Strawberry Spinach Salad with Sweet Lemon Dressing
May contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
This Strawberry Spinach Salad is drizzled with an amazing sweet lemon dressing for a refreshing summer salad.
Table of Contents
A Spinach Salad for Spinach Haters
Let me come right out and say it. I’m not a big fan of spinach.
Sure, I’ll wilt it down and disguise it with plenty of cheese and bacon in an Overnight Breakfast Casserole.
Or stir it into a rich, creamy Knorr Spinach Dip.
Heck, I’ll even throw it in a Cherry Beet smoothie, where I can disguise it behind a wave of purpley fruits.
But eating raw spinach? It’s not really my jam.
That is, until I was introduced to one particular Strawberry Spinach Salad.
The One and Only Strawberry Spinach Salad
I’d heard whisperings of this Strawberry Spinach Salad long before I tried it myself. A friend of mine had taken it to several potlucks and given it to tired new moms, and along the way it’d gained quite the reputation.
This was not, apparently, just any old salad. It was THE Strawberry Spinach Salad.
I doubted any spinach salad could be worthy of such fanfare, but when I finally tried it myself, I was delighted to be proven wrong.
Simple Spinach Salad with Strawberries
The salad itself is made with just 3 simple ingredients:
- Fresh spinach
- Sliced strawberries
- Toasted pecans
I know you’re wondering how these three ingredients could possibly make a salad worth raving about. The key, my friends, is in the dressing.
Best Dressing for Spinach Salad
While I usually crave a puckery Italian dressing or the zippy garlic vinaigrette found in That Good Salad, this Strawberry Spinach Salad calls for something altogether different.
Instead of reaching for the olive oil and balsamic, this dressing is made with fresh lemon juice, white wine vinegar, a neutral vegetable oil, and more sugar than is probably appropriate for something called a salad.
While you may feel like you’re making a cake instead of a salad dressing, I implore you to give this dressing a try. It tastes like lemonade, and it’s the perfect compliment for the spinach.
The lemony sweet dressing cuts the bitterness of the spinach and brings out the natural sweetness of the strawberries. It’s incredibly refreshing and summery, like drinking a strawberry lemonade while also being able to brag about eating greens.
Can you make spinach salad ahead of time?
This Strawberry Spinach Salad is great for taking to summer BBQs and potlucks. You can toss the salad ingredients together beforehand then dress it on site. The undressed salad will keep in the fridge for 8 hours.
What to Serve with Strawberry Spinach Salad
Want to turn this into a full meal? Just add chicken and a sprinkling of feta or goat cheese.
Or serve spinach salad as a side with other summer cookout favorites like:
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 12 ounces fresh baby spinach (rinsed and dried)
- 1 quart strawberries (sliced)
For the dressing:
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place the nuts in a dry pan and toast over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl combine spinach, toasted nuts, and strawberries.
- In a jar, combine lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and oil. Shake until well combined. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, give the jar a shake, pour dressing over spinach, and toss to combine.
Notes
- This Strawberry Spinach Salad is great for taking to summer BBQs and potlucks. You can toss the salad ingredients together beforehand then dress it on site. The undressed salad will keep in the fridge for 8 hours.
I love this recipe topped with rotisserie chicken. I’ve always bought a raspberry dressing for this. I’m going to make your dressing for Easter dinner this week. It sounds great.
I love the idea of adding chicken! I hope you enjoyed the recipe for Easter!
Spinach is my kryptonite and I grow strawberries…so, um, ya. I sort of want this. Every day.
This is actually amazing if you toss In a bit of feta cheese.
Cool! Thanks for the tip!
I totally just crumbled some feta to throw in with mine for my lunch tomorrow! Glad to hear that it is good! 🙂
So good! I hope you enjoyed it!
Oh, man! This looks heavenly! My Aunt used to make a version similar to this that was my favorite salad! She used raspberry vinaigrette, but I am anxious to try your lemon dressing!
The pictures are spectacular- the salad looks divine!
Sydney
southernstylin.blogspot.com
Thanks Sydney! I’m sure this would be lovely with a raspberry vinaigrette too, but I definitely recommend the lemon dressing. It’s so tangy delicious.
I love strawberry spinach salad but I’ve never had it with this amazing sounding dressing! Must try soon!
you are seriously a fantastic food blogger. gorgeous photos, stunning word pictures. I hope you make it big in this blog world. for real.
Aw, Melanie thank you so much! That means a lot, especially coming from someone who has their own impressive collection of fabulous recipes! Thanks for stopping by!