This strawberry goat cheese salad is loaded with fresh baby spinach and sweet candied nuts. It's dressed in a bright citrus vinaigrette that's flecked with fresh basil. It's the perfect easy summer salad that is sure to please.
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Being a Florida girl, it's only natural that Fresh Florida strawberries are one of my favorite foods! And I'm always looking to include them into tasty dishes!
And since I'm doing one of my first online cooking classes next week, I figured I should incorporate them into a delicious salad and share it to the blog!
**SHAMELESS PLUG - You can sign up for my first e-cooking class today! It's happening next Thursday, August 27th 2020 at 6:30pm. And if you can't make it, you can still purchase a seat and get the video sent to you to view it whenever you're ready! There are only 50 seats available so snag a ticket while you can!**
I just love how the tart strawberries play well with the sweet and crunchy candied nuts and the tangy crumbled goat cheese. The baby spinach is light and crisp and tastes beautiful when tossed with my citrus basil vinaigrette.
I also love how colorful it is and how summer-y it tastes!
Ingredients
for the salad dressing
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- orange juice
- dijon
- honey
- shallot
- garlic
- fresh basil
for the salad
- fresh baby spinach
- strawberries
- candied nuts
- goat cheese
How to make it
To make this strawberry goat cheese salad, you'll want to begin with the dressing.
Measure everything out then whisk it all together. Season with salt and pepper and put aside until you're ready to use.
To make the salad, simply add the spinach to a large bowl then top with the fresh chopped strawberries. Now crumble the goat cheese all over the top and finish with the candied nuts.
You can either toss the salad with the dressing or serve it on the side.
Recommended alterations
If you're not into one of the ingredients in this salad, you can easily swap them out for something else!
Instead of spinach, I recommend using either peppery arugula or a nice butter or bib lettuce.
If you don't like goat cheese, you could either swap it out for crumbled feta, queso fresco, or some fresh salted mozzarella.
And if you don't feel like making the salad dressing, you could always use a nice store bought balsamic vinaigrette or a poppy seed dressing.
What to pair it with
This salad goes well with a ton of dishes on my blog!
I would serve it as a side to this air fryer grilled cheese, some tortellini alla panna, or this spicy vodka rigatoni.
And if you want more tasty vegetarian side dishes, try this air fryer asparagus, these Japanese style green beans, or these tasty cajun deviled eggs.
Save it for later
If' you'd like to save this salad for a later date, please feel free to pin it below!
And if you don't already follow me on pinterest, feel free to do so!
Recipe
Recipe
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Fresh Spinach, Candied Nuts and a Citrus Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
for the salad dressing
- ⅔ cup cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoon dijon
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon shallot
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 10 basil leaves minced
- salt and pepper
for the salad
- 1 5 oz box fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup strawberries chopped
- ½ cup candied nuts chopped
- 2 oz goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
for the salad dressing
- Whisk everything together and season with salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. This batch makes more than what is necessary for one serving of salad.
for the salad
- Add the spinach to a large bowl and top with chopped strawberries, candied nuts, and goat cheese. Either toss with some of the salad dressing or serve on the side.
