Try this sweet, savory, and tangy strawberry walnut salad this summer when fresh strawberries are in season. This nutritious salad is low-cal and comes together in just 10 minutes.
If you are looking for more such refreshing salad recipes, then try out some of my other favorites – Watermelon Feta Salad, Cucumber Avocado Salad, Mango Kale Salad, Som Tam Salad, Broccoli Apple Salad, and Thai Watermelon Salad.
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About This Recipe
This summer, it’s time to savor this oh-so-refreshing Strawberry Walnut Salad, which has the goodness of fresh and juicy strawberries, toasted walnuts, sliced onions, and green baby spinach. This perfect combination is topped with a beautiful strawberry vinaigrette dressing and finished with some soft feta cheese.
As soon as the market gets flooded with fresh and juicy red strawberries, I have to get some at home to make some of my favorite summer recipes, and this strawberry and walnut salad top that list.
This salad is quick and easy to make. The sweet, savory, and tangy flavors make this nutritious 10-minute salad apt for dinners, potlucks, and picnics.
Be it a light summer lunch or a side dish for your weekend barbecue, this salad with strawberry and walnuts is just perfect for any occasion. It is so refreshing, that every bite of this strawberry salad screams “summer“. It is light on the stomach and makes you feel instantly refreshed when had on a hot afternoon.
While this spinach strawberry and walnut salad is prepared with such amazing ingredients, the dressing is even better. It just takes 5 minutes to get it ready and it spells its magic on the salad, making it too delicious.
This Strawberry Walnut Salad is,
- Delicious
- Refreshing
- Nutritious
- Low Calorie
- Sweet & Tangy
- Quick + Easy
- A Summer favourite
Ingredients
For the Salad – This salad is prepared with walnuts, strawberries, feta cheese, baby spinach, and sliced onions.
Walnuts are toasted and then added to the salad, which adds a nice crunch. You can even use pine nuts instead and make a new version of the same salad.
Strawberries – While selecting strawberries, see that they are fresh, red, and firm. If they have black or soft patches, skip them.
Baby Spinach – Try to use fresh baby spinach to make the salad. Frozen doesn’t work very well as it may become mushy after thawing. You can use paper towels to keep the baby spinach fresh for a few days in the refrigerator. Just clean them and wrap them in paper towels and store them in the fridge. Wash them with water, before using them in the salad.
For the Dressing – To make a refreshing dressing, you will need fresh strawberries, extra virgin olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Use good quality olive oil, as it really makes a difference in the taste. Honey adds a little sweetness, so you can adjust the quantity depending on how sweet you want the dressing to be. For a vegan option, you can use maple syrup instead of honey.
There are so many balsamic vinegars available in the market under various brands’ names. Choose the one that you prefer.
Health Benefits
Strawberries are a rich source of Vitamin A, B-complex, C and E, and are a powerful antioxidant too. Strawberries help in reducing the inflammation in the body, great for your skin/hair and eyes, great for weight loss, and also lower down your cholesterol.
Walnuts are a great source of Omega 3 fat, which is a good fat for your body and consuming it with fruits really benefits the body. Walnuts also reduce inflammation, promote gut health, and reduces the risk of some cancers.
Baby Spinach is rich in Iron and is great when included in salads. Eating it raw, helps us gain all the nutrients in their purest form.
How to make Strawberry Walnut Salad?
For the Dressing:
Wash 200 g strawberries and chop them into pieces. Add the chopped strawberries, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp honey (use maple syrup for vegan), 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp crushed black pepper into the small jar of a blender.
Blend until smooth. Your dressing is ready.
For the Salad:
Start by preparing 500 g strawberries. Wash them with water to remove any dirt. Chop off the top leafy part and then slice the strawberry into 0.25 mm slices. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line ½ cup walnuts on a baking tray in a single layer.
Toast for 3-4 minutes until they are crisp.
Remove the tray from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
Transfer 5 0z baby spinach into a large serving bowl.
Top with sliced strawberries, ¼ cup onion slices, 2 oz feta cheese, and chopped toasted walnuts.
Drizzle the dressing on top. Toss the salad well and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can add avocados, cucumber, black olives, raspberries, blueberries, or any other cheese such as parmesan, cheddar, goat cheese, etc that you prefer in your salads. You can select other greens, such as baby kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, or any other leafy green.
You can always experiment with the dressing in this refreshing strawberry and walnut salad. You can make a combination of,
Strawberries + balsamic vinegar + lemon juice + almond butter + maple syrup
Strawberries/Raspberries + olive oil + balsamic vinegar + mustard + salt + pepper
You can either toast walnuts in a pan or in an oven. To toast in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the walnuts on a baking tray in a single layer and toast for 3-4 minutes. In the pan, heat a little olive oil. Add in walnuts and toast them until they are nice and crisp.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve the strawberry and walnut salad on its own for a light lunch or dinner or with a bowl of comforting soup. You can also serve it on the side with your barbecue meals.
It can also be served for potlucks or summer house parties. I sometimes like to have this salad with garlic bread/homemade bread on the side.
Storage Suggestions
I would suggest you make this strawberry and walnut salad fresh, as they taste the best this way. If you keep it for longer, the baby spinach will not remain fresh and walnuts will lose their crunchiness. So storage is a big “No” for this one.
You can make the dressing and store it for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
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Recipe Card
Strawberry Walnut Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 200 grams fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper
For the Salad:
- ½ cup walnuts
- 500 grams baby spinach
- 1 quart strawberries (sliced)
- ¼ cup sliced onions
- 2 oz feta cheese
Instructions
For the Dressing:
- Wash 200 g strawberries and chop them into pieces. Add the chopped strawberries, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp honey (use maple syrup for vegan), 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp crushed black pepper into the small jar of a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Your dressing is ready.
For the Salad:
- Start by preparing 500 g strawberries. Wash them with water to remove any dirt. Chop off the top leafy part and then slice the strawberry into 0.25 mm slices. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line ½ cup walnuts on a baking tray in a single layer.
- Toast for 3-4 minutes until they are crisp.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
- Transfer 5 oz baby spinach into a large serving bowl.
- Top with sliced strawberries, ¼ cup onion slices, 2 oz feta cheese, and chopped toasted walnuts.
- Drizzle the dressing on top. Toss the salad well and serve.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!