Fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad (Printable Version)

Sweet strawberries and tender spinach paired with feta and pecans, tossed in tangy poppy seed dressing.

# What You Need:

→ Salad

01 - 6 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
02 - 1.5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
03 - 0.5 small red onion, thinly sliced
04 - 0.33 cup crumbled feta cheese
05 - 0.5 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

→ Poppy Seed Dressing

06 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
08 - 1 tablespoon honey
09 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
10 - 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How To Make:

01 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper until well combined and emulsified. Set aside.
02 - In a large salad bowl, combine baby spinach, sliced strawberries, red onion, crumbled feta, and toasted pecans.
03 - Drizzle the poppy seed dressing over the salad just before serving.
04 - Gently toss to coat all ingredients evenly and serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in fifteen minutes, which means you can make it on a whim without any fussy planning.
  • The poppy seed dressing tastes homemade and complex, but it's honestly just a quick whisk away in a jar.
  • Sweet strawberries play beautifully against tangy vinegar and creamy feta, creating layers of flavor that feel more sophisticated than the effort requires.
02 -
  • If you dress this salad more than five minutes before eating it, the spinach wilts and the whole thing transforms into something sad and soggy, so timing is everything.
  • Toasting your own pecans instead of using pre-toasted ones changes the entire flavor profile and is absolutely worth the five extra minutes.
03 -
  • Slightly warm pecans straight from toasting actually release more flavor than cooled ones, so time your toasting to finish just before assembly if you can.
  • A tiny pinch of salt on the strawberries about ten minutes before assembly brings out their natural sweetness without making them taste salty.
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