This fresh and flavorful Strawberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing is packed with juicy strawberries, salty feta cheese, crunchy walnuts, and tender spinach. All of this is topped off with a delicious homemade lemon poppy seed dressing. This healthy salad is an easy way to add leafy greens to your diet!
This delicious Strawberry Spinach Salad is one of my favorite salads. It makes a great side dish for any meal and can also be served as a main dish for a light dinner.
I used to pick up a bag of kale salad at the grocery store every week - I just loved the dressing. But it was costly, and I don't get to the store that often anymore. But that's okay because this is my go-to salad now - especially during strawberry season!
I like the dressing even better than the packaged salad; it tastes fresher!
This easy salad makes healthy eating a breeze and is perfect for any occasion, from a dinner party to a simple weekday lunch. I love to serve it alongside Smoked Pork Loin Roast, Smoked Pork Butt, or Smoked Brisket and Smoked Corn on the Cob for a complete meal.
If you're a salad hater, I challenge you to try this healthy salad; you may just become transformed into a salad lover - and this recipe just might become your new favorite!
Also, be sure to check out my Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad and my Watermelon Salad!
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😃 Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Delicious: This beautiful salad is packed with flavor! It is a colorful array of flavors, textures, and colors from the sweet strawberries, salty feta, crunchy walnuts, and poppyseed dressing.
- Health benefits: This salad is full of fresh ingredients that are good for you! The combination of spinach leaves and fresh strawberries provides Vitamin C, folate, and potassium. Walnuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, while the homemade lemon poppy seed dressing is sweetened with natural ingredients and contains no preservatives.
- Easy to make: This easy salad recipe requires minimal prep time; toss the ingredients in a bowl, and that's it!
- Perfect for any occasion: Whether it's lunchtime at work or Sunday dinner with family, this spinach strawberry salad will add a splash of color and flavor to any meal.
- Delicious poppy seed dressing. This dressing adds a zesty and sweet flavor to your salad and differs from the usual balsamic vinaigrette.
🍓 Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
To make this delicious salad, you'll need a few fresh ingredients from your local grocery store (or Farmer's Market or garden):
- Baby spinach leaves. Baby spinach leaves are one of my favorite kitchen staples. I always keep a few bags in the fridge for convenience and routinely use them in several recipes, like my Shamrock Protein Shake Recipe and Easy Spinach Smoothie.
- Fresh strawberries. Perfectly ripe sweet strawberries add so much flavor to this salad!
- Feta cheese. If you do not like feta cheese, use goat cheese or blue cheese instead.
- Walnuts. I like heart-healthy walnuts, but you could also use candied pecans or crunchy almonds.
- Lemon poppy seed dressing. This homemade poppy seed dressing is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, old-fashioned Dijon mustard, a pinch of sea salt, and a touch of honey to sweeten things up. You can use a store-bought poppy seed dressing, but this creamy poppy seed dressing recipe is super easy to make and takes just a few minutes. You will love the extra touch of flavor! If you want to make this vegan, use maple syrup instead.
- Optional add-ins: Depending on what you like, you could also add thinly sliced red onion, sunflower seeds, cucumber slices, creamy avocado, or dried cranberries.
See the printable recipe card for quantities and a complete list of ingredients.
🥗 How To Make This Spinach Strawberry Salad Recipe
To start, place spinach in a large bowl. Next, add the sliced strawberries.
Next, add crumbled feta cheese and walnuts.
Next, it's time to make the dressing. Add olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, old-fashioned Dijon mustard, sea salt, and honey in a blender. Blend on low speed until smooth. Add in the poppy seeds and blend very briefly, just until the poppy seeds are mixed in.
Tip: Because I used old-fashioned Dijon mustard, I used a blender to blend everything. However, you can add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and use a whisk to mix everything up.
Once you've made the dressing, drizzle it over the salad and gently toss everything together until it is evenly coated.
Tip: Use a large, shallow bowl to showcase the ingredients or create individual servings in small glass jars for a unique touch.
That's all there is to it!
Enjoy!
🤩 Expert Tips
- Use fresh and high-quality ingredients. Use fresh spinach leaves, ripe strawberries, high-quality walnuts and feta cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Dress the salad just before serving. To ensure the salad stays fresh and crisp, avoid adding the dressing until just before serving. This will prevent the spinach leaves from wilting and the salad from becoming soggy.
- Serve the salad chilled. A refreshing salad like this is best served chilled.
- Be generous with the dressing: Don’t be afraid to coat your salad with lots of dressing for maximum flavor!
- Add extra protein: Add grilled chicken, sliced avocado, or bacon to the salad for extra protein.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can use any nut you prefer, such as almonds or pecans.
Definitely! Goat cheese or blue cheese are great options that add a tangy flavor to the salad.
While fresh strawberries are ideal for this salad, you can use frozen strawberries if fresh ones are not available. Just make sure to thaw and drain them before using.
🥙 What To Serve With Spinach Strawberry Salad
This easy spinach salad is the perfect accompaniment to almost anything! It goes excellent with Smoked Chicken Breasts, Smoked Chicken Thighs, or Smoked Shrimp. It also goes great with Smoked Chuck Roast, Traeger Smoked Steaks, or Smoked Pork Chops.
Alternatively, serve it with a crusty baguette or Air Buns - excellent for soaking up the delicious dressing!
🌡️ Storage and Meal-Prep Instructions
If you have any leftovers, store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The salad will stay fresh for up to two days, but it's best to consume it within 24 hours.
When storing the salad, keeping the dressing separate from the greens and other toppings is essential. This will prevent the salad from becoming soggy or losing its crunch.
You can store the dressing in a separate container or add it to the salad just before serving.
If you are planning to take the salad to work, a picnic, or a potluck, it's best to assemble it just before serving. Pack the salad ingredients separately and the dressing in a small jar or container. This will ensure that the salad looks fresh and crisp when served.
This strawberry spinach salad is the perfect salad to impress your guests at your next gathering. Not only is it delicious and easy to make, but it also has a beautiful presentation.
🍓 More Strawberry Recipes
If you like this post on this easy Strawberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing recipe, please take a moment to rate the recipe 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and leave a comment below with your thoughts!
📋 Recipe
Strawberry Spinach Salad With Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Salad:
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves washed and dried
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¾ cup walnuts whole or chopped
Ingredients for the Dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon old fashioned Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Combine the baby spinach, sliced strawberries, crumbled feta cheese, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.
- To make the dressing, blend or whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, and salt. Mix in the poppy seeds.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Use fresh and high-quality ingredients. Use fresh spinach leaves, ripe strawberries, high-quality walnuts and feta cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Dress the salad just before serving. To ensure the salad stays fresh and crisp, avoid adding the dressing until just before serving. This will prevent the spinach leaves from wilting and the salad from becoming soggy.
- Serve the salad chilled. A refreshing salad like this is best served chilled.
- Be generous with the dressing: Don’t be afraid to coat your salad with lots of dressing for maximum flavor!
- Add extra protein: Add grilled chicken, sliced avocado, or bacon to the salad for extra protein.
- If you have any leftovers, store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The salad will stay fresh for up to two days, but it's best to consume it within 24 hours.
- When storing the salad, it's essential to keep the dressing separate from the greens and other toppings. This will prevent the salad from becoming soggy or losing its crunch.
- You can store the dressing in a separate container or add it to the salad just before serving.
- If you are planning to take the salad to work, a picnic, or a potluck, it's best to assemble it just before serving. Pack the salad ingredients separately and the dressing in a small jar or container. This will ensure that the salad looks fresh and crisp when served.
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