This bright and fresh strawberry spinach salad recipe with pecans is a family favorite! It's a wonderful salad that celebrates fresh strawberries—the salad is studded with them, and you'll also make a homemade strawberry vinaigrette.
I highly recommend making this salad during strawberry season - which runs from April through July (peak months are May and June).
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This classic combination of sweet strawberries with greens is a favorite for a reason! It's easy to pull together and makes for a great summer salad or light main course.
Typically, strawberry spinach salad calls for a balsamic dressing (which you can still use), but I'll show you how to make a fresh strawberry salad dressing.
Ingredients
Here are the fresh ingredients you'll need to make the perfect salad.
Salad Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries - fresh berries can't be beat! You'll use plenty of sliced, juicy strawberries to add flavor to this salad.
- Baby Spinach - you'll use fresh baby spinach as the base of the salad. You can also use a combination of 50% baby spinach and 50% arugula if you'd prefer or your other favorite leafy greens.
- Pecans - this salad typically calls for either walnuts or pecans. I prefer pecans because they are sweeter and have a little more crunch!
- Shallots - fresh shallots add a wonderful allium flavor to the salad. You can substitute for half a small red onion if needed.
- Fresh Mint - bright and sweet, mint leaves add a lovely kick of flavor to the salad.
- Feta Cheese - crumbly feta cheese adds a lovely mellow flavor to the salad. You can substitute the tangy feta for blue cheese or goat cheese.
Dressing Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Honey
- Lime Juice
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Place the chopped pecans in a small frying pan and toast for 3 to 4 minutes until browned.
In a large bowl, combine the baby spinach and half of each of the following ingredients: strawberries, shallots, chopped mint, feta cheese, and pecans.
In a blender or food processor, combine the strawberries, vinegar, honey, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt.
Blend till fully combined and creamy.
Pour the strawberry dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Plate the salad in a large salad bowl or serving platter and top with the remaining strawberries, pecans, feta, mint, and shallots.
Storage
Store the assembled salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. For best results, store the dressing and salad in separate containers, as the greens will wilt when they are dressed.
Substitutions & Variations
- Chicken - to make this a more substantial salad, add in two chopped, grilled chicken breasts.
- Dressing - this recipe calls for a homemade strawberry dressing, but if you'd prefer you can serve it with a balsamic vinaigrette, a poppyseed dressing, or a wholegrain mustard dressing.
- Creamy Avocado - if you'd like some additional creaminess, you can add sliced fresh avocado to the salad.
What to Serve with Strawberry Spinach Salad
This easy spinach salad pairs well with fish, chicken, steak, or pasta! Here are some main course recipes to serve with it.
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Grilled Flank Steak
- Easy Pan Fried Cod Recipe
- Awesome Lemon Chicken Pasta
More Great Strawberry Recipes
If you love delicious strawberry recipes, try some of these other favorites!
If you try this fresh salad recipe, let us know! Connect with us on Instagram and share your photos, or leave us a rating.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- ½ cup halved raw pecans
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 4 cups strawberries sliced
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Dressing Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh strawberries greens removed
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place the chopped pecans in a small frying pan and toast for 3 to 4 minutes until browned.
- In a large bowl, combine the baby spinach and half of each of the following ingredients: strawberries, shallots, chopped mint, feta cheese, and pecans.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the strawberries, vinegar, honey, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt. Blend till fully combined and creamy.
- Pour the strawberry dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
- Plate the salad in a large low bowl or serving platter and top with the remaining strawberries, pecans, feta, mint, and shallots.
- Serve immediately.
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