Strawberry Spinach Salad
Whether you’re planning a garden party, a picnic in the park, or a timeless wedding side dish, this Strawberry Spinach Salad will be your go-to recipe!
With a few simple steps you can bring together a well-balanced and delicious salad made from the season’s freshest ingredients.
Why Make This Salad
Summer is the perfect time to partake in a burst of bold, bright flavors and fresh, colorful produce.
It’s when we crave light, refreshing, simple meals that are still as satisfying as anything we indulge in throughout the rest of the year.
We’ve got the best addition to your summer dining with this strawberry salad.
Embrace everything fresh and ripe with this dish that combines sweet strawberries, crisp baby spinach leaves, and many other flavors that complement these perfectly.
To me, this has always been the “Easter Salad” because that is when my mother would make it.
Easter lunch with my cousins and grandparents was never complete without a jug of sweet tea, a store-bought carrot cake, and this side salad.
This salad’s use of fresh, seasonal fruit and abundant greens takes center stage in some of my favorite memories.
I know this salad recipe will be the foundation for some of your next memories if you’ll let it.
Not only does it bring people together because it tastes great but it also looks great on your summer tablescape as well.
This salad is wholly adaptable to any meal or palate. Try out different cheeses like feta cheese or goat cheese.
Add citrus vinaigrettes or other surprisingly bright, clean flavors to give this meal a light, snappy finish that’s never too overpowering.
Even add nuts such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, or candied pecans for an extra crunch.
Light enough to enjoy outdoors on a summer’s day, yet substantial enough to sate anyone this salad makes a perfect addition to any summer dinner.
Since it’s produce-heavy, this salad only makes perfect sense for your quick lunch order, but you can always add protein as well.
Grilled chicken pairs beautifully with this salad if you’re looking to hit your macros.
Minute preparations yield delicious, surprising results. You can piece this dish together in five to ten minutes, making it the perfect side salad.
Keep reading to find out how to make this salad!
Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried: It’s in the name! Spinach is the perfect green for this simple summer salad. This might be the perfect time to start your own garden because produce is always best fresh!
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced: To hull a strawberry is to cut the leafy top off leaving nothing but the fruit itself. You can then slice your strawberries however you like. I prefer to cut them vertically into long slices.
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted: Store-bought sliced almonds are the way to go if you are looking to save time. To toast almonds, throw them onto a baking pan and toss them into the oven at 350 for around 11 minutes.
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese: Goat cheese and blue cheese both have a similar texture to feta if you are looking for something different. Consider using salty feta cheese for even more flavor.
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced: Red onion is another way to add a crunch to your healthy salad. Red onion also pairs beautifully with a vinegar salad dressing.
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing: Balsamic vinegar is one of my personal favorite dressings and I love it on anything. Its flavor brings this spinach strawberry salad to life.
How to Make a Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Assemble Salad: In a large bowl, assemble the salad by mixing together all of your ingredients except your dressing. This includes the spinach, strawberries, almonds, feta, and red onion.
- Add Dressing: Next, drizzle your balsamic dressing evenly over the salad. I like a lot of dressing, but it’s up to you and your guests how wet or dry you would like your salad.
- Toss Salad: Using two salad servers or just two spoons, gently toss your salad until all of it is coated evenly in the dressing.
- Serve on the side, or add protein such as chicken or fish and serve as an entree!
Notes
If you don’t have all of the ingredients on hand, almost any part of this recipe can be substituted.
Toasted pecans or even walnuts are perfect if you don’t love almonds, and most crumbly cheeses work as a substitution for feta.
You can also dress the salad with any light dressing such as zesty Italian or a lemon vinaigrette.
If you’re feeling up to it, you can even make the dressing.
Try out a strawberry balsamic for a delicious pairing, or serve with strawberry cocktails.
One of my favorite dishes to pair this with is poppy seed chicken.
Together, they create the perfect spring meal for Easter, graduation parties, or even a Kentucky Derby party!
There is no end to this strawberry salad recipe’s abilities. Try it out for your next get-together!
Srawberry Spinach Salad
Whether you're planning a garden party, a picnic in the park, or a timeless wedding side dish, this Strawberry Spinach Salad will be your go-to recipe!
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Instructions
- Mix your spinach, strawberries, almonds, feta, and red onion in a large bowl.
- Drizzle your dressing over the mixed salad.
- Use two spoons or two salad servers to toss the salad until evenly coated in the dressing.
- Serve and enjoy!
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