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    Home » Recipes » Strawberry Walnut Salad with Spinach and Goats Cheese

    Strawberry Walnut Salad with Spinach and Goats Cheese

    Published: May 11, 2019, Modified: May 26, 2023, By: Michelle Alston

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    This Strawberry Walnut Salad with spinach and goat's cheese is the perfect summer salad. Packed with sweet juicy strawberries, fresh baby spinach, crunchy walnuts, and avocado and served with an orange and poppy seed dressing. This is a real show-stopper salad great for special occasions or as a lovely summer lunch.

    A bowl full of spinach, strawberry's, walnut and avocado in a poppy seed dressing

    Jump to:
    • 🛒 What You'll Need
    • 🔪 How to Make Strawberry Walnut Salad
    • 👩‍🍳 Top Tips
    • ❓FAQs
    • 🔄 Variations
    • 💭 Storing and Making Ahead
    • 🥗 More Tasty Salad Recipes
    • Even More Salad Inspiration
    • Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

    I make a lot of salads, even before we switched to a vegetarian diet, salads have always been one of my favourite things to make. Whether it's a healthy lunch like this Caprese salad or a tasty salad like this veggie noodle salad, salad is always on the weekly meal plan in my house. This spinach strawberry salad is one of my favourite salads for summer, it's something I like to make for a light lunch and always goes down a treat. It's also great as a main course salad or as a side dish.

    This strawberry spinach salad is so easy to make with no cooking involved, perfect for when it's too hot to cook!  Made with sweet strawberries, walnuts, creamy goat cheese, leafy greens and a very easy dressing this salad is a party for your taste buds! One bite of this salad gives you sweetness from those fresh strawberries, a lovely nutty flavor from the walnut and then you have the creaminess from the goat's cheese. 

    A bowl full of spinach, strawberry's, walnut and avocado in a poppy seed dressing

    🛒 What You'll Need

    • Strawberries - Look for just ripe strawberries in the grocery store. They should be firm and not squishy with fresh green leaves. 
    • Spinach - I use baby spinach for this recipe, it's milder than regular spinach making it perfect for salads.
    • Goat's Cheese -  I like semi-soft goat's goat cheese for this salad as it brings a lovely creaminess to the salad. 
    • Nuts and Seeds - Walnut halves and pumpkin seeds add texture to this salad so I recommend adding these.
    • Other ingredients - You will also need avocado, cucumber, radishes and scallions (spring onions).
    • For the dressing - to make the dressing you will need, extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed orange juice, runny honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, poppy seeds, salt and black pepper.

    step by step process to making the salad including how to make the dressing

    🔪 How to Make Strawberry Walnut Salad

    Please see the recipe card below for the complete ingredient list and step-by-step instructions.

    1. Make the dressing - this is an easy dressing. Just add all the dressing ingredients to a jar with a very tight-fitting lid. Give it a very good shake. Once everything is combined leave the jar in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
    2. Assemble The  Salad - Add the baby spinach to a large salad bowl, then add in the scallions (spring onions) cucumber, celery, walnuts, and seeds and toss well. 
    3. Add the avocado  - and crumble the goat's cheese over the salad. Give it a little toss, just a gentle nudge so they both fall into the spinach.
    4. Add the Strawberries - tumble the strawberries onto the salad and let them fall into place. Resist the temptation to toss now, they will be fine sitting on top.
    5. Pour over the dressing - pour the dressing over everything. Give the leaves a little lift with the salad servers, again no tossing. I sometimes just leave the dressing on the table for everyone to pour it themselves. Some salads are best dressed this way, this one suits it both ways, drenched in the bowl or on the plate, it's a personal preference so you decide.
    6. Serve immediately.

    👩‍🍳 Top Tips

    • Use baby spinach, it's milder than regular spinach and is easier to eat. 
    • Make sure that you dry the strawberries after you wash them and before you add them to the salad. This will stop the salad from becoming soggy.
    • Hull your strawberries! Do this by using a small sharp knife, holding the strawberry in one hand, and with your other hand insert the tip of the knife into the strawberry at a 45° angle. Rotate the knife around the core leafy bit until you have removed the top. Or cut the strawberries in half lengthways and using the same sharp knife cut into the core leafy bit at a 45° angle on one side and then the other until you have removed the white fleshy core.
    • Use freshly squeezed orange juice for your dressing, it's just so much nicer, trust me!
    • Don't toss too much, if you toss that avocado and the goat's cheese too much it will get soggy and melt into the dressing, you really don't want that.
    A plate of spinach, strawberry's, walnut and avocado in a poppy seed dressing

    ❓FAQs

    Do I need to refrigerate strawberries?

    Once you buy your strawberries it is best to refrigerate them as this should keep them once and fresh.

    Can I omit the cheese from this recipe?

    Yes, you can if you want to.

    What other veggies go well with strawberries?

    Other vegetables that go well with strawberries are peaches, pears, blueberries apples, lettuce and asparagus. In terms of herbs, basil and mint go very well with strawberries.

    🔄 Variations

    • Swap the vegetables - this salad is very flexible and it is easy to make a few changes to it. For example, you can swap the scallions for red onion, this will add some tartness to the salad. You can also swap the baby spinach for other dark leafy green veggies such as kale or spring greens.
    • Try a different cheese - If you're not a fan of goat cheese then try some feta cheese or blue cheese crumbles. The tangy feta will add an extra layer of flavour to this salad. Blue cheese is a great choice as it will add some saltiness to the salad which will work well with the sweet strawberries.
    • Swap the dressing - if you're not keen on the dressing I've used then try a simple balsamic vinaigrette. Or you could use a store-bought vinaigrette dressing of your choice. 

    💭 Storing and Making Ahead

    • This salad really is best made fresh, however, if you are bringing this to a BBQ or the like, then assemble the salad up to step 3 above. Store the salad in an airtight container  Store the avocado, goat's cheese strawberries and dressing in separate containers then add everything to the salad when you are ready to serve.
    •  You can make the dressing the day before. Just store that in the fridge and give it a very good shake before you add it to the salad. The dressing should only be added just before you serve it. 
    • The complete salad is best eaten straight away, it doesn't keep very well in the fridge, and it tends to get a bit soggy. So the best way to avoid this is to serve the dressing separately, if you do this there will be no soggy things in your salad. It will then keep for a day or two covered in your fridge.

    🥗 More Tasty Salad Recipes

    If you're in the mood to try out more of my salads then these are some of our favourites. This Moroccan Style Couscous Salad with roasted veggies and chickpeas is such a tasty salad that is great for lunch. Or try my Greek Chickpea Salad with spinach and feta, we love this as a side dish for BBQ day. If you're a fan of pasta salads then my Broccoli Pasta Salad always goes down well with adults and kids alike.

    Even More Salad Inspiration

    • couscous with tomatoes and feta with basil and cucumber
      Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Feta and Tomatoes
    • Peaches, creamy burrata, juicy tomatoes and toasted walnuts with salad
      Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad
    • Potatoes with spring onion, chives and mayonnaise
      Potato Salad with Spring Onions
    • Quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, avocado and coriander, served in a bowl
      Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Feta

    Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

    Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad, the perfect summer salad. With goat's cheese, avocado and orange and poppy seed dressing this is a real show stopper!
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Salads
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Calories: 607kcal
    Author: Michelle Alston

    Ingredients

    For the Salad

    • 4 cups of baby spinach (110g/3.9oz)
    • 2 cups of strawberries (290g/100z) hulled and cut in half, larger strawberries cut into quarters
    • 2 stalks of celery thinly sliced
    • 1 cup of chopped cucumber (150g/5.3oz)
    • 1 large ripe avocado cut into large chunks
    • 4 medium radishes thinly sliced
    • 3 large scallions (spring onions) the white and light green part, sliced
    • ⅓ cup of walnut halves (45g/1.7oz)
    • 1 x 4oz log of semi-soft goat's cheese (110g)
    • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (35g/1.2oz) optional

    Orange and Poppy Seed Dressing

    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (118ml)
    • ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice from 1 large orange (80ml)
    • 1 tablespoon runny honey
    • ½ heaped tbsp Dijon mustard
    • ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • 1 ½ teaspoon poppy seeds
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Make The Dressing

    • Add all the dreesing ingredients to a jar with a tightly fitting lid. Shake very well. Leave in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

    Make The Salad

    • Add all the salad ingredients except the avocado, goat's cheese and strawberries to a large serving bowl.
      Toss well.
    • Next, add the avocado, crumble in the goat's cheese and toss very gently.
    • Drop the strawberries on top of the salad. 
      Pour the dressing over everything then serve immediately.

    Notes

    • Make it vegan, ditch the cheese and swap the honey for maple syrup.
    • Dressing - you don't have to use all the dressing if you don't want to. I sometimes like to add it separately on the plate. If you have any leftovers keep them in a jar with a lid in the fridge, it will last for 4 or 5 days. 
    • Storing and making ahead, this salad really is best made fresh and is best eaten straight away. You can make the dressing the day before if you want.
    • Nutritional Information - all nutritional information shared is an estimate based on third-party calculations. If calorie count and/or nutritional values are important to you, we recommend putting the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on which brands were used. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household. 
    • Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for the best results.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 607kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 13.8g | Fat: 54.8g | Saturated Fat: 12.5g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 765mg | Fiber: 7.5g | Sugar: 11g | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 3.4mg
    Did you Make this Recipe? Save it Today!Mention me on Instagram at @thelastfoodblog or tag #thelastfoodblog!

    *This recipe was first published in May 2019 and updated in May 2023 for housekeeping.

    « Broccoli Pasta Salad
    Sweet Potato Quesadilla with Black Beans »
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    Comments

    1. Elisa

      May 26, 2023 at 7:02 pm

      5 stars
      Love this Spinach Strawberry Walnut Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing recipe, is looks so delicious and tasty, also love the dressing recipe, definitively will keep it in my day to day recipe for salads. Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
    2. MINDY

      May 26, 2023 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy salad recipe, I especially love the orange poppyseed dressing. I use that on many of my other salads as well.

      Reply
    3. dina and bruce miller

      May 26, 2023 at 5:52 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely loved this salad! It is seriously so bright, and tasty with the fruit and veggies, and goat cheese. Just perfect!

      Reply
    4. Andrea

      May 26, 2023 at 4:32 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, I am loving all the flavors and textures in this incredible salad. It is a perfect summertime recipe.

      Reply
    5. kim

      May 13, 2019 at 12:19 pm

      5 stars
      What a fabulous recipe! So easy and tasty too!

      Reply
    6. Demeter

      May 13, 2019 at 12:19 pm

      5 stars
      This looks like the perfect salad to enjoy all summer long! The dressing sounds like a burst of sunshine that I would want to put on almost everything. Thanks for your notes on making in Vegan. 🙂

      Reply
    7. Ashley @ Sweetpea Lifestyle

      May 13, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      Love your step by step grid photo! And that salad dressing -- whipping that up tonight!!!

      Reply
    8. Rosa

      May 13, 2019 at 11:33 am

      5 stars
      I’m loving all the different flavours in this salad. Love the addition of radishes and that orange dressing sounds amazing. I love a citrusy flavour in my dressing so I know this will be a hit!

      Reply
    9. Danielle Wolter

      May 13, 2019 at 10:46 am

      5 stars
      what a flavorful and fresh salad this is! Loving the poppyseed dressing, and great tip on removing the strawberry stems!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Michelle. I'm here to help you make deliciously good healthy food for you and your family. There will be no crazy long lists of ingredients, no hard-to-find ingredients, just simple, good food that everyone will enjoy

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