Looking for a colorful, fresh, and delicious salad to feed a crowd? This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad hits the spot with a beautiful balance of sweet and savory.
Vibrant in both flavor and color, this simple salad tops a leafy green base with fruits, veggies, nuts, goat cheese, and a quick and easy homemade vinaigrette to bring a variety of flavors and textures to each bite.
And though this recipe provides a simple 3-ingredient balsamic vinaigrette recipe, you can easily use storebought or make the salad your own by making a different one (I recommend this Maple Dijon Vinaigrette to change it up!).
As a mom juggling her time with a love for great food, it doesn’t get much better than a fresh meal that doesn’t even require turning on the oven!
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Ingredient Highlights
Any leafy greens work here, like arugula, spinach, spring mix, watercress or a combination of these.
The vinaigrette needs a little bit of sweetness to cut the acidity of the vinegar. I use honey, but you can also use agave nectar or maple syrup instead.
Additional add-in ideas:
- Candied nuts, like these Cinnamon Sugar Walnuts.
- Bell peppers
- Snow peas
- Raisins
- Craisins
- Avocado
- Apple slices
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Chickpeas
- Hemp seeds
- Capers
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Tips and Tricks
How I Make a Quick Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
Peel and slice your red onion thin. Rinse your cucumber and strawberries. I like to peel my cucumber, but that’s up to you. Either way, slice it thin and then cut each slice in half.
Cut the greens off of the strawberries and slice them in half or thirds if they are very large.
The idea is for each element to be bite-sized, making your salad easy to eat and giving you a better chance to get a little bit of everything in every forkful.
Strawberries go well with a lot of veggies! Aside from cucumbers, red onion, and arugula, strawberries also go well with red and green bell peppers, avocado, asparagus, snow peas and spinach.
o a large salad bowl, add the prepped onion, cucumber, and strawberries. Then, add the nuts and use your hands to crumble the goat cheese.
Use salad tongs to toss the salad, distributing the ingredients evenly throughout the leafy greens.
How I Make a Quick Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette
Oil and vinegar do not easily combine. I find the best way to make the vinaigrette is to add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey (or agave nectar or maple syrup) to a jar with a lid.
Secure the lid on the jar very tight and shake vigorously to combine. When the oil and vinegar do combine, they create an emulsion, which will thicken the vinaigrette.
Dress Right Before Serving
The longer the salad sits with the vinaigrette on it, the more chance you have of it getting soggy. Additionally, leftover salad without the dressing will last much longer in the fridge.
And lastly, some people like more dressing than others! For these reasons, I highly recommend serving the vinaigrette on the side, and allowing everyone to dress their own salad.
If you do wish to dress the entire salad, you can use all of the vinaigrette. This recipe is designed to make just the right amount.
How to Serve Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
If you want this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad to be elevated to a main dish status, consider adding a hot element.
My favorite ways to make this salad a main is by adding roasted vegetables or fish.
A couple of favorites include these Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Asparagus, and this Roasted Asparagus and Carrots.
For fish, I love adding this Pecan Crusted Halibut or Honey Mustard Salmon.
Storing Leftover Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese
Salad without vinaigrette will last on the counter at room temperature for about four hours. In an airtight container, it will last for about 3 days in the refrigerator.
If you have leftover vinaigrette, it can last in a sealed jar for up to 3 months.
If your salad has vinaigrette on it, it’s best to enjoy it within a couple of hours. Otherwise, it will start to get soggy.
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEIngredients
Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- 10 ounces leafy greens like spinach, arugula or spring mix
- 1 pound strawberries
- ½ large red onion
- 1 small cucumber
- 3 ounces nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, or pistachios
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Instructions
Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey (or agave nectar or maple syrup) to a jar fit with a lid. Close the lid tight and shake vigorously to emulsify.¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Rinse and dry your leafy greens (if necessary) and strawberries. Chop the leaves off of your strawberries and slice them into bite-sized pieces. Then, peel and slice your onion and cucumber into bite-sized pieces.10 ounces leafy greens like spinach, arugula or spring mix, 1 pound strawberries, ½ large red onion, 1 small cucumber
- Add the greens, onion, cucumber, strawberries, and nuts to a large mixing bowl and crumble the goat cheese on top. Toss to combine.3 ounces nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, or pistachios, 4 ounces goat cheese
- Add the Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette to the salad just before serving or serve the vinaigrette on the side. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- For an extra special treat, try this salad with these Candied Cinnamon Sugar Walnuts!
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