Strawberry Spinach Salad with Roasted Strawberry Vinaigrette

This strawberry spinach salad is the perfect blend of fresh flavors and textures: with sweet strawberries, creamy avocado, crunchy almonds and salty feta, all drizzled with a roasted strawberry vinaigrette.

Spinach salad is a staple in our dinner routine; from caprese chicken quinoa salad to pear, gouda and hazelnut spinach salad, it's light, fresh, and loaded with anti-oxidants.

This strawberry version of a spinach salad is perfect for spring. It's light, fresh, and full of contrasting flavors that go so well together: sweet strawberries, salty feta and creamy avocados.

The best part of this salad has got to be the roasted strawberry vinaigrette! Sweet, tangy, and so creamy, it is the finishing touch that brings everything in the salad together.

Recipe Video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this salad. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

Ingredients you'll need

The spinach salad itself is simple and supremely flexible.

• spinach- use fresh spinach, or swap for baby kale, romaine, or your favorite leafy green
• strawberries- look for fresh, sweet strawberries, but feel free to swap for whichever berry is in season
• feta- the saltiness of the feta helps enhance the strawberry flavors, and I don't recommend skipping it
• almonds- add a crunchy texture and nutty flavor to the salad; feel free to toast them first, or swap with pecans
• red onion- adds a slight bite to the salad; omit if you'd like
• avocado- adds a creamy texture that compliments the strawberries well. See how to cut an avocado

For the vinaigrette:

• strawberries- this recipe works best with sweet strawberries, and if you find your berries are not sweet, you may want to add in some maple syrup to the vinaigrette
• water- we don't need oil for this dressing, but you'll need water to thin out the pureed strawberries
• balsamic vinegar- adds tangy contrast to the salad and helps enhance the flavors of the salad ingredients
• black pepper- brings a bit of a bite to the dressing and can be left out if you'd like
• dijon- adds the 'je ne sais quoi' to the dressing, which is difficult to explain but makes the dressing so so much better. Do not leave it out!

Making the vinaigrette

Roast the strawberries - 1) and 2)

Roasting strawberries is beneficial to this vinaigrette for two reasons: 1) it cooks off some of the natural waters in the berries, concentrating and enhancing the strawberry flavors; 2) it softens them and helps them puree even smoother in the blender.

To roast the strawberries, remove their stems and arrange on a baking sheet. Roast at 350°F for 25 minutes, then allow to cool.

Blending the vinaigrette- 3) and 4)

Once strawberries are cool enough to handle, you can prep the vinaigrette. Using a stand or immersion blender, combine the roasted strawberries with the water, balsamic vinegar, pepper and dijon. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender or bowl as needed.

It may also be possible to blend the vinaigrette together in a food processor, but I have not tried.

Taste for sweetness

Since strawberries can vary greatly in their sweetness, taste the dressing, and decide if you want to enhance the sweetness or not. I love a sweet and tangy dressing, so occasionally I will add up to 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to sweeten.

Serve the salad immediately

This is definitely the kind of salad that you want to serve fresh, since avocado can brown within an hour, and the spinach leaves can get soggy if stored in the vinaigrette for too long.  If you are bringing this salad to a barbecue or potluck, don't slice the avocado or add the dressing until just before serving.

Ingredient prep

While the salad itself should not be assembled until just before you serve, it's OK to prep some of the ingredients ahead. Here's how to prep and store them:

• crumble feta cheese up to 1 week ahead; store in an air tight container in the fridge
• slice strawberries up to 24 hours ahead; make sure they are completely dry and store in an air tight container in the fridge
• slice red onion up to 4 days ahead; store in an air tight container in the fridge
• prepare the vinaigrette up to 2 weeks ahead; flavors dissipate while it sits so it's best served within a few days of prepping. Store in the fridge.

Serve it with

• Perfect Grilled Chicken
• Unbelievably Crispy Grilled Potatoes
• Balsamic Salmon Marinade
• Perfect, Fluffy Rice
• Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower

More summery salads:

• Charred Corn Salad with Feta, Mint & Quinoa
• Strawberry Caprese Quinoa Salad
• Orzo Salad with Feta + Mint
• Summer Barley Salad with Corn + Blueberries
• Healthy Taco Salad

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Roasted Strawberry Vinaigrette

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

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This strawberry spinach salad is the perfect blend of fresh flavors and textures: with sweet strawberries, creamy avocado, crunchy almonds and salty feta, all drizzled with a roasted strawberry vinaigrette.

4

Ingredients

Roasted Strawberry Vinaigrette

• ▢ 1 cup roasted strawberries 10-12 medium whole strawberries
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dijon

Strawberry Spinach Salad

• ▢ 6 cups spinach leaves
• ▢ ¼ cup red onion sliced thin
• ▢ 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries sliced thin
• ▢ ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
• ▢ 1 avocado cubed
• ▢ ¼ cup slivered almonds toasted
• ▢ 1 cup roasted strawberry & black pepper vinaigrette {recipe above}

Instructions 

Roasted Strawberry Vinaigrette

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
• Wash and trim strawberries. Arrange on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes and allow to cool.
• Combine roasted strawberries with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust pepper/balsamic vinegar to taste.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

• Combine all ingredients.
• Serve immediately

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Tips:

Storage

This salad does not keep well, and should be served immediately after dressing.

Ingredient prep

You may prep ingredients ahead and store in the fridge:

• crumble feta cheese up to 1 week ahead; store in an air tight container in the fridge
• slice strawberries up to 24 hours ahead; make sure they are completely dry and store in an air tight container in the fridge
• slice red onion up to 4 days ahead; store in an air tight container in the fridge
• prepare the vinaigrette up to 2 weeks ahead; flavors dissipate while it sits so it’s best served within a few days of prepping. Store in the fridge.

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2cups, Calories: 199kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 155mg, Potassium: 708mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 4333IU, Vitamin C: 71mg, Calcium: 132mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

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