The Strawberry Spinach Salad is perfect for summer dining. Sweet strawberries, onions, cucumber, and toasted nuts are tossed in a bright lemon poppyseed dressing. Serve as individual salads or toss everything together in a large bowl for family style dining or events. Add grilled chicken to make it a meal!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Salad
- Bagged baby spinach
- Red onion
- Cucumber
- Sliced, toasted almonds – Just heat them in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they’re golden and fragrant.
- Grilled chicken breasts – Optional, but makes it a great one-dish meal!
Dressing
- Lemons
- Rice wine vinegar
- Canola oil – Or other neutral flavored oil.
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Granulated sugar
- Poppy seeds
- Grated onion
- Fresh garlic
How to Make a Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Start by mixing up your dressing. Zest a lemon and grate a little onion into a small jar. To those, add fresh lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper, and poppy seeds. Give it a good shake and set it aside.
- You can assemble one big salad or individual servings. Layer spinach, cucumbers, red onion, and strawberries. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and drizzle with dressing as desired
Storing and Other Tips
- Assembled salads are best eaten fresh! If you have leftovers or want to plan ahead, store salad components in the refrigerator (except nuts) and build your salads as needed.
- Store your finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- If you’re serving a crowd, feel free to dress and toss one large salad immediately before serving. Save a few slices of your veggies and a sprinkle of nuts for garnish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where’s the cheese? Can I add some?
Of course! Feta would be great here. A nice blue cheese would probably be delicious as well.
Can I use a different kind of nut in place of almonds?
Yes. Any toasted nut would be good here. Quick Candied Nuts would be great, too.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can certainly make the dressing a day ahead of time. You can also toast your nuts. While it’s probably best to prep and slice your produce right before assembly, you could do it several hours ahead of time if needed.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
This bright summer salad combines sweet strawberries and a bright lemon poppyseed vinaigrette. Perfect as a side salad or as a one-dish meal with added grilled chicken.
Servings side salads
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-3 large lemons
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon grated onion
- 1 clove garlic
Salad
- 1 10- ounce bag fresh baby spinach
- ½-1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 medium cucumber seeded and sliced (you can peel it first if you want)
- 1 pint strawberries sliced
- 1 cup sliced almonds toasted
- 1 recipe Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
- ½ pound grilled chicken breasts sliced or diced (optional)
Instructions
Dressing
- Using a micro plane or other fine grater, grate 1 teaspoon lemon rind off the lemons. Grate 1 teaspoon onion. Place in a small container with a lid. Add the remaining ingredients and shake vigorously. If possible, refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Shake well before serving.
Salad
- Toss ingredients together and serve immediately. You can also arrange the ingredients on individual plates for serving.
- Dress as desired.
Notes
- Nutrition information was calculated without Lemon Poppyseed Dressing or chicken.
- Assembled salads are best eaten fresh! If you have leftovers or want to plan ahead, store salad components in the refrigerator (except nuts) and build your salads as needed.
- Store your finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- If you’re serving a crowd, feel free to dress and toss one large salad immediately before serving. Save a few slices of your veggies and a sprinkle of nuts for garnish.
Nutrition
Calories: 203kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 65mg, Potassium: 907mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 7379IU, Vitamin C: 95mg, Calcium: 172mg, Iron: 4mg
Calories: 203kcal
Cost: $8
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Questions & Reviews
This was so light a refreshing…..a perfect summer salad. I always have lemons in my refrigerator, so I’m sure this will become a standard for us now!
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Love this salad! I didn’t have cucumber so I substituted celery–fabulous crunch. Thanks for the yummy recipes.
OK, so I know this is an old post, so I hope you get this. How do you make your grilled chicken look so good? I just got a cast iron grill for the stove top and was so excited to actually grill all the meats that your recipes suggest. However, mine always come out darker and black where the grill marks are. What is your secret to getting it “golden brown” if you will? I use a meat thermometer, I’m terrified of it being raw, but by the time it’s up to 165 degrees, my already dead chicken looks even more dead. HELP! :0) thanks so much! You guys are the best.
Sounds like your pan is just too hot. Try cooking it lower and slower!
Just wanted to let you guys know that I made this at a dinner party last night (of course with the lemon poppyseed dressing) and it was a hit! Good, good stuff. Thanks!