Strawberry salad with goat cheese

There are so many wonderful recipes to make with strawberries, especially when they are in season! Everything from sweet recipes like these Strawberry Lemon Muffins or these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars or breakfast recipes like this Strawberry banana baked oatmeal.

Another strawberry salad recipe to try is this Spinach Strawberry and Feta Salad or try this sweet and salty summer Watermelon Salad, perfect for the bbq or picnic.

Ingredients

To make this easy strawberry and goat cheese salad, all that’s needed are just a few simple ingredients listed below.

For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card below.

• Baby spinach, washed and dried. You can also use regular spinach hat has been chopped or arugula is another great option. 
• Strawberries, sliced or chopped. Use the ripest and sweetest strawberries you can find. They are best in the spring and early summer when in season. 
• Red onion, thinly sliced. For a little bite to this salad. The sharpness of the red onion complements the sweetness of the strawberries. For a milder taste, soak the onion slices in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain and add to the salad. 
• Goat cheese, sliced or crumbled. The salty and goats cheese is such a delicious complement to the sweet strawberries. For a vegan option, use vegan cheese alternative. 
• Fresh basil, chopped. Some fragrant and fresh basil ads so much flavor to this salad with strawberries and goat cheese.
• Pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped. Ads a great crunch and so much flavor to this salad. For an allergy friendly alternative, substitute with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.

Balsamic vinaigrette

• Olive oil, preferably extra virgin olive oil 
• Balsamic vinegar 
• Honey or maple syrup, a little sweetness will balance out the acidity from the vinegar. For a vegan vinaigrette, use maple syrup.
• Dijon mustard, just a little adds a lot of flavor. 
• Sea salt and Ground black pepper
• Optional: Garlic, minced. Gives this dressing a punch of flavour.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This strawberry goat cheese is really easy to make. Follow the instruction below with step-by-step photos. For the full written instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom.

Hint: Use either sliced or crumbled goat cheese, feta cheese can also be used.

Substitutions and Variations

• Greens – Instead of a mix of baby greens, use only one type of green like spinach or arugula are some great choices.
• Onion – The red onion adds a lot of flavor to this salad. They can also be replaced with pickled red onion, spring onion or sliced shallot. If you don’t like onions, just leave them out. 
• Grains – Add some quinoa, cooked rice, couscous, farro or barley to this strawberry salad.
• Vegan – To make this strawberry salad vegan, use maple syrup in the vinaigrette and a vegan cheese alternative instead of the goat cheese. 
• Nuts – The pistachios can be replaced with other nuts of choice like pecans, walnuts or almonds. For an allergy friendly salad, replace with pumpkin seeds or leave out.
• Herbs – Instead of fresh basil some cilantro or parsley can be used instead. Or use a mix or herbs of choice.
• Cheese – This salad has sliced goat cheese or chèvre, the salty and creamy cheese is loaded with flavor and such a deliciously complement to the sweet strawberries. Instead of goat cheese, crumbled feta cheese also tastes great. Another good alternative is sliced fresh mozzarella cheese.
• Veggies – Add more veggies to this salad, some great options are chopped tomato or cucumber. 
• Berries – Add some more berries like blueberries, raspberries or orange slices. For a great fruit salad, try this Fruit salad with honey dressing.

This salad makes a delicious fresh side salad. Tastes great with a slice of homemade bread like this No knead olive bread or this No Knead Whole Wheat Bread.

Storage

This strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese is best eaten straight away. The dressing will start to wilt the strawberries and they will realise a lot of liquid. The avocado can also turn brown and mushy after being stored. I have kept leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days, but the texture will be a lot different.

Salad does not freeze well, so I don’t recommend that.

Salad recipes

Strawberry recipes

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