Baby Spinach Strawberry Salad (Printable)

Tender spinach and sweet strawberries tossed with crunchy almonds and tangy poppy seed dressing.

# What You Need:

→ Salad

01 - 6 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
02 - 1.5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
03 - 0.5 cup crumbled feta cheese
04 - 0.33 cup sliced almonds, toasted
05 - 0.25 small red onion, thinly sliced

→ Poppy Seed Dressing

06 - 0.25 cup extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
08 - 1 tablespoon honey
09 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
10 - 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
11 - 0.25 teaspoon salt
12 - 0.125 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Directions:

01 - In a small bowl or jar, combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake until well emulsified.
02 - In a large salad bowl, combine baby spinach, strawberries, red onion, and half the feta and almonds.
03 - Drizzle the poppy seed dressing over the salad. Toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Top with remaining feta cheese and almonds.
05 - Transfer to serving plates and serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in the time it takes to wash your hands, no cooking required.
  • The poppy seed dressing tastes fancy enough to impress but honest enough that you won't apologize for it.
  • Sweet strawberries against creamy feta is a combination that somehow just works every single time.
02 -
  • If you make the dressing more than an hour ahead, the poppy seeds sink to the bottom, so either shake it again before serving or dress the salad closer to eating time.
  • Wet spinach is the enemy of this salad, so dry it properly or the dressing just slides off instead of coating.
03 -
  • Toast your own almonds in a dry pan for about three minutes and you'll understand why it matters so much more than using them raw.
  • The emulsification trick is the mustard, which helps the oil and vinegar actually become friends instead of just sitting next to each other.
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