Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

This strawberry spinach salad is stuffed with pecans, feta, and a tangy poppy seed dressing. Good for spring or summer season, it is easy and recent.

Spinach and strawberry salad

This strawberry spinach salad is ideal for spring and early summer season. 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 believe it’s truthful to say that this mix is fairly basic (doesn’t Panera have a strawberry poppyseed salad on its menu?), however I nonetheless needed to share this recipe as a result of it’s so easy and recent, with an exquisite pop of sweetness and colour from the strawberries. It feels particular sufficient to serve at vacation gathering or potluck (I’m making it for Easter on Sunday!), nevertheless it’s so fast and straightforward that you possibly can toss it collectively for any spring meal.

Yow will discover the whole strawberry spinach salad recipe on the backside of this submit. Alongside the best way, I’m sharing enjoyable swaps and variations, make-ahead ideas, and extra. I hope you like this salad as a lot as I do!

Salad ingredients - spinach, strawberries, feta, pecans, red onion, and poppy seed dressing

What’s In This Strawberry Spinach Salad

Right here’s what you’ll have to make this spinach and strawberry salad:

Strawberries, after all! They add sweetness, ruby pink colour, and comfortable, juicy texture. Reasonably than chop them, I thinly slice them for this salad. I 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 you could need 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.

Attainable Swaps

Substitute 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. Substitute the pecans with toasted walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds.
Swap out the feta for crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. You would even substitute diced avocado to make this recipe dairy-free!

Let me know what variations you attempt!

Whisking poppy seed dressing in glass bowl

My Simple Poppy Seed Dressing

A candy and tangy poppy seed dressing brings this salad collectively.

It’s simple to make with white wine vinegar, shallot, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and poppy seeds. In case you’d wish to make the dressing evenly creamy, you’ll be able to add a little bit mayo too.

Simply whisk the elements collectively in a bowl, or place them in a lidded jar and shake to mix.

Attainable Swaps

Wish to attempt one other dressing on this salad? Any of those recipes can be nice:

Pouring dressing over strawberry spinach salad

What to Serve with This Strawberry Spinach Salad

This strawberry spinach salad is a superb addition to any spring or early summer season meal! Serve it alongside your favourite protein or with any of those recipes:

It could even be a improbable 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 greatest saved individually.

You may toss collectively the salad elements—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 enable it to take a seat at room temperature for a couple of minutes to melt earlier than drizzling it over the salad!

Undressed leftovers hold effectively within the fridge for as much as 3 days. As soon as dressed, this salad is greatest eaten inside a couple of hours.

Strawberry spinach salad recipe

Extra Spring Salad Recipes

In case you love this strawberry spinach salad, attempt considered one of these recent spring salads subsequent: