I threw together this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad recipe within a matter of minutes.
Not only is it super healthy and low carb, but also it’s absolutely delicious!
All you need is 6 to 7 (if you include chicken) ingredients to go from ‘What’s for dinner?’ to patting yourself on the back for creating such an easy but amazing dinner.
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
Although you can get your hands on strawberries most times of the year, the absolute best time to get strawberries is late spring to early summer!
Particularly, if you live in Maryland, the peak strawberry season is mid-May to late June.
Always around this time of year, I’m thinking about what I can make with this delightful, ripe, juicy fruit.
As a matter of fact, let me know in the comments what your favorite strawberry recipes are, because I need more in my recipe arsenal!
What Vegetables Go Well With Strawberries?
When I first decided to make this salad, I needed to do a little bit of research to see what ingredients, specifically vegetables, pair well with strawberries.
Needless to say, I was happy to see that raw spinach and red onions are very complimentary with strawberries!
Along with that, goat cheese, balsamic dressing and almonds add just the right amount of texture, flavor, and crunchiness.
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Ingredients
I shopped for the ingredients at one of my favorite stores, Aldi.
Turns out, I found all of the ingredients that I needed there:
- Raw Spinach – I used an 8 ounce bag & just dumped it right into my salad bowl.
- Fresh Strawberries – I sliced around 1 1/2 cups of strawberries.
- Red Onion – make sure you dice the onion well and don’t add too much or it will be overpowering.
- Sliced {or slivered} almonds – I actually prefer slivered almonds because they add more crunch.
- Crumbled Goat Cheese – Gotta admit, it looked kinda funny in the container but it was really good!
- Balsamic Dressing – The organic, aged balsamic dressing from Aldi is the bomb!
- Optional: Sliced Chicken Breast – We had some leftover from the weekend.
Now I’m going to give you the easy peasy steps for making this salad!
Ya ready?
Step-By-Step Instructions On How To Make Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
Step 1: Pour Bag of Spinach in Salad Bowl and Top with Sliced Strawberries
Pretty self-explanatory.
Step 2: Add Diced Red Onion
Like I said above, be very careful not to add too much red onion because it can totally overpower a salad.
However, just enough red onion really makes a salad so good!
I used 1/2 to 3/4 cup.
Step 3: Add Sliced {Or Slivered} Almonds
I used the sliced almonds because, for some reason, Aldi didn’t have the slivered almonds like they usually do.
However, I gotta say, this salad would be much better with slivered almonds because they’ll give it more of a crunch!
Clearly, I love a good crunch in my salads!
Step 4: Add Crumbled Goat Cheese
Full disclosure: Until now, I don’t think I’ve ever made a recipe with goat cheese.
In addition, whenever I’ve had goat cheese in the past, like on a charcuterie board or in a restaurant, it’s always been in a non-crumbled form.
So, I was a little bit apprehensive when I opened the lid and saw all these tiny little balls of cheese.
But let me tell you, once you mix all of the ingredients up in this salad, the goat cheese becomes creamy and totally adds to the taste of this salad!
Step 5: Mix Salad Well & Add Grilled Chicken & Balsamic Dressing
Isn’t it purty?!
And it’s so ridiculously easy to make that I almost felt guilty – but then I told myself, why?
I just managed to work smarter, not harder and get a good healthy summer dinner on the table within minutes!
Tips On Making The Best Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Rinse and slice your strawberries when they’re at their peak ripeness.
- Prepare your salad immediately before serving while the ingredients are at their freshest.
- Don’t add a ton of balsamic dressing – Leave the bottle on the side so people can add more based on their preferences.
- If you know that there will be leftovers, keep all of your ingredients in separate bowls. That way, when you store the leftovers in the refrigerator, they won’t get wilted.
- Other proteins you can add to this salad besides chicken are: salmon, sliced steak or crumbled bacon.
Love This Strawberry Salad and Want Even More Strawberry Recipes? Check These Out!
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Bagged Raw Spinach
- 1 ½ cups Fresh Strawberries, sliced
- ½ cup Red Onion, diced
- ¾ cup Almonds, sliced or slivered
- 4 ounces Goat Cheese, crumbled
- ¾ cup Balsamic Dressing
- 8 ounces Chicken Breast, sliced, Optional
Instructions
- Empty bag of raw spinach in a large salad bowl.
- Add sliced strawberries, diced red onion, sliced or slivered almonds, & container of goat cheese.
- Mix ingredients until fully combined.
- Optional: Add sliced chicken, steak or salmon to the top of the mixed salad.
- Drizzle with balsamic dressing.
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Looks so appetizing. I don’t like goat cheese. So, I’ll substitute feta cheese. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you! It turned out really good! Yes, feta cheese would be a great substitution!