Fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad (Printable Version)

Sweet strawberries and tender spinach blend with feta and pecans in a tangy poppy seed dressing.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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

# Directions:

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 Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in 15 minutes, which means you can pull dinner together on nights when your energy is completely spent.
  • The poppy seed dressing tastes restaurant-quality but requires only a jar and a whisk, so you won't feel like you're doing actual work.
  • It's naturally vegetarian and gluten-free without any weird substitutions or apologies.
  • Strawberries and feta together feel like a small luxury, the kind of flavor combination that makes people ask for your recipe.
02 -
  • Dress the salad at the very last second or those beautiful greens will start sweating and turning into something you didn't intend.
  • Toasting your own pecans actually changes everything—the difference between a decent salad and one people remember is sometimes just ten minutes in a hot skillet.
03 -
  • Make extra dressing and keep it in your refrigerator because it's honestly good on roasted vegetables, grilled fish, or even a simple butter lettuce salad the next day.
  • If your strawberries aren't as sweet as you'd hoped, add a touch more honey to the dressing—it won't make them taste artificial, just more intentionally balanced.
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