Strawberry Spinach Salad is an easy and delicious meal idea, especially when it’s paired with my homemade Balsamic Poppy Seed Dressing!
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Today’s recipe for strawberry spinach salad is a great one to have “on deck” for when the weather gets warmer … though honestly, with its mix of wonderful flavors, it’s fantastic at any time of year! Serve it as an appetizer or as a side, or even as a snack if you’re feeling particularly hungry. It’s a total crowd favorite. ?
I don’t know about y’all, but when the weather warms up, I like to have some lighter meals on our menu. (Although light meals are great at any time of the year, really!) Salads in one form or another tend to be one of my “go-to” meals because they’re light, generally super easy to put together, and totally limitless!
So … let’s talk about this strawberry spinach salad and why it’s so phenomenal:
- Spinach is always so, so good. If given the choice of lettuce vs. spinach based salad, I will pick spinach every single time.
- It is one of my absolute favorite things to cook with! (OK, so technically, I’m not cooking the spinach here – but humor me a bit!)
I love that this salad has sweet and savory … crunchy and soft … creamy and salty – it’s got it all! - If you’re reading this in spring, the strawberries are perfect at this time of year! One of my favorite things about spring is the fresh strawberries and spinach.
By the way, my kiddos love this salad just as much as I do – and truthfully, what’s not to love? If you’re in more of an orange mood … or banana mood … or blueberry mood … or *insert favorite fruit here* mood – by all means, switch it up! This recipe is totally customizable.
Let’s make some strawberry spinach salad!
Recipe for Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients for the salad:
- Spinach leaves
- Strawberries, hulled and sliced
- Feta Cheese, crumbled
- Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Pecans, lightly toasted
Dressing for Strawberry Spinach Salad:
- toasted sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
- granulated sugar
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- paprika
- Worcestershire sauce
- minced onion
- black pepper
NOTE: Technically, you don’t have to use the above recipe for poppyseed dressing. A white or red store-bought balsamic vinegar dressing will do just fine. But I really do recommend throwing together this particular recipe first … it really, REALLY makes the whole dish!
How to make Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Place the desired amount of each salad ingredient on a plate in the order given.
- In a food processor or blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients until thoroughly blended (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
- Drizzle the desired amount of the dressing over the salad.
- Enjoy!
Strawberry Spinach Salad Variations
Want to put your own twist on this salad? Here are some of my suggestions!
- Other cheeses: Blue cheese, goat cheese
- Use other nuts: Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios
- Other fruits: Blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango, banana, blackberries, oranges
- Misc: avocado, red onions, white onions, lettuce, croutons
A few tips for Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Not a fan of poppy seeds? You can leave them out!
- Wondering what would pair well with this dish? This would make a great side to a lighter protein like fish or chicken. Heck, you could even add grilled chicken strips TO the salad – that would be phenomenal! That’s why it’s such a good summer recipe, but as I said … dine on it whenever, if you’re not particularly seasonal! It’s fantastic at any time!
- Should you toast or candy any nuts you use? It’s up to you. Both toasted nuts and candied nuts taste beautiful in this salad. Yum!
Other recipes you may enjoy
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Poppy Seed Dressing
Strawberry Spinach Salad is an easy and delicious meal idea, especially when it’s paired with my homemade Balsamic Poppy Seed Dressing!
Ingredients
For the salad
- Spinach leaves
- Strawberries, hulled and sliced
- Feta Cheese, crumbled
- Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Pecans, lightly toasted
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Place the desired amount of each salad ingredient on a plate in the order given.
- In a food processor or blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients until thoroughly blended - about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drizzle the desired amount of the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!
Notes
- Technically, you don’t have to use the above recipe for poppyseed dressing. A white or red store-bought balsamic vinegar dressing will do just fine. But I really do recommend throwing together this particular recipe first … it really, REALLY makes the whole dish!
- Not a fan of poppy seeds? You can leave them out!
- Wondering what would pair well with this dish? This would make a great side to a lighter protein like fish or chicken. Heck, you could even add grilled chicken strips TO the salad – that would be phenomenal! That’s why it’s such a good summer recipe, but as I said … dine on it whenever, if you’re not particularly seasonal! It’s fantastic at any time!
- Should you toast or candy any nuts you use? It’s up to you. Both toasted nuts and candied nuts taste beautiful in this salad. Yum!
Want to put your own twist on this salad? Here are a few suggestions:
- Other cheeses: Blue cheese, goat cheese
- Other nuts: Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios
- Other fruits: Blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango, banana, blackberries, oranges
- Misc: avocado, red onions, white onions, lettuce, croutons
** The nutrition value provided below is for the salad dressing only. **
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 2 tbsp.Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 3g
Originally published on April 19, 2013. Updated on May 12, 2020.
Linda@With A Blast
Looks great! You know me, we do not eat seasonal 😉 I'll definitely try your salad soon! Our BBQ is 12 months a year and I can just imagine how well this will go down with some juicy meat! Or an appetizer!!
Heather May
I LOVE spinach and strawberries together! I am so glad you posted the recipe for this dressing. I am a sucker for a sweet salad dressing and since we make all of our own now…I need all the help I can get!
Cindy Eikenberg
This looks so delicious! I love this kind of salad and the dressing sounds really good. Thanks for sharing!! ~Cindy@littlemisscelebration.com
Angela Betlewicz
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. ~Angela @hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com…I'm your newest follower 🙂
Julia Chiang
That looks so yummy. Thanks for joining our Show Off Your Blog Party. I'm one of the co-host and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Jules
A Dose of Jules
Kelly
I LOVE strawberries in my salad! Looks delish!!!
Kelly @ http://www.happywifey.net
Mums make lists
Oh this looks so good!
I would love for you to link up this – and your other salad recipes – at the Empty Your Archive link party. We have a special focus this week on salads, Alice @ Mums Make Lists x
D Stepp
What a delicious looking salad! I am pinning it to my Pinterest Soups, Salad & Sandwich board. I love sharing recipes at the Shady Porch and would like to invite to share yours at the Rock ‘N Share party too! Blessings, D
Diana - FreeStyleMama
Looks so good. I love salad!!
Eric Pepple
What a beautiful look salad with lots of great flavors! Got your link from Mom on Timeouts link party, you got a new follower!
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Randi@SowderingAbout
Oh this looks so good!!! I might have to substitute the feta with blue cheese 🙂
Thanks for posting!!!
Miz Helen
We will just love this salad. Your recipe is fabulous and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Have a great weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Paula Jones
perfect combonation, I would love this, Jamie! Pinned to Saturday Dishes.
Carlee
Oh my goodness, that looks absolutely perfect! I love fruit on salads ?
Shirlene
I’ve made this soooo many times now and absolutely love it!!! Just have one question though…do you need to refrigerate the left over dressing? Find it gets too thick in the fridge and hate to waste it lol
Jamie
I usually refrigerate it and let it sit out for about 30 minutes or so before I need to use it – or run the bottle under warm water.