Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
This salad takes only a few simple ingredients and just a few minutes to make. Don't be deceived by the simplicity: this salad is tangy, creamy, and delicious!
Prep the strawberries. Remove the tops and slice each strawberry into quarters. Set aside ½ cup for the vinaigrette.
To toast the walnuts, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the walnut pieces and cook for 2-5 minutes, stirring frequently to encourage even cooking. They are ready when fragrant and deepened in color.
To make the vinaigrette, combine ½ cup sliced strawberries, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon maple syrup and ⅛ teaspoon coarse salt in a blender. Blend until smooth.
To make the salad, toss the strawberries, crumbled goat cheese and toasted walnuts together in a large bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. If serving one large salad, add all dressing now and toss to combine. Alternately, dress each salad individually.
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Notes
Spinach: One bunch of loose leaf spinach also works. Mixed lettuce with arugula also work well.
Goat cheese: Choose regular or fruit goat cheese. I used a blueberry honey cheese (you can see it in the pictures) and it was delicious! Feta works well here if you don't like goat cheese.
Maple syrup: This can be replaced with honey or agave syrup. Add more as needed for a sweeter vinaigrette or omit entirely for no added sugar.
Serving size: The vinaigrette makes about ¾ cup of dressing which is about 4 servings. The salads make 3-4 servings as a main or 5-6 servings as a side salad.
Leftovers: For best quality, refrigerate leftover undressed salad in a covered container 3-4 days. Keep the dressing refrigerated in a jar or other container for up to 5 days.