Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic

This easy strawberry spinach salad tosses fresh spinach, juicy berries, and roasted pecans in a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Only 6 ingredients and it’s ready in 10 minutes!

Why this recipe works

There is a short window every spring and summer when strawberries are at their sweetest, which means a fresh strawberry spinach salad is in order as soon as possible. Raw spinach, sliced berries, sharp blue cheese, roasted pecans, and thin ribbons of red onion come together under a homemade balsamic vinaigrette in only 10 minutes.

Most strawberry spinach salads call for a sweet poppy seed dressing. This one keeps things fresh and tangy with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette, roasted pecans for crunch, and your choice of either blue cheese or feta. I absolutely love the bits of sweetness from the berries that poke through the sharpness of blue cheese here!

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

STRAWBERRIES – Rinse strawberries and pat dry, then hull and slice thin. You can hull them with a paring knife, or use a strawberry huller.

CHEESE – I like the bite of blue cheese, but if you’re not a fan, feta cheese works beautifully in this salad.

DRESSING – Store bought bottled balsamic will work just fine, but nothing beats homemade balsamic vinaigrette! Lemon salad dressing or a poppy seed dressing goes great with this too.

NUTS – I bought roasted, salted pecans from the snack aisle at the grocery store. However, you can buy raw pecans in the baking aisle and toast them yourself. Bake in the oven at 350F for 6-12 minutes, stirring halfway through, or toast in a dry skillet 3-7 minutes, shaking the pan frequently.

SPINACH – Look for fresh, dry baby spinach and skip any bag with condensation inside to avoid any wilted leaves.

Tips for the Best Salad

• Dress it at the last minute. Spinach will begin to soften as soon as it’s tossed in dressing, so wait until you are ready to serve.
• To roast raw pecans: spread raw pecans on a baking sheet and roast at 150F for 6-12 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Watch them closely near the end, they can easily burn. Cool completely before adding, and optionally add a pinch of salt.
• Crumble your own cheese. A block of blue cheese or feta crumbled by hand tastes cleaner than the pre-crumbled tubs.
• If you want to prep it for lunches throughout the week, I would suggest adding the ingredients into a meal prep container side by side starting with spinach, followed by pecans, cheese, and the strawberries. This keeps the “moist” ingredients away from the spinach so it doesn’t wilt. Otherwise, you can layer it inside a mason jar. Serve the dressing on the side.

How to Make Strawberry Spinach Salad

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. To a large bowl, add the spinach leaves, sliced strawberries, and sliced red onion. Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette and toss.
2. Add pecans and cheese and gently toss.
3. Serve with remaining 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette to add according to your tastes.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

You can prep all the ingredients and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator, but I would wait until you are ready to serve to toss everything together. The natural juices from the strawberries can potentially wilt the spinach leaves and the nuts can soak up any surrounding moisture.

Absolutely! Add sliced or shredded chicken, crumbled bacon, salmon, and even chickpeas would all be great additions.

Tangy balsamic vinaigrette is my favorite, especially with blue cheese and strawberries. A bright lemon dressing or a sweet, creamy poppy seed dressing both work well too, depending on whether you want it fresh and tangy or sweet. Your choice!

Storage and Freezing Information

Strawberry spinach salad is best enjoyed right away, especially if everything has already been tossed together. You can always prep all the ingredients and store them separately in containers if you’d like to enjoy it throughout the week.

Otherwise, you can layer your salad into a mason jar or meal prep container, keeping the spinach and nuts away from any wet ingredients (such as the strawberries). If you do this, keep the dressing in its own container on the side.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your strawberry spinach salad with grilled or roasted chicken, salmon, or shrimp. It can easily be enjoyed as a main course if you want to toss in a protein!

More Strawberry Recipes

• Strawberry Jam
• Strawberry Smoothie
• Strawberry Muffins
• Strawberry Shortcakes

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