Crowd-Pleasing Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Strawberry spinach salad brings together sweet berries, tender greens, and crunchy nuts in one colorful bowl. It’s the kind of salad that converts people who claim they don’t like salad.
The homemade poppy seed dressing makes all the difference here. You’ll get a tangy-sweet coating that clings to every leaf without weighing things down.
Getting the Best Strawberries for Your Salad
Choose strawberries that smell fragrant at the stem end and have bright red color all the way to the top. Avoid berries with white or green shoulders, which won’t ripen further after picking.
Slice your strawberries about 15 minutes before serving to let them release some juice. Don’t do this too early or they’ll get mushy. The natural strawberry juice mixes with the dressing to create an even better flavor throughout the salad.
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Why This Poppy Seed Dressing Works So Well
The key to great poppy seed dressing is balancing the sweetness with enough acid to brighten everything up. Rice vinegar gives a gentler tang than white vinegar, while honey provides smooth sweetness that doesn’t compete with the strawberries.
Whisk the dressing vigorously for at least 30 seconds to create a temporary emulsion. It’ll separate again, but that initial mixing distributes the oil properly when you first toss the salad.
Crowd-Pleasing Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing
Equipment Needed
- Large salad bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Sharp knife
Instructions
- Toast almonds: Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely.
- Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper for 30 seconds until well combined and slightly thickened.
- Prepare strawberries: Hull and slice strawberries into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes to release their juices.
- Combine salad ingredients: Place spinach in a large salad bowl. Add sliced strawberries with their juices, toasted almonds, feta cheese, and red onion.
- Dress and serve: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently with clean hands or salad tongs until all ingredients are evenly coated. The spinach should be lightly dressed but not wilted, and the strawberry juices should mix with the dressing to create a light coating on all components.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving (1 serving)
