How to Make a Strawberry Spinach Salad Your Family Will Love

by Melody Thacker, in How To, Recipes (2 Comments)

Every spring I get a craving for this Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is delicious on a variety of mixed green salad but I love it on a big bowl of fresh spinach.

With a tasty strawberry dressing and summer strawberries, you can make a strawberry and spinach salad that everyone in your family will love. I’ve always been a big fan of spinach, I’m pretty sure I was influenced by all the Popeye cartoons I watched as I child. When Popeye inhaled/swallowed his spinach he instantly became unstoppable and saved the day and Olive Oyl of coarse. The sweet berry dressing is a real kid-pleaser. Fortunately, my kids and now my grandchildren enjoy eating vegetables, maybe because we introduced them early.

Tip, if you are introducing this salad to children, chop or tear the spinach into small pieces and mix them well into the other salad ingredients. I always leave the onion in larger pieces so they are easier to pick out or you may prefer chopping them really fine so they blend in.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

For 4 servings of Strawberry Spinach Salad you will need:

Ingredients for salad:

• 1 10-ounce bag or bunch of fresh spinach, washed
• 2 cups sliced, fresh strawberries, washed and tops removed
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 cup pralines or candied pecans or raw pecans
• Strawberry vinaigrette (recipe below)

Optional additions: crumbled goats cheese, diced or shredded cooked chicken or sliced hard-boiled egg.

Directions: Place all ingredients except pecans in a large salad bowl. Pour strawberry vinaigrette over the salad to taste and toss to combine. Garnish the whole salad or individual servings with pecans and serve.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grapeseed or olive oil
• 1 cup whole strawberries, washed and tops removed
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Watkins sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Watkins granulated black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon liquid honey

Directions: Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend or process until it becomes liquid. Refrigerate any leftover vinaigrette, it will keep for up to a week.

Note: alternatively you can use apple cider vinegar, but the flavor of balsamic vinegar goes especially well with strawberries.

Let me know how you like this spinach salad recipe!

Quality ingredients make a difference. To learn more about Watkins famous black pepper and other herbs, spices and seasonings visit my Watkins Store.

Looking for more great recipes? Check out Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop!