Fresh flavors shine bright with this simple and delicious Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta. An easy balsamic vinaigrette tops this flavorful and healthy strawberry salad.
When the weather begins to warm, I love reaching for fresh ingredients from my fridge and garden. Heck, the ingredients don’t even have to be from my own garden, just give me healthy, colorful food!
This spinach salad is a perfect spring or summer salad and is my annual strawberry season salad! It can be made into a potluck side dish or transformed into a dinner recipe with the simple addition of grilled chicken.
Whether you make this healthy spinach strawberry salad for a crowd or for your own dinner on your patio, it’s sure to please!
Ingredients in Strawberry Spinach Salad
For the balsamic salad dressing
- good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper
For the salad
- baby spinach - or you can use a 50/50 mix of half arugula and half baby spinach, depending what you find at your local grocery stores.
- Fresh strawberries - no substitutions here, you need the freshest, juiciest strawberries you can find!
- Feta cheese - gives the salad a tangy and salty component. I recommend you buy a block of feta cheese and crumble it yourself. I agree the pre-crumbled cheese is convenient but often it’s tossed in extra ingredients to keep it from sticking. In my option, that alters the flavor a bit and I love my salty feta.
Life is betta’ with feta. If you have leftover cheese, use it to make whipped feta dip!
- Toasted pecans - they’re easy to make. I’ll share how below.
- Red onion - for a little texture and contrast to the juicy strawberries.
How to toast pecans
Toasting pecans, or most nuts for that matter, makes them extra crunchy and improves the flavor and texture. Even though it may sound like a pain in the you-know-what, you'll be happy with the results and truly, it only takes a few minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium heat on your stovetop. Add your whole pecans to the pan and plant your feet firmly on the ground.
Translation: stay at your post and don't walk away. Burned nuts are a totally bummer.
Use a spoon to stir the nuts for about 3-4 minutes until they become fragrant. When you can start to smell them, it's time to pull them off the stove.
Remove the pecans from the pan to a plate or cutting board and allow to cool before you chop them.
Seriously, remove them from the pan or they'll keep toasting. Nuts, they're a persnickety bunch!
That's it, the Cliff notes version of pecan toasting!
If you're really looking to dive into the world of pecan toasting you can read more about how to toast pecans.
Spinach Salad Variations:
- Use goat cheese instead of feta
- Omit the red onion
- Sub in walnuts instead of pecans
- Try candied pecans
- Shortcut it with a pre-made balsamic vinaigrette dressing mix
- Use a 50/50 mix of 50/50 mix of baby spinach and baby arugula
How to Make Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta:
Step 1: Make the dressing. Whisk together all ingredients in a medium sized bowl OR combine your ingredients in a cruet or small mason jar with a lid and shake well.
Taste and adjust your seasonings, adding a touch of salt or pepper as needed.
Step 2: Toast your pecans. Heat a skillet over medium heat on your stovetop. Add your whole pecans and stir the nuts for about 3-4 minutes until they become fragrant. When you can start to smell them, it's time to pull them off the stove.
Remove the pecans from the pan to a plate or cutting board and allow to cool before you chop them.
Step 3: Soak your onions. Sounds weird, but I highly recommend it! I love red onion in summertime and the bite it gives to offset the sweet strawberries and tangy dressing.
But sometimes, red onions can be very pungent!
We’ll solve this by soaking our cut onion in a small bowl of ice water while we prepare the other ingredients.
Step 4: Assemble the salad. Grab your prettiest salad bowl and let’s get assembling!
Add the spinach, strawberries and drained red onions, Toss your salad lightly with about half of your dressing. Don’t overcoat, we just want a little bit here and there.
We can always add more salad dressing, but we can't take it off! Leftover dressing can be served along side the salad or refrigerated for up to a week.
Top your strawberry spinach salad with feta and your toasted pecans.
Ideas to make this salad ahead of time:
Soak your red onions. They can stay in the water until you're ready to assemble.
Prepare your salad dressing. If it's been in the refrigerator you may need to let it come up to temperature a bit. Shake well before using.
Pre slice strawberries and crumble feta cheese. Keep in separate containers.
Toast pecans up to several days before and refrigerate until needed.
What to serve with strawberry spinach salad
This salad pairs really well with honey mustard grilled chicken, and I'll never turn down a crusty piece of homemade bread!
Make it for two
So many of you have asked for recipes to serve one or two, so here you go!
Half the salad ingredients. I’d go ahead and make the entire batch of dressing, through!
You can use leftover dressing throughout the week to top Mediterranean Roasted Veggies, simple salad or even to drizzle over or marinate grilled pork chops!
Other Salad Recipes
Try this Strawberry Spinach Salad and let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or tag me @thisfarmgirlcooks on Instagram or Facebook!
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Balsamic Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper
Strawberry Feta Spinach Salad
- 4 cups baby spinach OR 50/50 mix of baby spinach and baby arugula
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- 4 ounces Feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup toasted pecans crumbled
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place onion slices in a small bowl of ice water. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before removing from cold water and transferring to salad.
- To make salad dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding a touch of salt or pepper as needed.
- In a large salad bowl, add the spinach, strawberries and drained onions. Add about half of the salad dressing and toss to lightly coat. Sprinkle pecans and feta cheese over the top. Toss lightly to combine.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
