Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

This strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese is tossed in a flavorful balsamic poppy seed dressing. Each bite is sweet and fruity, salty, creamy and crunchy all at once. A simple summer salad recipe loaded with everything you love!

Strawberries for dessert? Yes! But what about using these juicy ripe red strawberries in a salad? They make indeed one of my favorite salads. Toss together a few strawberries and baby spinach, add some creamy goat cheese, crunchy pecans, and drizzle generously with a poppy seed dressing. Amazing!

This is a super simple salad recipe, ready within minutes. Start with the basic recipe, then feel free to add any ingredients to make it even better, depending on what you have at hands. My favorite add-ins? Some quinoa with a few slices of avocado! I’m telling you, this strawberry spinach salad is a classic you never ever get tired of, whether you serve it as a side for a light lunch on a hot summer day.

Why we love this Strawberry Spinach Salad?

• A basic salad recipe ✔
• Ready in minutes ✔
• Fresh and fruity ✔
• Easy to customize ✔
• A recipe you want to keep a lifetime ✔

What goes into Strawberry Spinach Salad?

• Strawberries. Use them while in season, and choose them ripe, red and juicy for some delicious sweet flavors.
• Baby spinach. Please make sure you go for baby spinach, that have much smaller leaves than regular spinach, which make them perfect to eat in a salad. You can also do half arugula and half baby spinach!
• Goat cheese. It’s just perfect to cut the sweetness of the strawberries, creating an amazing sweet and savory bite in the salad. Plus, it adds some creaminess to the salad.
• Pecans. It’s the little crunchy bite to the salad. It also add some strong, caramelized flavors, that make this salad almost a dessert in my opinion!
• Homemade poppy seed dressing (see details below).

A subtle poppy seed dressing

Strawberries and balsamic vinegar always work perfectly together. I also added some lemon juice and zest to the dressing to bring up the refreshing flavors of the salad. Last but not least, the poppy seeds add an irresistible final touch to the dressing, making this salad unique and extra delicious.

How to make the poppy seed dressing? The poppy seed dressing is what makes this spinach strawberry salad extra delicious, don’t pass on it! All you need to do is add all the dressing ingredients into a glass jar, shake it, shake it, shake it, and drizzle generously over the salad. You can also simply whisk all the ingredients in a bowl.

Make yourself a favor and use the poppy seed leftovers to bake the Best Ever Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf. You’ll thank me later!

Recipe variations

• Add a plant-based protein. To make this recipe more filling, you can add about 2 cups of cooked quinoa, and toss it all together. It’s amazingly delicious!
• Use other seeds or nuts. Replace pecans with walnuts, toasted almonds, hazelnuts, or with sunflower seeds or toasted pumpkin seeds.
• Play with the cheese! Instead of fresh goat cheese, you can go for feta cheese, or even blue cheese.
• Other possible add-ins. This salad is so versatile you can easily add other berries (raspberries and blueberries work a wonder), a few slices of avocados and why not some red onions, thinly sliced.

Make ahead instructions and storage

Ideally, you want to make this strawberry spinach salad just before serving, to keep it fresh and full of flavors. Again, the recipe takes minutes to make, so it works well.

If you plan to make the salad ahead of time or if you have any leftovers, make sure you store the salad and dressing separately in the fridge. It’s the best way to keep it fresh when serving.

More salad ideas:

• Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad
• Strawberry Quinoa Salad with Feta Cheese
• Mediterranean Chickpea Couscous Salad

While strawberries are in season, try also…

• Strawberry Tiramisu
• Rhubarb Strawberry Chia Pudding
• Strawberry White Chocolate Cheesecake with Brownie Bottom
• Refreshing Strawberry Daiquiri

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegetarian

This strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese is tossed in a flavorful balsamic poppy seed dressing. Each bite is sweet and fruity, salty, creamy and crunchy all at once. A simple summer salad recipe loaded with everything you love!

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Ingredients

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For the salad:

• 5 cups (5.3 ounces/150g) baby spinach
• 8 ounces (225g) strawberries, sliced or halved
• 5.3 ounces (150g) fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 4 Tablespoons pecans, crushed

For the poppy seed dressing:

• ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Zests of 1 lemon, non treated
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, frehly squeezed
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

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Instructions

1. For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together vigorously in a small bowl (or shake in a covered jar) until emulsified. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, as needed.
2. Toss the salad. Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle evenly with the dressing then gently toss until combined. Serve immediately.*

Notes

* If you plan to make the salad ahead of time, keep the salad ingredients and the dressing separately, and add the dressing just before serving.

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Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!