Fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad (Printer-Friendly)

A refreshing salad combining strawberries, spinach, crunchy nuts, and creamy poppyseed dressing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 6 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
02 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
03 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
04 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
05 - 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds or pecans
06 - 1/4 cup dried cranberries

→ Poppyseed Dressing

07 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
09 - 1 tablespoon honey
10 - 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
11 - 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
12 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
13 - Pinch of salt
14 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

# Direction Steps:

01 - In a large salad bowl, combine spinach, sliced strawberries, red onion, feta cheese, toasted nuts, and dried cranberries.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth and emulsified.
03 - Drizzle dressing over salad just before serving. Toss gently to combine and coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra nuts or feta cheese if desired. Keep chilled for maximum freshness.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under fifteen minutes, which means you can make it on a Tuesday night without stress.
  • The dressing tastes like something you'd pay twelve dollars for at a nice restaurant, but costs about the same as a coffee.
  • It's beautiful enough to serve at a dinner party but easy enough to throw together for lunch.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad more than a few minutes before serving, or the spinach will wilt and the strawberries will leak their juice everywhere.
  • If you make the dressing ahead, the poppy seeds will sink to the bottom—give the jar a good shake right before using it.
03 -
  • If you have an extra five minutes, soak your sliced red onion in ice water—it softens the bite while keeping the color vibrant.
  • Make the dressing first and let it sit for a few minutes; it tastes better when the flavors have had time to mingle.
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