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This strawberry goat cheese salad is incredible! It is packed with ripe sweet strawberries, savory goat cheese, fresh crunchy cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, and crispy pecans.
This salad is tossed with the ultimate strawberry balsamic vinaigrette that is made with fresh strawberries. I am sure this will become one of your favorite salads. It is perfect for a light meal or a side salad.
Table of Contents
- Why You Will Love Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Ingredients Needed And Substitutions
- What Lettuce To Use
- What Goat Cheese To Use
- How To Make Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Tips For Making Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- How To Store
- Recipe Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Salads To Try Next!
- STRAWBERRY GOAT CHEESE SALAD Recipe
Why You Will Love Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- It is a delicious and incredibly fresh salad.
- The flavors of strawberries and goat cheese complement each other very well.
- Soft, creamy goat cheese pairs perfectly with sweet, juicy strawberries.
- We have up-leveled the balsamic vinaigrette by adding fresh strawberries!
- There are fresh strawberries in this salad and the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.
Ingredients Needed And Substitutions
For The Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Spinach: We used a bag of spinach for this salad.
- Goat Cheese: Use creamy fresh goat cheese in this recipe.
- Strawberries: You will need one box of fresh strawberries for this recipe. Reserve four strawberries for the vinaigrette and slice the remaining strawberries lengthwise vertically.
- Cucumber: Peel and thinly dice an English cucumber. Also, remove the seeds of the cucumber. Cucumber adds a crunch to this salad.
- Red Onion: Use half of a small red onion. Carefully use a mandoline with the guard to thinly slice the red onion.
- Pecans: Roughly chop the pecans so they are evenly distributed throughout the salad. You can use candied pecans or regular pecans.
For The Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the vinaigrette.
- Balsamic Vinegar: You will need balsamic vinegar for this balsamic vinaigrette.
- Strawberries: Use the four fresh strawberries you set aside. The strawberries give this balsamic vinaigrette an incredible strawberry flavor.
- Honey: Sweetens the vinaigrette and adds flavor.
- Salt: To enhance the flavors.
- Pepper: To season the vinaigrette.
- Garlic: We used granulated garlic because the garlic flavor is less strong. However, you could use fresh crushed garlic instead. Either one will work.
- Mustard: Use stone-ground mustard or Dijon mustard.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeeze some lemon juice. Lemon juice brightens the vinaigrette.
What Lettuce To Use
We used a bag of spinach to make this salad. You can use spinach, baby spring mix, or arugula. Also, you can use a combination of these.
What Goat Cheese To Use
Make sure to use fresh creamy goat cheese. We used the Chevere creamy fresh goat cheese from Trader Joe’s. We used plain goat cheese. For another flavor, you could use herbed goat cheese or garlic goat cheese. Also, you can use light goat cheese.
How To Make Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
First, wash and dry the fresh strawberries. Then, cut the stems off and slice them lengthwise vertically.
After that, peel the cucumber and thinly dice it. Then, carefully use a mandoline with a guard to thinly slice the red onion. Also, roughly chop the pecans.
Next, add the spinach to a large salad bowl. Then, crumble the goat cheese as you add it to the bowl. After that, add the strawberries, cucumber, red onions, and pecans to the bowl.
Then, make the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, three to four fresh strawberries, honey, salt, pepper, garlic, stone-ground mustard, and fresh lemon juice to a blender and thoroughly blend.
After that, pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss the salad. Serve the salad on plates and enjoy!
Tips For Making Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Slice the strawberries lengthwise vertically. Try to cut the strawberries into the same size pieces.
- Thinly slice the red onion. You don’t want to overpower the salad with too much red onion. Very carefully use a mandoline with a guard to thinly slice the red onion.
- Roughly chop the pecans. It helps evenly disperse them throughout the salad while using less of them.
- Blend the vinaigrette. It is important to use a blender to blend all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette since there are fresh strawberries in it.
- Crumble the goat cheese into small pieces so that it is evenly distributed throughout the salad.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad when you are ready to serve so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
How To Store
This strawberry goat cheese salad is best enjoyed right after making it. Once the salad is dressed, it will get soggy if not eaten right away. Depending on how much dressing you add, you may have some leftover strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. You can store the vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Then, just make this salad again and pour the vinaigrette over top. Also, you can cut more cucumbers, slice more onions, and cut more strawberries to store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator so you can easily make this salad again.
Recipe Variations
- Nuts: Pecans add great flavor to this salad. If you don’t want to use pecans, you can substitute them for walnuts. To make this salad nut-free, omit the nuts altogether.
- Add Protein: There are many ways you can add protein to this salad. You could add chopped grilled chicken, sliced grilled steak, or cooked shrimp.
- Fresh Fruit: In a pinch if you do not have fresh strawberries or if they are not in season, you could substitute them for fresh raspberries or fresh blueberries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Healthy?
Yes, this strawberry goat cheese salad is healthy! This salad is made with spinach, fresh strawberries, goat cheese, cucumber, onion, and pecans. Also, the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette is made with simple and healthy ingredients.
Can This Salad Be Made Ahead Of Time?
This salad is best enjoyed fresh after making it. You could make it ahead of time the day you are going to eat it. However, do not pour the vinaigrette over the salad until you are ready to serve. The salad will get soggy if you let it sit once dressed. You could prep the cucumber, strawberries, onion, and vinaigrette so it is easy to assemble. Store these ingredients in the refrigerator in airtight containers and then assemble the salad when you are ready to eat it.
Is Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Gluten-Free?
Yes, this strawberry goat cheese salad and homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette are naturally gluten-free.
What Can I Substitute For Goat Cheese?
While this salad is meant to be enjoyed with goat cheese, the best substitute for it would be fresh crumbled feta cheese.
More Salads To Try Next!
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad With Pecans
- Apple Cabbage Salad With Maple Vinaigrette
- Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
- Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing
- Join us on our YouTube channel for recipe videos!
If you try this recipe please be sure to leave us a comment and star rating ★★★★★ letting us know how it turns out for you.
STRAWBERRY GOAT CHEESE SALAD
Ingredients
For The Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- 1, 6 ounce bag of spinach
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries, reserve 4 strawberries for the dressing
- 1/2 cup English cucumber, thinly diced and peeled
- 1/2 of a small red onion, very thinly sliced, carefully use a mandoline with a guard
- 4 tablespoons pecans, roughly chopped
For The Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 fresh strawberries
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or crushed garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon stone-ground mustard or Dijon
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash and dry the fresh strawberries. Then, cut off the stems of the strawberries and slice them lengthwise vertically. Reserve four fresh strawberries for the vinaigrette. Then, thinly dice and peel the English cucumber. After that, use a mandoline with a guard and very carefully slice the red onion. Slice the red onion very thinly. Also, roughly chop the pecans.
- To a large salad bowl, add the spinach. Then, crumble the goat cheese as you add it to the bowl. After that, add the strawberries, cucumber, red onions, and pecans to the bowl.
- Next, make the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, four fresh strawberries, honey, salt, pepper, garlic, stone-ground mustard, and fresh lemon juice to a blender. Thoroughly blend the vinaigrette.
- You may have leftover vinaigrette, depending on how much you pour over the salad and how much lettuce you use. You can add more lettuce to the salad or store the vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator to make this salad again. Pour as much vinaigrette over the salad as you prefer and then toss the salad with salad tongs. Serve the salad on plates and enjoy! This salad serves 2 large plates or 4 side salads.
Video
Notes
- Strawberries: Evenly slice the strawberries lengthwise vertically.
- Red Onion: Thinly slice the red onion. You don’t want to overpower the salad with too much red onion. Very carefully use a mandoline with a guard to thinly slice the red onion.
- Pecans: Roughly chop the pecans. It helps evenly disperse them throughout the salad.
- Serve: Pour the vinaigrette over the salad when you are ready to serve so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
- Add Protein: You could add chopped grilled chicken, sliced grilled steak, or cooked shrimp to this salad.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
