Baby Spinach Strawberry Salad (Printable)

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

# What You'll 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

# Method:

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 toasted almonds.
05 - Serve immediately while ingredients are fresh and crisp.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in fifteen minutes, which means you can actually make it on a weeknight without stress.
  • The homemade poppy seed dressing tastes nothing like bottled versions, and people genuinely think you've spent hours in the kitchen.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, so it works for almost any gathering without complicated substitutions.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad more than a few minutes before eating it, or the spinach will soften and collapse into the bowl, losing all that beautiful structure.
  • If you're bringing this to someone else's house, pack the dressing separately and toss it together just before serving, which takes the guesswork out of timing.
03 -
  • If you're worried about the spinach wilting, chill your salad bowl in the fridge for ten minutes before assembling, which keeps everything cooler longer.
  • Add a pinch of Dijon mustard directly to the dressing jar and let it sit for a minute before whisking, which helps the dressing emulsify more smoothly and stay combined.
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