Looking for a delicious and healthy salad recipe that’s sure to impress your guests? Look no further than this spinach strawberry salad with candied almonds and strawberry dressing!
The flavors of fresh strawberries, spinach, and candied almonds are a winning combination. With a variety of textures, sweet and savory flavor, this salad will leave you wanting more.
Plus, it whips up in minutes, and is perfect for any occasion!
SIMPLE SPINACH & STRAWBERRY SALAD
This really is a very simple salad. Aside from the dressing, it just calls for four ingredients – spinach, strawberries, almonds, and sugar!
Even though it doesn’t call for a lot of ingredients, the combination of flavors and textures make it simply delicious! Fresh spinach, juicy strawberries, and sweet crunchy almonds all topped with a homemade strawberry salad dressing.
You might want to make some extra almonds, because they are hard to resist!
Regular spinach is harvested from full grown plants, while baby spinach is picked earlier. Baby spinach has smaller leaves, which are more tender and have a slightly sweeter flavor.
They can be used interchangeably, but I prefer baby spinach for salad. Not only is is more mild, I think it’s easier to eat the smaller leaves!
Absolutely! Both the dressing and the almonds can be made a day (or a few days) ahead of time. The strawberries are best sliced just before serving. However, you can wash and slice them a few hours earlier. Store them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.
When you are ready to serve, simply toss the ingredients together.
HOW TO MAKE SPINACH STRAWBERRY SALAD
- CARAMELIZED ALMONDS – Pour the almonds, sugar, and salt into a non stick skillet. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a heat proof spatula, until the sugar melts and the almonds are toasted.
Dump onto a silicone liner or parchment paper; spread out and let cool.
- STRAWBERRY DRESSING – Combine the vinegar, oil, salt, jam, sugar, and poppy seeds in a small bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- STRAWBERRIES – Wash and hull the strawberries. Cut into slices.
- COMBINE – In a large bowl, combine the spinach and sliced strawberries. Just before serving, add the cooled caramelized almonds. You can add the dressing and toss it all together, but I like to let people add their own dressing. Grab a fork and get ready to dig in!
Leftover spinach salad
If you think you will have leftover salad, I definitely recommend serving the dressing and almonds on the side. The spinach will wilt quickly after the dressing is added.
But if you store them separately, the salad with strawberries will last a day or two in the refrigerator. Both the dressing and the almonds will last for a week or two in the fridge.
VARIATIONS:
- I’ve also made this with half spring mix/half spinach, and that is also tasty.
- To make this more of a main dish salad, add some sliced grilled chicken, or even chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Feta cheese, goat cheese, bleu cheese, or shaved parmesan all make a tasty addition and add a nice salty flavor.
- Thinly sliced red onion adds a pop of color and a bite of flavor.
- Other fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, or even sliced oranges are tasty.
- You can’t go wrong adding some sliced avocados to any salad.
- Craisins add some sweetness and chewiness.
- Like most salads, this one is so versatile. You can add or subtract any ingredients that you want!
What to Serve with Spinach Salad
- Grilled chicken is an obvious choice. You can either serve it on the side, or slice it up and place it on top of the salad. Pork chops or steak are also great.
- A simple crusty no knead artisan bread pairs well with just about any salad.
- I could eat these cheesy ranch potatoes with just about any dish and be happy!
MORE TASTY SALAD RECIPES:
- Asian Pasta Salad
- Spinach Salad with Bacon
- Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Potato Salad with Miracle Whip
- Chicken Cashew Salad
SPINACH STRAWBERRY SALAD RECIPE
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
Sugared Almonds:
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 dash salt
- ¾ cup sliced almonds or slivered almonds
Strawberry Salad Dressing:
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup strawberry jam
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh strawberries sliced
- 12 oz baby spinach
Instructions
- Dump the sugar, salt, and almonds into a non stick skillet. Cook and stir over medium high heat until the sugar melts and the almonds are browned and coated with melted sugar. (I like to use a heat safe silicone spatula.)
- Spread the almonds out onto a silicone liner or parchment paper, breaking apart with a fork if needed. Cool completely.
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
- Serve spinach salad with sliced strawberries, candied almonds, and strawberry dressing.
Notes
- I like to serve the dressing on the side, but you can toss it with the salad right before serving.
- Feel free to add feta cheese, sliced red onions, blueberries, or any other ingredients of your choice.
- I like to use homemade strawberry freezer jam, but store bought will also work
Nutrition
This spinach and strawberry salad is perfect for a summer picnic, a family gathering, or a quick and easy weeknight dinner. The combination of sweet and savory flavors will leave everyone wanting more!
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I wonder if frozen strawberries would work if you really wanted this in the winter? 🙂 And granola would be a delicious substitute for the nuts.
I wouldn’t recommend it. Thawed strawberries are soggy and loses that crisp consistency.
I wouldn’t use frozen strawberries in a salad. Like Elle said, they turn mushy when they are thawed. Granola would be good though!
That’s true, just wasn’t thinking. I’ll bet Mandarin orange slices would be good though.
Yes, I bet Mandarin oranges would be a yummy twist!
YUM!!!! This is my kind of a salad!!!