American
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Spinach, strawberries, and toasted almonds are tossed with a light poppy-seed dressing and a little goat cheese. It is a fresh salad with no cooked protein to wait on.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Strawberries and spinach are the whole idea. Keep the dressing light.
- Goat cheese adds salt so you do not need bacon.
- Toasted almonds give the salad something to bite.
- It comes together in one bowl.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
If the almonds are raw, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant, then cool them. This small toast is optional heat. The salad itself is not cooked.
- 2
Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper.
- 3
Put the spinach, strawberries, and red onion in a large bowl.
- 4
Add the dressing and toss gently so the berries do not break down.
- 5
Scatter the goat cheese and almonds on top.
- 6
Serve immediately, before the spinach wilts.
Pro tips
- Dry the spinach. Water clinging to the leaves dilutes the dressing.
- Slice the strawberries, do not leave them whole, so they distribute.
- Toss with a light hand. Spinach bruises and goat cheese smears if you mash it.
Easy substitutions
- Goat cheese
- Crumbled feta.
- Almonds
- Candied pecans, chopped.
- Apple cider vinegar
- White balsamic vinegar.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Dress only what you will eat. Undressed spinach and berries keep in the fridge for 1 day.
Reheating
Serve cold. Do not heat this salad.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 214
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Moderate · No Cook
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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