Make a bright and fresh strawberry spinach salad today - it's filled with your favorite spring flavors. Strawberries, cucumber, fresh mozzarella, and baby spinach are tossed in a homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
This strawberry spinach salad is the perfect way to add extra fruits and veggies into your daily routine. It's made with plenty of fresh and nutritious spring seasonal produce!
A bed of baby spinach is topped with fresh sliced cucumbers, strawberries, red onion, and fresh mozzarella pearls. This salad is topped with a simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It's tart, tangy, and barely sweet.
Pair this side salad with your favorite main course, like Easter ham or roasted chicken. You could also top your salad with some juicy oven baked chicken breasts for a complete meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Baby spinach - Can be substituted with any fresh greens you have on hand.
- Fresh mozzarella pearls - Can be substituted with crumbled feta or goat cheese.
- Cucumber - Adds fresh, bright flavor to the salad.
- Red onion - Adds color, flavor, and crunch to the salad.
- Strawberries - Adds flavor, color, and sweetness to the salad. Strawberries could be substituted with your favorite berry, like blueberries or raspberries.
- Balsamic vinaigrette - We're making a simple vinaigrette today with oil (not pictured), balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. These ingredients can be substituted with your favorite store-bought vinaigrette dressing if desired.
Tips and tricks
Make ahead - If you'd like to prepare your strawberry spinach salad ahead of an event, prepare the salad base separately and store in the refrigerator. Prepare your dressing and store in a separate container.
Whisk dressing before serving - Give your dressing a whisk just before dressing and serving your salad. While the recipe does include an emulsifier (dijon mustard), the dressing ingredients may settle while they sit.
Storage
Leftover salad without dressing will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Dressed salad will begin to wilt after a few hours and leftovers do not keep well.
Yes, feel free to substitute the spinach with your favorite leafy greens you have on hand.
I like to serve this salad with juicy oven baked chicken breasts or lemon pepper chicken sandwiches.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 9 ounces baby spinach
- 16 ounces strawberries, sliced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
- ½ red onion, sliced
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add spinach. Top with sliced strawberries, cucumber, red onion, and mozzarella pearls. Set aside.
- In a bowl (or mason jar), add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Whisk (or cover jar and shake) to combine.
- Just before ready to serve, toss salad in dressing until evenly coated. Serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Servings: Recipe makes 8 side salads or 4 large lunch salads. Optionally, add shredded chicken for a complete meal.
- Leftovers: Leftover salad (without dressing) will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.
- Plan for leftovers: If you plan to have leftover salad, I recommend serving dressing to the side. Spinach wilts quickly once dressed.
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