Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe – Love and Lemons

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

This strawberry spinach salad is ideal for spring and early summer time. It begins with a base of recent spinach—one of many first greens to look 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 feel it’s honest to say that this mixture is fairly traditional (doesn’t Panera have a strawberry poppyseed salad on its menu?), however I nonetheless wished to share this recipe as a result of it’s so easy and recent, with an exquisite pop of sweetness and shade 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 would toss it collectively for any spring meal.

You will discover the whole strawberry spinach salad recipe on the backside of this submit. Alongside the way in which, I’m sharing enjoyable swaps and variations, make-ahead suggestions, 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 shade, 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!
Recent spinach – Use child spinach in the event you 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.
Purple 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 beneath.

Doable Swaps

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

Let me know what variations you strive!

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 straightforward to make with white wine vinegar, shallot, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and poppy seeds. When you’d wish to make the dressing flippantly creamy, you possibly can 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.

Doable Swaps

Need to strive 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 time meal! Serve it alongside your favourite protein or with any of those recipes:

It could even be a unbelievable aspect 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 Ideas

The spinach strawberry salad and poppy seed dressing are greatest saved individually.

You’ll be able to toss collectively the salad elements—minus the dressing—as much as 1 day upfront. 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 upfront. Retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge till able to serve. The olive oil within the dressing could solidify because it chills within the fridge. Simply permit it to sit down at room temperature for a couple of minutes to melt earlier than drizzling it over the salad!

Undressed leftovers hold properly 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

When you love this strawberry spinach salad, strive one among these recent spring salads subsequent: