Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad is so easy to make for lunch or dinner!  This salad is loaded with strawberries, bacon, crumbled cheese, pecans, and a simple dijon dressing!

I love a good salad, and especially recreating restaurant favorite salads at home!  Why not?  I can make them to my taste, for usually a fraction of the price.  Make a big batch to serve with dinner, or save some for lunches throughout the week.  My Alfresco Salad Recipe is a restaurant copy cat fave, and so is this one.  So many chains serve a spinach salad and I usually like them but I don’t love them, I want something MORE,….that’s where we get inspired to do our own thing at home!  My spinach salad is simple, but it’s anything but boring, every single bite is packed with flavor!

Dressing for Strawberry Spinach Salad:

The dressing is probably my favorite part of this simple salad!  It is made with dijon, balsamic, honey, garlic, olive oil and a little seasoning.  It might seem like a basic dressing but it is savory, tangy, and slightly sweet!  It compliments this salad perfectly. This spinach salad is a meal in itself if you want it to be.  To eat this, prep it ahead and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for lunches, it will last for about 4 days.  If you prep ahead, be sure to store the dressing in a separate container from the salad until ready to eat.   It’s also a great side paired with Grilled Chicken Thighs or these Baked Chicken Drumsticks!

What Goes in Spinach Salad:

This salad is full of fresh baby spinach, crispy cooked bacon, thinly sliced red onion, sliced strawberries, crumbled gorgonzola, and candied pecans!  Here are a few notes on the ingredients and substitutes if you need them.

• First the pecans.  I am able to purchase candied pecans in bulk from a local grocery store as you can see in the photo collage below.  If you can’t find them, don’t worry, the salad is great with regular pecans, or even almonds or cashews!
• Slice your strawberries as thin or thick as you like!  I like to remove the stems, then cut each strawberry into about 3-4 slices.  You should start out with two cups of WHOLE strawberries, then slice those.
• Slice your red onion as thin as you can get it!  We want thin onions so that we can get some in every bite, but we don’t want it to overpower the salad.  On that note, let me mention that I know Gorgonzola is too overpowering for some, feel free to use crumbled feta or goat cheese instead if preferred.
• Mix together your dressing!  Use a mason jar, or any container with a lid for this.  The dressing contains olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, honey, and a bit of salt and pepper, that’s it!  Get all of your ingredients in the jar and shake until combined.  You can keep the dressing in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Is Spinach Salad Good for You?

First of all you guys, I’m not a nutritionist, but I wanted to speak on this because I definitely find this to be a very healthy salad! It is full of fresh ingredients and a light dressing.   Spinach is a great source of vitamins and minerals.  Like I said above, we use center cut bacon for less fat, you could also use turkey bacon (sorry guys not a fan myself) for even lower fat content.  You can also skip the sugary candied pecans to keep this even healthier, but we love this the way it is.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve talked about salad a bunch before on my stories.  Salads are something we have all the time at my house, they are just a great quick no-hassle meal prep and a side dish I can serve my family to get some veggies in and we all love it!

Enjoy!

~Nichole

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5 from 14 votes

Perfect Spinach Salad

By Nichole

Strawberry Spinach Salad is so easy to make for lunch or dinner!  This salad is loaded with strawberries, bacon, crumbled cheese, pecans, and a simple dijon dressing!

 

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 10 minutes mins

Servings 6

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ FOR THE SALAD:
• ▢ 10 Ounce Package Baby Spinach Washed and Dried if necessary
• ▢ 8 Slices Bacon Cooked and Crumbled
• ▢ 2 Cups Strawberries Sliced
• ▢ 1 Cup Candied Pecans
• ▢ 1/2 Cup Gorgonzola Cheese
• ▢ 1 Small Red Onion Sliced
• ▢ FOR THE DRESSING:
• ▢ 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• ▢ 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Honey
• ▢ Salt & Pepper To Taste

Instructions 

• FOR THE SALAD:
• Add the baby spinach to a large salad bowl, or divide between 4-6 individual containers if prepping ahead.
• Add the crumbled bacon, sliced strawberries, pecans, cheese, and red onion evenly over the spinach.
• Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.
• If prepping ahead, wait to add the dressing until ready to eat.
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• Add the olive oil, balsamic, garlic, mustard, honey, and salt and pepper to taste to a mason jar or any container with a lid.
• Shake vigorously until well combined.

Notes

NOTE:  You can substitute regular pecans, almonds, or cashews in place of the candied pecans if desired.  You can also substitute the gorgonzola cheese with crumbled feta or goat cheese.

NOTE:  This salad once prepared will last stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers for up to 4 days.  The dressing will last for up to one week.  Do not add the dressing to the salad until you are ready to serve and eat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5Cups, Calories: 250kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

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