Strawberry Spinach Salad is definitely a crowd pleaser! A bed of fresh spinach is tossed with ripe juicy summer strawberries, creamy avocado, candied pecans, feta cheese & thinly sliced onions.
Toss this salad with a quick and easy white balsamic dressing below or your favorite balsamic vinaigrette for the perfect summer meal.
A Perfect Summer Lunch
Spinach and strawberry salad is a perfect summer lunch, to make it a meal top it with grilled chicken or grilled salmon!
Ingredients
- Spinach: I use spinach for this recipe but it’s great with your favorite crisp lettuce, like romaine or butter.
- Berries: Strawberries add the perfect juicy sweet flavor. Toss blackberries, raspberries or even mandarin oranges in too!
- Toppings: Candied pecans or toasted nuts and red onions add great flavor. Avocado and either goat cheese or feta are sprinkled on top for the perfect salad of crunchy, creamy, salty and sweet.
Candied pecans take a little bit of time to make but are so worth the effort. Make big batches and keep them in the cupboard to add to salads, top desserts or even just to snack on. If you don’t have them, substitute toasted pecans, walnuts or almonds.
To Toast Nuts
Place nuts in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the almonds are fragrant and lightly browned. Cool completely. Nuts can also be baked in the oven at 350°F for 6-9 minutes or until fragrant.
Dressing
All of that fresh summer produce is topped off with a quick and easy homemade white balsamic vinaigrette.
It’s easy to shake up and the perfect combination of sweet and tangy! While I prefer this salad with the balsamic dressing, you can also use a Poppy Seed Dressing or your favorite vinaigrette!
What is White Balsamic Vinegar?
It is very similar to regular balsamic vinegar however it is made with a different grape and isn’t aged as long as traditional balsamic vinegar.
It’s slightly sweeter and has a little bit less tang or bite than a darker vinegar making it the perfect addition to salad dressings and other dishes where balsamic may be overpowering.
How to Make the Dressing
To create a vinaigrette dressing you will want to add the ingredients to a jar and shake to combine. If you happen to have a hand blender, you can also emulsify the dressing (which is blending it so the texture thickens).
For a thicker dressing, simply add all ingredients except the olive oil into a jar. Blend with a hand blender while drizzling the olive oil in as slowly as possible. This will emulsify (thicken) the dressing.
If not eating immediately, I leave the dressing off the salad and store it in the fridge for a couple of days. Toss immediately before serving.
More Fresh Salads
- Easy Taco Salad – A quick favorite meal
- Chef Salad – Great for a hot day
- Greek Salad – Add grilled chicken to make it a meal
- Favorite Spaghetti Salad – Lots of fresh veggies and flavor!
- Cucumber Onion Salad – Classic bbq potluck recipe!
- The Best Tossed Salad – Our go-to side, anything goes!
- Orange & Fennel Salad – With a bright & tangy dressing
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 10 ounces spinach fresh
- 2 cups strawberries hulled & sliced
- ¼ cup red onions thinly sliced
- ⅔ cup candied pecans or ½ cup toasted almonds
- 4 ounces goat cheese or feta
- 1 avocado diced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
WHITE BALSAMIC DRESSING
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic
- 2 tablespoons honey
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix together all dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Dice avocado and toss with lemon juice.
- Combine remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Salad
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I made this salad for our Mother’s Day celebration. The salad was delicious and the dressing was perfect.
So glad you loved it Linda!
Perfect! Super quick and easy! I used the dark balsamic vinaigrette recipe you have on the spinach strawberry salad. So delicious. I didn’t have the cheese or avocado (no time to shop), but tweaked it with a couple of other additions. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! … You were with me in spirit for dinner tonight! Oven pork ribs, spinach salad, balsamic dressing and that easy brownie recipe! ….all your recipes. You sure made me look good! lol… Thank you! You saved me a lot of stress and my sanity. I REALLY appreciate your blog/site/ and all the good stuff you put out.
I love it, this exactly my kind of salad. I love these vibrant colors and I know that this salad is super delicious.
It is definitely a tasty one! Enjoy!
Oh my Goodness!! Not having tried any other salads like this I have to say this was SCRUMPTIOUS!!! The dressing is soooo good and all the different flavors made my mouth POP!!!
Thank you so much for all that you do!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Laura! You have made my day!
I could ALMOST eat this for breakfast. Perfect for the summer brunch menu. Awesome for the summer grilling season too.
This is THE best meal at the end of a hot day!
Wow! What a scrumptious looking salad, I really must try adding strawberries into my mixed salads, must be delicious with your balsamic vinaigrette!
I love white balsamic vinegar in my salad dressings, it’s my go-to! Excited to try your version and always love fruit mixed in with my salads, too.
I love strawberry spinach salad. Candid pecans and feta sounds so delicious to me. Perfect lunch for me :) Thanks
Holly, I LOVE strawberry spinach salads. And your candied pecans are one of my favs. So this salad is a home-run in my book!
The candied pecans look heavenly! This is my idea of a perfect salad! Love white balsamic, too!