Spring Greens with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

This easy strawberry salad recipe combines fresh spring greens, tangy red onions, creamy feta cheese, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a smooth strawberry balsamic dressing for a perfect salad with a punch of flavor!

Salads are my all-time favorite food. They’re quick, easy, and satisfying.

But somewhere along the way, they’ve gotten complicated. Onions get caramelized, tomatoes are roasted, and chopped nuts are tossed with maple and cinnamon before being toasted in the oven.

Don’t get me wrong – those types of salads are downright delicious. And to be honest, I’m salivating a bit just thinking about a thick bed of greens with caramelized onions, fire-roasted tomatoes, and candied pecans on top.

But in my opinion, one of the benefits of having a salad is that you don’t have to cook it. A few rough chops of whatever you have on hand and BAM! Instant meal.

The salad dressing though, gets me every time.

I started out with my easy 3-Ingredient Balsamic Vinaigrette. It holds up well, but night after night of the same salad got real boring, real quick. Switching fresh lemon juice for vinegar gave us a tangy Lemon Vinaigrette, which was really good too…for a little while.

We got bored with that too after a few weeks because, while simple, neither the basic vinaigrette nor the lemon version added much flavor. Considering the salads were super basic, comprised mostly of random odds and ends found in my pantry and fridge, they needed all the flavor help they could get.

Enter recipe experimentation.

Have you ever heard that strawberries and balsamic vinegar complement each other? I have, so I decided to make a strawberry balsamic vinegar dressing.

The resulting strawberry salad recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, smooth and bite. And of course, it’s absolutely delicious!

STRAWBERRY SALAD RECIPE

You’re going to love this strawberry salad recipe too!

• Eat seasonally. Especially in spring and summer, juicy strawberries give you fresh seasonal flavor.
• Save money. Making your own salad dressing is one of the quickest ways to save at the grocery store.
• Simple ingredients. With 4 real food ingredients, the balsamic vinegar strawberry dressing skips the additives and preservatives in store-bought bottles.
• Versatile. Enjoy this strawberry salad recipe as an easy side dish for dinner, add protein to make it a main meal, or even spoon the dressing over ice cream!

INGREDIENTS FOR BALSAMIC VINEGAR STRAWBERRY DRESSING

For the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, you’ll need just 4 dressing ingredients (plus salt and pepper to taste).

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The most basic vinaigrette is two parts olive oil to one (or 1 ½) parts vinegar. Then we dress it up with a bit of flavor and we’re done!
• Balsamic Vinegar. The rich, complex flavor of balsamic vinegar is a bit sweet and a bit sour and perfect for salad dressing.
• Rice Wine Vinegar. White vinegar works if that’s all you have on hand. This adds a bit more acidity and tang to the dressing to complement the extra sweetness from the strawberries.
• Strawberries. No need to chop or slice the strawberries – just wash and hull them.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper. To taste.

You can also add a touch of honey if the strawberries are on the tart side.

For a tasty, simple strawberry balsamic salad, you’ll also want:

• Baby Spinach or Spring Greens. A strawberry spinach salad is a classic combination, or use a mixture of spring greens, romaine lettuce, or kale.
• Red Onions. Sliced small red onion adds a punch of flavor to the strawberry salad recipe.
• Feta Cheese. The creaminess of crumbled feta cheese goes well with the tanginess of the dressing and the sweetness of the strawberries. Blue cheese, gorgonzola, or crumbled goat cheese also work here.
• Sunflower Seeds. Or chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pistachios. Something to add a bit of crunch to the salad.
• Fresh Sliced Strawberries (optional). If you have additional strawberries, slice them up and add them to the salad for more sweet, bright flavor!

You can also enjoy the strawberry balsamic dressing with whatever salad ingredients you pull from your fridge and pantry. Avocado, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes are all perfect for this light dinner salad.

HOW TO MAKE RECIPE FOR SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES

To make this recipe for salad with strawberries, start by making the balsamic vinegar strawberry dressing.

Step 1. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, and strawberries in a food processor, or a high-powered blender, and blend on low for 45 seconds. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

Store the dressing in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Shake well before using. For easy pouring out of a mason jar, try one of these reCAP mason jar lids. The pour-spout one is perfect for homemade salad dressings!

Step 2. Prepare the spinach & strawberry salad ingredients. Slice the red onion (and strawberries, if using).

Step 3. Combine the spinach or spring greens, onions, cheese, sunflower seeds, and strawberries in a large bowl. Toss with the strawberry balsamic dressing just before serving.

This strawberry spinach salad recipe can be prepped ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store the balsamic vinegar strawberry dressing separately.

SERVE WITH RECIPE STRAWBERRY SALAD

This recipe strawberry salad is a great quick and easy side for dinner. I like to pair it with a protein and some freshly baked homemade bread. Serve it with:

• Grilled chicken or steak and Focaccia Bread
• Almond Crusted Chicken and Rosemary Sea Salt Flatbread
• Easy Minestrone Italian Soup and Crostini
• Herb Crusted Pork Chops and Man Bread

It’s also delicious tucked into a tortilla for a yummy strawberry salad wrap.

STRAWBERRY & SPINACH SALAD

Salad is an easy volume food to help you feel fuller and feel like you’re eating a lot of food without going overboard on the calories. Plus, it’s a great way to get more fresh produce in your day!

And this strawberry & spinach salad can easily fit with your macros for the day.

As written, this strawberry salad recipe is fairly low in carbohydrates and protein and has fat from the dressing and the cheese.

To add more protein and make this a main meal, top it with a lean protein. Chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs, fish or shrimp, or ground turkey are all yummy options.

For more carbs, serve the strawberry salad recipe with a side of whole-grain bread or a complex carbohydrate like sweet potatoes, brown rice, or quinoa.

STRAWBERRY SAKAD FAQS

MORE QUICK AND EASY SALAD RECIPES

• Cranberry Apple Spinach Salad
• Strawberry Kale Salad with Pecans and Blue Cheese
• Sweet Kale Salad (Costco Copycat)
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• The Best Kale Salad Recipe