This strawberry spinach salad is crammed with pecans, feta, and a tangy poppy seed dressing. Excellent for spring or summer time, it is easy and recent.
This strawberry spinach salad is ideal for spring and early summer time. It begins with a base of recent spinach—one of many first greens to seem at my farmers market every spring—and is topped off with juicy strawberries, crisp pink onion, toasty pecans, and salty feta cheese. My candy and tangy poppy seed dressing ties all of it collectively.
I feel it’s truthful to say that this mix is fairly traditional (doesn’t Panera have a strawberry poppyseed salad on its menu?), however I nonetheless wished to share this recipe as a result of it’s so easy and recent, with an exquisite pop of sweetness and coloration from the strawberries. It feels particular sufficient to serve at vacation gathering or potluck (I’m making it for Easter on Sunday!), but it surely’s so fast and simple that you may toss it collectively for any spring meal.
You will discover the whole strawberry spinach salad recipe on the backside of this put up. Alongside the best way, I’m sharing enjoyable swaps and variations, make-ahead suggestions, and extra. I hope you like this salad as a lot as I do!
What’s In This Strawberry Spinach Salad
Right here’s what you’ll must make this spinach and strawberry salad:
- Strawberries, in fact! They add sweetness, ruby pink coloration, and mushy, juicy texture. Reasonably than chop them, I thinly slice them for this salad. I really like consuming the skinny slices alongside the spinach leaves, they usually look so fairly!
- Contemporary spinach – Use child spinach if you happen to can—its small leaves and tender texture are nice right here. Mature spinach additionally works, however it’s possible you’ll wish to chop it earlier than you assemble the salad.
- Crimson onion – For savory, oniony taste.
- Toasted pecans – For crunch and wealthy, nutty taste.
- And feta cheese – It provides a tangy, salty pop that contrasts completely with the candy berries.
Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.
Doable Swaps
- Exchange the strawberries with one other recent fruit like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, orange segments, thinly sliced apples, or pears.
- Use spring combine as a substitute of spinach. Butter lettuce would work properly too!
- Strive one other nut. Exchange the pecans with toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds.
- Swap out the feta for crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. You might even substitute diced avocado to make this recipe dairy-free!
Let me know what variations you strive!
My Straightforward Poppy Seed Dressing
A candy and tangy poppy seed dressing brings this salad collectively.
It’s straightforward to make with white wine vinegar, shallot, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and poppy seeds. In the event you’d prefer to make the dressing evenly creamy, you may add slightly mayo too.
Simply whisk the substances collectively in a bowl, or place them in a lidded jar and shake to mix.
Doable Swaps
Need to strive one other dressing on this salad? Any of those recipes could be nice:
What to Serve with This Strawberry Spinach Salad
This strawberry spinach salad is a good addition to any spring or early summer time meal! Serve it alongside your favourite protein or with any of those recipes:
It could even be a implausible facet dish for an Easter brunch.
To make this salad meal by itself, add a cooked grain like farro or quinoa and/or a handful of crispy roasted chickpeas.
Make-Forward and Storage Suggestions
The spinach strawberry salad and poppy seed dressing are finest saved individually.
- You possibly can toss collectively the salad substances—minus the dressing—as much as 1 day prematurely. Retailer the salad in an hermetic container within the fridge till able to serve.
- You can also make the dressing as much as 5 days prematurely. Retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge till able to serve. The olive oil within the dressing might solidify because it chills within the fridge. Simply permit it to sit down at room temperature for a couple of minutes to melt earlier than drizzling it over the salad!
Undressed leftovers maintain effectively within the fridge for as much as 3 days. As soon as dressed, this salad is finest eaten inside a number of hours.
Extra Spring Salad Recipes
In the event you love this strawberry spinach salad, strive one in all these recent spring salads subsequent:
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Serves 4 to six
This scrumptious strawberry spinach salad is ideal for spring and summer time! The strawberries, greens, and tangy poppy seed dressing make it style tremendous vivid and recent. Be happy to assemble it as much as 1 day forward if you happen to’re making it for a potluck or special day. Simply wait so as to add the dressing till proper earlier than serving!
- 5 ounces recent spinach
- 1 cup thinly sliced strawberries
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced pink onion
- 1 recipe Poppy Seed Dressing
- ½ cup toasted pecans
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
Stop your display from going darkish
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In a big bowl, place the spinach, strawberries, and pink onion. Add a few of the dressing and toss to mix.
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Add the pecans and feta and gently toss. Add extra dressing, as desired. Season to style with salt and pepper and serve.