strawberry spinach salad

Get ready for your favorite side dish of the season: strawberry spinach salad! Oh yes. This green salad pairs with just about every meal. It’s got beautifully ripe strawberries, red onion slices, chopped pecans and a bit of salty feta. Then it’s all covered in a sweet tart strawberry vinaigrette salad dressing that makes it taste like gold. Alex and I like it with pizza, with salmon, with pasta…it goes with just about anything!

Ingredients:

For the strawberry vinaigrette salad dressing (makes 1 1/4 cups total)

• 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the strawberry spinach salad

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 handful thin sliced red onion
• 5 cups baby spinach leaves
• 3 cups mixed greens
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles (optional)
• 1/2 cup Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Instructions:

1. Make the strawberry salad dressing: In an immersion blender, small blender or standard blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. (An immersion blender and small blender are the quickest, but you can also use a standard blender: just blend for a few minutes until fully combined.)
2. Prepare the salad ingredients: Slice off the tops of the strawberries, then slice them long-wise. Thinly slice the red onion (see the video for this method). If necessary, wash the spinach and mixed greens. Chop the pecans (if time, toast them to enhance the flavors).
3. To serve, place the greens on plates and top with all ingredients, then drizzle with the strawberry vinaigrette salad dressing (about 2 tablespoons per serving). Refrigerate the remaining dressing for up to 1 week.