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This strawberry spinach salad is full of all the freshness and vibrant colors that the warm weather brings. A bed of deep green fresh spinach leaves, sweet strawberries and blueberries, creamy avocado, crunchy pecans, and a rich vinaigrette combine to make this summery salad a must-have.
Keep your kitchen cool and serve up our favorite salads for your side dish. Try our caesar salad and cucumber salad as two solid choices.
MORE SALAD RECIPES:
BLT Pasta Salad | Italian Pasta Salad
Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients
You will need:
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 cup candied pecans
- 1 quart of strawberries, rinsed, dried, and halved or quartered, stems removed
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed
- 2 avocados, diced
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup vinaigrette, more or less to taste
Pro Tip: Sweet vinaigrettes work well in this recipe, as does a poppyseed dressing. We used a store-bought mango champagne vinaigrette, and it was perfect. A strawberry vinaigrette would also be tasty.
Substitutions and Additions
Cheese: Blue cheese crumbles or goat cheese would also be fantastic options in place of the feta cheese.
Fruit: There is no reason this salad couldn’t be made year-round. If you cannot get fresh strawberries for any reason, a great substitute would be canned mandarin oranges drained of their juice. Other fruit options could include pineapple chunks, mango cubes, raspberries, pears or apples.
Vegetables: Raw sliced mushrooms work nicely in this spinach salad, as does raw red onions, matchstick carrots or diced peppers.
Nuts: In place of or, in addition to, the pecans, slivered almonds are a popular choice for this salad. Also, try walnuts and cashews in the salad, depending on your preference. You can also sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds on the salad before serving if you would like.
Chicken: Add grilled chicken to turn this perfect salad into a filling main dish.
Dressing: Instead of dressing from the grocery store, if you have a favorite homemade balsamic vinegar dressing, it would work well with the flavors in this salad. If you want to stick with store-bought dressing but want something creamier, you could use ranch dressing in this salad.
How to Make This Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
STEP ONE: In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, candied pecans, strawberries, and blueberries. Add the avocado and cheese.
PRO TIP: To make your own candied pecans, combine 1 cup of pecans, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a skillet. Heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved in the butter. Spread onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F until pecans are crisp.
STEP TWO: Pour the salad dressing over the ingredients and toss gently to combine.
PRO TIP: If you are making a homemade vinaigrette dressing and plan to make this recipe often, you can make a larger batch and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks.
STEP THREE: Adjust the dressing to taste. Serve immediately.
How To Serve
Serve this spinach strawberry pecan salad with a grilled summer meal. It would be a perfect side dish to add to the side of grilled chicken, grilled tilapia, grilled corn on the cob, or hamburgers. You can also serve this beautiful salad as a light dinner all on its own.
Serve with our iced tea, raspberry iced tea, sweet peach iced tea, or our southern strawberry sweet tea on the side of this summer salad recipe.
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: The separate components of the spinach strawberry salad can be prepared a day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator in a separate container or bags until you are ready to serve.
IN THE FREEZER: We do not recommend freezing this spinach and strawberry salad.
This strawberry feta spinach salad is full of all the stunning, rich colors of the warmer months packed into a single bowl. The sweet ripe strawberries and blueberries contrast with the tangy dressing and cheese for an explosion of flavors.
FAQ
Fresh blueberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, or raspberries are all excellent choices in the salad.
You can prepare the ingredients ahead of time and store them in separate containers. Mix the ingredients together when you are ready to serve the salad.
A sweet dressing such as poppy seed vinaigrette works well with a strawberry spinach salad.
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Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach rinsed and patted dry
- 1 cup candied pecans
- 1 quart strawberries rinsed, dried, and halved or quartered, stems removed
- 1 cup fresh blueberries rinsed
- 2 avocados diced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup vinaigrette more or less to taste
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl toss together the spinach, candied pecans, strawberries, and blueberries. Add the avocado and cheese.Pro Tip: To make your own candied pecans, combine 1 cup of pecans, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a skillet. Heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved in the butter. Spread onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F until pecans are crisp.
- Pour the salad dressing over ingredients and toss gently to combine. Adjust the dressing to taste.Pro Tip: If you are making a homemade vinaigrette dressing and plan to make this recipe often, you can make a larger batch and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks.
- Serve immediately.
Absolutely so fresh and delicious, perfect for summer.