Picked With Passion

Strawberry Spinach Salad with the most amazing homemade creamy poppy seed dressing couldn’t be easier to make and is the perfect tasty salad. Just add grilled chicken, avocado, or shrimp to make it a meal or serve it as a side dish or appetizer.

The past few weeks the strawberries at our local markets have been incredibly sweet and really affordable given there is such an abundance. I can’t help but stock up so we have been eating tons of strawberries lately and I have been freezing any extras for smoothies. Out of all the strawberry dishes we have had, this simple Spinach Strawberry Salad may just be my favorite. It all starts with a mountain of fresh baby spinach, plenty of sweet strawberries, chopped walnuts, and a good helping of feta cheese. Then everything is brought together with a simple creamy poppy seed dressing made with Greek yogurt.

When making this Strawberry Spinach Salad, keep the following things in mind:

• Although strawberries are my number one choice for this salad, you can use any fruit that is in season. I have made versions with blueberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, apples, and pears and all of them are delicious. The most important thing is that you choose a fruit that is in season and full of flavor. Since there aren’t many ingredients in this salad, you want them to be really great.
• I like the extra bite that feta cheese brings to the dish, goat cheese and blue cheese are excellent choices as well.  Usually I reach for whatever I happen to have on hand, which for us is usually feta.
• To make this salad a meal, add some grilled chicken or shrimp. For a vegetarian option, you can add avocado, chickpeas, or a vegetarian chicken product.
• This salad is best served on the same day but if you make it in advance, make sure to pack the dressing separately and toss it right before serving.

Looking for more summer salads?

Here are some tools I used when preparing this recipe:

• Salad bowls: When I am making a salad for a quick meal at home, I usually reach for these simple glass bowls for both making the salad and serving it. I love that them come with an optional lid so I can just toss the leftovers in the fridge after the meal. For fancier meals or when we have friends over, this is my go-to salad bowl.
• Poppyseed dressing: If you don’t want to make your own dressing at home, I like the Ken’s Lite Poppyseed dressing and for a non-light version, the one from Panera that is sold in stores is pretty delicious.
• Walnuts: Small packages of walnuts can get pretty expensive so I usually stock up at Costco (you can buy them on Amazon) or buy in bulk online. Then I keep them in the freezer until I need to use them.