I’ve made a number of variations of Strawberry Spinach Salad through the years, however this by far is my favourite! It contains recent strawberries, salty feta cheese, candied pecans, and a straightforward home made balsamic French dressing. The textures and flavors are insanely scrumptious and complement one another completely! It reminds you of a elaborate salad that you simply’d get at a restaurant, however you may make it at residence for a fraction of the fee. That is a type of “summer season” salads that I may actually eat all yr lengthy!
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“I beloved each a part of this salad. The balsamic French dressing was good. I made mine precisely because the recipe acknowledged and it was good. My husband doesn’t like feta so I left that off of his, however he beloved it too. I’ll positively make this once more.”
Kate
Simple Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
The dressing for this strawberry salad might be my favourite half…okay, it’s really tied with the candied pecans! I began with Beth’s simple home made balsamic French dressing and made one adjustment by changing the mayonnaise with honey for a barely sweeter style. The outcomes – completely wonderful! It provides a tangy-sweet steadiness that brings out the sweetness of the strawberries and the saltiness of the feta in one of the simplest ways.
You’ll be able to definitely use a store-bought balsamic French dressing in case you don’t have a well-stocked pantry with all the mandatory substances available, however I promise this home made balsamic French dressing will style wayyy higher! I extremely suggest you give it a strive! 😉
- If chopped nuts are slightly too expensive at your native retailer, toast up some day-old bread to make use of rather than the chopped pecans, much like our Panzanella salad.
- To bulk up the salad and make it stretch slightly additional, add your favourite pasta like penne or bow-tie pasta.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Balsamic French dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil ($1.10)
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.45)
- 2 Tbsp honey ($0.50)
- ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.09)
- 1 garlic clove (minced, $0.08)
- ½ tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
Candied Pecans
- ½ Tbsp butter ($0.07)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.01)
- ½ cup chopped pecans ($1.15*)
Salad
- ½ lb recent strawberries (sliced, $1.25)
- ¼ purple onion (thinly sliced, $0.21)
- 2 oz feta cheese (crumbled, $1.82**)
- 8 oz child spinach ($1.83)
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Begin by making the home made balsamic French dressing dressing. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, minced garlic clove, dried basil, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to a jar, bowl, or blender. Shut the jar and shake the substances collectively, whisk in a bowl, or mix till the dressing is evenly mixed. Set the dressing apart.
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Subsequent make the candied pecans. Add the butter, brown sugar and a pinch of salt to a small non-stick skillet. Warmth over medium warmth whereas stirring.
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As soon as the butter and brown sugar begins to soften add the chopped pecans to the skillet and stir with the brown sugar combination. Proceed to prepare dinner over medium warmth, stirring each 10-15 seconds till the brown sugar absolutely melts (appears to be like shiny as an alternative of grainy) and utterly coats the pecans.
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Take away the skillet from the warmth instantly and switch the candied pecans to a parchment lined baking sheet. Unfold the pecans out evenly in a flat layer and permit them to chill for 10 minutes whereas the candied coating absolutely hardens.
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Now prep the strawberries, purple onion and feta cheese. Take away the stems and slice the strawberries, thinly slice the purple onion, and crumble the feta. Set these substances to the aspect.
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Divide the spinach between 4 plates. Drizzle 2 Tbsp of balsamic French dressing on prime of every mattress of spinach.
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Add sliced strawberries, purple onions, a tablespoon or two of candied pecans, and a tablespoon of feta cheese to every salad. Be happy to drizzle slightly extra balsamic French dressing excessive of every and luxuriate in!
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Chef’s Knife
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Nonstick Fry Pans
**The candied pecans, in my humble opinion, are the most effective elements of the salad. It provides a crunchy, candy texture, and you’ll swap the pecans out for toasted walnuts or toasted sliced almonds, which might even be completely scrumptious!
Serving: 1servingEnergy: 405kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 6gFats: 33gSodium: 400mgFiber: 4g
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HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS
Make the balsamic French dressing: Mix ⅓ cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp honey, ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove minced, ½ tsp dried basil, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper in a jar, bowl, or blender. Add a prime to the jar and shake, whisk in a bowl, or mix till all of the substances are evenly mixed. Set the French dressing dressing apart.
Make the candied pecans: In a small non-stick skillet, add ½ Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Warmth over medium warmth whereas stirring simply till the butter and brown sugar start to soften. Add ½ cup of chopped pecans and stir to coat within the brown sugar combination. Proceed to prepare dinner for 2-4 minutes or till the brown sugar is absolutely melted (appears to be like shiny, not grainy) and utterly coats the pecans.
Take away the skillet from the warmth instantly to stop the brown sugar from overcooking and burning. Switch the candied pecans to a parchment-lined baking sheet and unfold out in a flat layer. Permit them to chill for 10 minutes, and the sugar coating will absolutely harden.
Prep the remaining salad substances: Wash and slice ½ lb. of strawberries, thinly slice ¼ of a purple onion, portion out 2 oz. of crumbled feta cheese, and collect your cooled candied pecans.
Assemble the salad: Divide 8 oz. of spinach between 4 salad plates (roughly 2 oz. per plate), or you may add the entire spinach to a bigger serving bowl. Add 2 Tbsp of the balsamic French dressing to every salad plate or drizzle ⅓ cup of the dressing over the bowl of spinach. Reserve the remainder of the dressing so as to add proper earlier than serving.
Divide the toppings (sliced strawberries, sliced purple onion, 1 Tbsp of crumbled feta, and 1-2 Tbsp of candied pecans) between the 4 salad plates or add the toppings to a bigger salad serving bowl. Drizzle every salad with slightly extra of the balsamic dressing and luxuriate in!
Serving Ideas
This salad makes an ideal lunch meal by itself. We completely devoured it up on the take a look at studio, however you can even add some shredded rooster or grilled shrimp on prime for a extra filling meal. This salad additionally pairs effectively with different leaner proteins like baked cod and pan-seared rooster.
How To Retailer Strawberry Spinach Salad
Strawberry spinach salad shops effectively within the fridge for as much as 3 days. As a way to preserve the spinach from wilting an excessive amount of, it’s greatest to retailer the strawberries and the dressing individually and add them to the salad proper earlier than you’re able to serve.
Our Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe was initially revealed 7/31/23. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 7/30/25.
