Posted Jun 19, 2023, Updated Jul 05, 2024 I make a salad almost every day in the summer, and this strawberry spinach salad is one of our favorites. The salad itself contains only 5 ingredients: baby spinach, sweet strawberries, spicy green onions, creamy goat cheese and crunchy candied pecans, proving that food doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious! Also try this recipe for the best Waldorf salad! The homemade poppy seed dressing is light, flavorful and only slightly sweet. It’s easy to whisk together in under 5 minutes and ties all the flavors of this strawberry spinach salad recipe together beautifully.
Strawberry Spinach Salad: Ingredients & Substitutions
Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredient Substitutions
Baby spinach. I suggest baby spinach over regular because it is more tender and easier to eat in a salad. You can use any lettuce you’d like such as spring mix, romaine, etc. Strawberries. Use fresh strawberries that have been washed and dried. Green onions. If you prefer, you can use red onions, white onions or yellow onions. Goat cheese. I love the creamy tangy flavor of goat cheese in this salad. You can substitute feta or sharp white cheddar. Candied pecans. I highly recommend that you make your own cinnamon sugar pecans for this recipe. You can also use candied walnuts or candied almonds.
Dressing Ingredients
You can simply purchase your favorites store-bought dressing to use in place of the homemade recipe!
Apple cider vinegar. white vinegar or balsamic vinegar work well. Honey. Maple syrup and granulated sugar are great substitutes for honey. Dijon mustard. choose your favorite mustard variety.
How to Make Strawberry Spinach Salad
This spinach and strawberry salad is very simple to make. We’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Make the Poppy Seed Dressing
Begin my making the homemade poppy seed dressing. You can make the dressing up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator! Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar. Whisk or shake to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Assemble
Once the dressing is chilled, assemble the salad. Combine spinach, strawberries, green onions, goat cheese and pecans in a large bowl. Reserve about 1 tablespoon each of goat cheese, onions, berries and pecans to decorate the top. Toss with the dressing, then transfer the salad to a large salad bowl or serving dish. Then garnish the top with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately. Alternatively, you can serve the salad with the dressing on the side. In this case, assemble the salad directly in a serving bowl/platter and let guests dress their salad portions individually.
Serve
Serve as a side dish to your favorite recipes, or serve as a meal with some protein! Here are some serving suggestions:
Enjoy it with some grilled chicken kebabs or baked chicken breasts. Make some homemade french bread or no-knead bread. Have a soup and salad night and make some of our favorite soup recipes.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if the salad is undressed, 1-2 days if it is dressed. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
