Easy Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Salad
Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing is filled with fresh ingredients and full of flavor. I can’t get enough of this summer salad recipe!

Nothing screams SUMMERTIME quite like fresh strawberries, and this Strawberry Poppyseed Salad recipe is filled with them. This is the perfect summer salad to serve for a weekend lunch, or any time really. There’s never a bad time for a healthy and flavorful salad!

It’s easy to eat healthy when you’ve got a dish like this, overflowing with good ingredients. Fresh Romaine and Iceberg lettuce, fresh strawberries, plenty of feta cheese for an extra flavor kick, and of course the delicious Poppyseed salad dressing. I had to add in some of my favorite homemade baked croutons too!

Whip up this healthy salad recipe any time you have fresh strawberries around. It’s quick to throw together, and the dressing is easy to make too.

What’s in Strawberry Poppyseed Salad?

If you’ve ever had Panera’s strawberry poppyseed salad, you’re going to love this fruity summer salad recipe too! It’s quite a bit different then Panera’s, but it’s still filled with good, healthy, fresh ingredients and a delicious poppyseed dressing.

Easy Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
This is delicious, and perfect since our strawberries are in season now.

Prep Time:15 mins
Cook Time:10 mins
Total Time:20 mins

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Spinach Salad:

• 3/4 cup raw pecans
• 10 ounces fresh baby spinach — I also love a 50/50 arugula and spinach blend
• 1/2 small red onion — very thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese — buy the block-style feta, not pre-crumbled; the texture is much better
• 1 quart strawberries — hulled and quartered (about 1 pound)

For the Poppy seed Dressing:

•     1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
•     1 1/2 tablespoons honey
•     1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
•     3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•     1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
•     1/8 teaspoon black pepper
•     1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Toast the pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pecans smell fragrant and the center of a pecan is tan when the pecan is broken in half. (Do not walk away from the oven in the last few minutes of cooking. This is when nuts love to burn.) Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.
2. Place the sliced onions in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad (this keeps their flavor but removes the harsh onion bite).
3. Prepare the dressing: In small mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients—vinegar, oil, poppy seeds, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper—until well combined. (Alternatively, you can shake the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid).
4. Assemble the salad: Place the spinach in a great big serving bowl. Add the strawberries. Drain the red onion and add it as well. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat the leaves. Assess the amount of dressing. You want the spinach leaves to be nicely moistened but not swimming in dressing. Add a little more if needed to suit your preferences. Add the feta and pecans. Toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side as desired.

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