This refreshing spinach strawberry salad with feta is loaded with baby spinach leaves, sweet strawberries, salty feta cheese, avocado, and a delicious balsamic sesame honey dressing.
Don't miss our summer salads and try this Watermelon Strawberry Salad or sweet Raspberry Beet Salad next!
Jump To
Ingredients
- Fresh spinach - I like blending 2-3 lettuce types for flavor and texture variety. Alongside spinach, I love to add kale, frisée, romaine, butter lettuce, and crisp iceberg.
- Strawberries - slice strawberries and keep the tops to make infused water.
- Limes - fresh lime juice is preferred, bottled juice will not be the same and may ruin the freshness of the salad.
- Salty Feta - feta adds creaminess and saltiness that just can't be beaten with anything.
- Avocado - I used a very large avocado from my farmer’s market (my preferred choice as large avocados tend to be perfectly ripe and with firm flesh inside that is easy to cut and not mushy on the edges).
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
Instructions
Prepare the dressing by mixing it in a small bowl or a tightly sealed mason jar.
Stir/shake well until all combined. Set aside for 15-30 minutes to chill in the fridge.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl add spinach, strawberries, and avocado, and add feta cheese crumbles.
Drizzle with enough dressing to cover the ingredients and serve the salad with the remaining dressing on the side or keep it in the fridge for later.
Season the salad with salt (crushed sea salt flakes) and black pepper (you only need a little but it enhances all the flavors!).
For more flavor and texture add crunchy almonds or walnuts. Enjoy right away!
Tips
- Chill the ingredients - For the best flavor, keep the strawberries, feta cheese, and avocado in the fridge before cutting.
- To prevent the avocado from browning fast, drizzle with lime or lemon juice as soon as you cut it.
- To make this salad into a more substantial meal, top it up with grilled shrimp or chicken.
- You can use the dressing described in the recipe or for a little twist try Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Dressing or Balsamic glaze.
- Strawberries are not only a strong carrier of iron but they act as an active iron absorber. Most of the berries are a naturally good source of vitamin C which helps to absorb non-heme iron. Slice the strawberries in quarters or into thinner slices. How to cut strawberries.
- More spinach salad topping ideas: poppy seeds, chia seeds, candied or toasted nuts. Red onion pairs well with these ingredients too and adds that necessary zing to the salad! To make the onion flavor less harsh, soak the sliced red onion in clean cold water for 15 minutes before adding it to the salad.
- Add strawberries to the salad last to maintain freshness. Store extra strawberries in the fridge layered with paper towels in a box. Only wash the berries you need for the salad to prevent moisture.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- Store the leftover dressed salad in the fridge and consume it within 1 day. Undressed salad will taste fine if stored in the fridge for 1 day but for best results (and fresh flavor).
- Make ahead. Salad dressing can be mixed in advance for up to 4-5 days and tightly stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
What to do with Strawberry tops
Don’t throw away the strawberry tops!
- Make strawberry-infused water. Or Strawberry Agua Fresca.
- Don’t have a plan to use those tops right now? Place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to a few days, or in the freezer for a few months, then pull them out when you’re ready to use them.
- Another great way to use them is to infuse your favorite spirit with them (I usually keep them in rum for a few days and then it's cocktail time!).
- Add the tops to your favorite smoothies to get a little pink hue and a hint of strawberries.
Easy Strawberry Recipes
For more easy summer salad recipes please have a look at the ALL SALAD recipe index.
I would appreciate it so much if you left a comment about this recipe below! Subscribe to join the TYB newsletter and receive free recipes straight to your inbox! Let's connect via Facebook, IG & Pinterest!
Recipe
Easy Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
INGREDIENTS
For The Salad
- 3 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced thin or quartered
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 large avocado or 2-3 small, sliced medium thick
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, good quality
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare the dressing by mixing it in a small bowl or a tightly sealed mason jar. Stir/shake well until all combined. Set aside for 15-30 minutes to chill in the fridge.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl add spinach, strawberries, and avocado, and add feta cheese crumbles.
- Drizzle with the dressing (assess the amount of the dressing, we want this salad to be tossed in the dressing lightly without the ingredients swimming in the liquid), serve the salad with the remaining dressing on the side or keep it in the fridge for later.
- Season the salad with salt (crushed sea salt flakes) and black pepper (you only need a little but it enhances all the flavors!). For more flavor and texture add crunchy almonds or walnuts. Enjoy right away!
NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Kathryn Freamo
Your recipe calls for 12 teaspoon dijon mustard. I'm assuming you mean 1/2 teaspoon.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
it is!