For more summery salad recipes, check out my posts for Greek Avocado Chicken Salad, Mexican Street Corn Chicken Pasta Salad, and Summer Melon Fruit Salad.
Ingredients
Baby spinach – fresh, not frozen! Strawberries Red Onions Crumbled cooked bacon – see my note for a time saving trick! Crumbled feta cheese – or substitute gorgonzola, goat cheese, or blue cheese. Candied walnuts or pecans – buy some already candied or follow my super easy instructions to whip them up at home. Poppy Seed Dressing – use my 5-minute homemade version, or your favorite store-bought.
Sugared nuts — You know how good nuts coated in sugar and cinnamon are? If not, you are missing out! Sure, you can pay an arm and a leg to buy them or you can easily make them yourself in a pinch. Sooooo worth the effort. Fresh berries — The great thing about this recipe is that, while strawberries work great, you could substitute just about any berry you like and it will still be just as delicious. Some of my favorites are blueberries and raspberries. Great for potlucks — Want to bring something other than the same old, same old pasta salad to a picnic or potluck? This one is a real crowd-pleaser, plus, it’s healthy and just looks so divine…I promise this one will not be going home with you. Put it all together If you have unwashed spinach or purchased it loose, the best thing to do is, like with strawberries, wash the leaves just before you’re ready to eat them/cook with them. If you wash the spinach then put it away, you’re just encouraging bacteria to grow and for your leafy greens to wilt much more quickly. I just wash mine and pat it dry or run it through a salad spinner to get all the excess water off.
title: “Strawberry Spinach Salad” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-19” author: “Robert Marler”
We enjoyed our strawberry spinach salad for dinner along with a simple pasta. It is sweet and tart and even my vegetable skeptical kids surprised me by liking it so much.
Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
I’ve never ascribed to the belief that a recipe needs to be complicated and packed with ingredients to be impressive or satisfying. This salad recipe is the perfect example.
Summer strawberries shine full of flavor all on their own. The contrast between the leafy spinach and the juicy strawberries is just about perfect. I added thin slices of sweet red onion for a little bit of a bite and a handful of almonds for texture, crunch and flavor. One of my boys informed us that it was just right if you get a bite with berry, spinach and onion all at once. He has never enjoyed an onion before in his life. I was impressed!
Strawberry Spinach Salad Dressing
The salad dressing on this strawberry spinach salad recipe is designed to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients and I think it does so beautifully. Light olive oil is whisked with lemon juicy, zest and just a bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper to make the dressing. Gently tossing the strawberries, spinach, onion, and almonds in this light dressing is all you need to make a tasty light lunch or side dish. I highly recommend that you try the salad with the dressing as written first, but this basic salad recipe would also be good with a light vinaigrette dressing. Try it with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette or White Balsamic Vinaigrette and let me know how it turns out!
Spinach Salad Recipe
When the weather is warm and fresh organic baby spinach leaves are abundant, I love tossing together a spinach salad to serve with a meal. Beside this Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe, I have many other spinach salad recipes I enjoy making, serving and eating. Spinach Pasta Salad is among my favorite pasta salad recipes. Hearty enough to eat on its own for lunch or a quick supper, it’s also a perfect side dish and always a hit at potlucks, parties and picnics. I recently took that recipe and this one and put the ideas together to create Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad. I couldn’t have been happier with the results. Tender pieces of pasta added so much to the meal of strawberries and spinach. Another favorite around here is this Spinach Orzo Salad that’s packed with cranberries and goat cheese, too. Any meal that’s as nourishing as it is beautiful and delicious is a winner in my book! For something a little out of the ordinary, try this Spicy Spinach Fruit Salad with Strawberry Grape Vinaigrette. It includes roasted almonds and sweet white grapes along with tart, sweet vinaigrette dressing and disappeared almost as fast as it hit the table. Crisp baby spinach, spring mix lettuces, tart apples, sweet raisins, crunchy almonds, and the ultimate honey cider salad dressing all combined to create a fantastic Spinach Apple Salad. I highly recommend it even for families with members who are reluctant to eat salad!
Strawberry Salad Recipes
I admit to being maybe a little bit too enthusiastic about strawberries and nuts in my salad, if such a thing is even possible. Almonds are often my go-to but roasted cinnamon pecans elevate strawberries to new heights in this Sweet Strawberry Salad. For a light but satisfying main dish, you can’t go wrong with this Strawberry Chicken Salad. The warm orange vinaigrette dressing drizzled on top of tender chicken and berries needs to be tasted to be believed. I also can’t wait to try Pistachio Strawberry Salad next time I have pistachios on hand! That salad r has cooked quinoa in the recipe, too, which sounds like a fantastic idea. Foodie Crush shared this Strawberry Arugula Salad with Watermelon and Feta I’ve got my eye on as well as this Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken. Can you think of anything better in the summertime than a meal with peak season strawberries, crisp greens and chicken (or your other favorite protein)? I’ve got hearts in my eyes just thinking about it.
Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
{originally published 6/2/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/19/19}
