Strawberry Spinach Salad

This strawberry spinach salad recipe is the next stand-out star of summer salad recipes!

Crunchy, bright, sweet, and tangy, this is one of those salad recipes that hits all the flavor notes. Your other xrecipes will rejoice to be alongside such a fresh dish! Fruit salad recipes are a great way to bring bursts of berry sweetness throughout the whole meal!

After you make this yummy salad, I hope you’ll try my KFC coleslaw, carrot salad, grape salad, and cucumber tomato salad next. The best part of enjoying warm weather is the delicious salads you can make!

Let’s make this salad!

What I Love About This Recipe

Tangy homemade vinaigrette, creamy avocado, sweet strawberries, candied pecans… oh boy, there’s so much to love here!

• Sweet, savory, tangy, creamy — all the flavors!
• A celebration of spring in every bite
• Goes great with any springtime meal!
• Serve as a side or add protein for a fresh lunch

How To Make Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

Making this strawberry spinach salad recipe is super easy! Follow my separate recipe to make a fantastic, tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Then:

1. Toss together the strawberries, spinach, pecans, feta cheese, onion, and avocado.
2. Pour the dressing over the whole mix and voila! You’ve got a strawberry salad for the books!

Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients + Tips

One of the best things about salad is its versatility! You can add different kinds of berries or nuts for a change in texture; you can experiment with the cheese; you can shake up the greens depending on seasonal availability. The sky’s the limit!

For another version, check out my strawberry salad with blue cheese and sherry vinaigrette!

Vinaigrette: This salad does not use a strawberry vinaigrette dressing — the strawberries are kept separate and offer a great burst of flavor with every bite. I like this variation better than strawberry spinach salad with berry vinaigrette, as it adds a nice, tangy contrast to the other salad flavors. But if you like more of a berry taste, or even want to try something with more citrus, go for it!

Spinach: I typically grab the pre-washed bag of baby spinach from the grocery store, so there’s no need to add the step of rinsing or prepping the leaves.

However, if you’re lucky enough to get it from farm fresh (or from your own garden!), then you’re going to need to wash it. Baby spinach leaves love to stick together and trap grit and extra water- neither of which are good in your salad!

1. Swish the leaves in a large bowl of water, separating them as best you can.
2. Scoop the leaves out of the water and set aside in a colander.
3. Change the water in the bowl and repeat until you there’s no grit when you sample a leaf or two.

You can also use a salad spinner as well!

Tossing Technique: Be gentle when you toss salad. The baby spinach and strawberries both bruise easily, which takes away from your presentation. Mix just enough to evenly distribute all the yummy toppings and coat the leaves in the dressing. A nice large pair of salad tongs work great, or use your hands!

Storing  + Freezing + Make-Ahead

I store this strawberry salad as I would a fruit salad — so adhere to these guidelines for optimum freshness!

• How Long Does This Keep In The Fridge? Pop your leftovers in an airtight container, and you’ll get up to 3 out of your salad before the spinach starts to wilt. The texture will of course change if you have dressed the salad.
• Can You Freeze This? Unfortunately, no. Freezing spinach fundamentally changes the texture and taste of the green, so a frozen salad will not repurpose well. Eat it fresh, or not at all!
• Make-Ahead Tips: This salad assembles in less than five minutes. You can certainly mix the greens and other ingredients and combine the vinaigrette ahead of time. However, I suggest waiting until just before serving to dress the salad to prevent your spinach from wilting in the vinegar.

Serving Recommendations

This lovely salad is a wonderful side dish with just about anything you’re going to serve when the weather begins to warm up. I love to serve a homemade bread recipe alongside this delicious salad.

Try my crescent rolls, Bisquick biscuits, Olive Garden bread sticks, practically no-knead bread, or super easy homemade beer bread!

More Delicious Salads

• Broccoli Salad
• Three Bean Salad
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Cowboy Caviar 
• Mediterranean salad
• Pea Salad

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Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ring in spring with bright, fresh flavors, sweet-savory combos, and crunch for days with my strawberry spinach salad recipe! Great as a side / a light lunch.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette recipe
• 1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1 1/2 quarts strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 cup sugared pecans
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces feta or bleu cheese, crumbled
• 1 ripe avocado cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Instructions

• Stir the poppy seeds (1 teaspoon) into the Balsamic Vinaigrette (1/2 cup).
• In a large bowl add the baby spinach (12-ounce), strawberries (1 1/2 quarts), sugared pecans (1 cup), and red onion (1/2 cup). Toss gently with balsamic vinaigrette. Pour dressed salad onto a serving platter and toss with cheese (4 ounces) and avocado (1). Serve immediately.

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Notes

1. Vinaigrette: This salad does not use a strawberry vinaigrette dressing — the strawberries are kept separate and offer a great burst of flavor with every bite. I like this variation better than strawberry spinach salad with berry vinaigrette, as it adds a nice, tangy contrast to the other salad flavors. But if you like more of a berry taste, or even want to try something with more citrus, go for it!
2. Spinach: I typically grab the pre-washed bag of baby spinach from the grocery store, so there’s no need to add the step of rinsing or prepping the leaves.

• However, if you’re lucky enough to get it from farm fresh (or from your own garden!), then you’re going to need to wash it. Baby spinach leaves love to stick together and trap grit and extra water- neither of which are good in your salad!

1. 1. Swish the leaves in a large bowl of water, separating them as best you can.
   2. Scoop the leaves out of the water and set aside in a colander.
   3. Change the water in the bowl and repeat until you there’s no grit when you sample a leaf or two.
      • You can also use a salad spinner as well!
2. Tossing Technique: Be gentle when you toss salad. The baby spinach and strawberries both bruise easily, which takes away from your presentation. Mix just enough to evenly distribute all the yummy toppings and coat the leaves in the dressing. A nice large pair of salad tongs work great, or use your hands!

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