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strawberry spinach salad in red bowl with wooden serving spoons

Goat Cheese Salad with Spinach, Strawberries, Pecans and Balsamic Dressing

Beth Lee
Goat cheese salad with spinach, strawberries, pecans and balsamic dressing is the perfect way to celebrate strawberry season! The fresh strawberries serve two roles - an element in the salad and a surprise guest in the dressing too!
4.80 from 20 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 370 kcal

Ingredients
  

Dressing:

  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
  • ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • Fresh thyme or basil - to taste
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper or to taste

Salad:

  • 10 oz pre-washed spinach or wash your own
  • ½ cup raw pecans toasted * and rough chopped
  • ½ cup plain goat cheese crumbled
  • strawberries about 10 or 15 sliced
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

To prepare the dressing:

  • Put sliced strawberries and balsamic vinegar into a blender; liquefy briefly.
  • Add in fresh herbs (thyme or basil) and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Then add the olive oil. Blend until the oil combines well with the other ingredients - it will change color and texture as it does.
  • Take cover off and taste - add more salt, pepper, or fresh herbs if needed. This recipe makes enough dressing (about 1 ¾ cup) for at least 2 or 3 salads.
    strawberry balsamic dressing in strawberry bowl with white towel

To prepare the salad:

  • Place spinach in a bowl or on a large platter. Top with strawberries, toasted pecans, and crumbled goat cheese.
    Goat cheese, pecans, strawberries and spinach on a pink plate.
  • Add some salt and pepper and then dress with the strawberry balsamic dressing.
    Strawberry goat cheese salad on a pink plate with strawberry balsamic dressing.

Notes

*Toast nuts by placing on a baking sheet in a toaster oven or in a regular oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them – they go from deliciously toasty to burnt rather quickly.
  • If you are serving this as a main course, add chicken (store-bought rotisserie chicken on a busy weeknight will do just fine). Got leftover pork tenderloin or turkey? That would be great here too! Even some broiled or pan-fried tofu or lentils or quinoa.
  • The dressing is enough for more than one salad - get creative and try the dressing with some of the other combinations mentioned in the ingredient section - switch up the greens, the nuts, the cheese, and/or the fruit!
  • My pomegranate molasses salad dressing would be another great dressing for this salad!

Nutrition

Serving: 6gCalories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 6gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 111mgPotassium: 313mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 4625IUVitamin C: 14.4mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 2.1mg
Keyword balsamic dressing, spinach, strawberry
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