like a bit of contrast, sliced strawberries or blueberries could be a fun topping, too. I would add these at the end when you're getting ready to eat the salad, so the juice doesn't leak down into the jar and cause it to be soggy.
Bacon - Bacon bits or cut-up bacon could be a boost of flavor, too! It all just depends on if you want more than one protein added to this dish.
Dressing - Subbing in lemon juice and adding some dijon mustard and black pepper is a nice variation on this.
Common Questions
Can you use slivered almonds in this spinach salad recipe?
Slivered almonds would be a great addition! Since they're light in texture, you can add them right on top and they won't overpower the salad.
How long do keto salad recipes in a jar stay fresh?
I would recommend eating this recipe within 2 days of making it. Since the onions pickle naturally in the dressing, and then the cucumbers come next, you don't have to worry about it getting soggy.
Since the prep and total time to make this recipe is so minimal, make this salad fresh as often as you can!
How do I mix all the ingredients together that are in the jar?
This is the fun part! You just need to give the jar a shake (make certain that the lid is still on!) and that will get everything coated with the dressing. Then just dump out onto a large, rimmed plate (sometimes I eat salads off of a pie plate) or a bowl. Give it a quick mix because the cheese ends up at the bottom.
Ingredients
Pickled Onions
- 1 tbsp boiling water
- ½ tbsp Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup red onions thinly sliced
Salad
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup shredded chicken
- ½ cup NatureSweet Cherubs halved
- ¼ cup cucumbers chopped
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Instructions
Pickled Onions
- In a large quart-sized jar stir together the sweetener and boiling water until it dissolves. Add the oil, vinegar, and salt and mix well. Stir in the onions.
Salad in a Jar
- Prepare the pickled onions as listed above for the bottom layer.
- Add the cucumbers and then the NatureSweet Cherubs for the next two layers.
- Top with the shredded chicken and then the baby spinach.
- For the final layer top with the parmesan cheese. Press down the spinach if needed to make room for the cheese. Store in the refrigerator.
Serving
- When you are ready to eat give the salad a good shake so the layers all get coated by the dressing. Dump out into a bowl or large plate, stir and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NatureSweet. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Patricia Jensen says
I make this all the time - without the onions. I'm just not an onion person. 🙂
KM Lorenz says
This looks like a nummy SUMMER salad. Too cold for me for salads right now. 🙂
Karen says
I have never had a salad in a jar looks very interesting I have to buy a few ingredients then I will try it