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Home Side Salads

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Dressing

By:Nagi
Published:16 Nov '16Updated:13 Nov '20
23 Comments
Recipe v Dozer v

This Strawberry Spinach Salad is magical! A Louisiana Chef recipe, this surprising combination of ingredients works beautifully: spinach, strawberries, candied pecans, blue cheese and a gorgeous Strawberry Balsamic Dressing.

My taste testers loved this and I am officially obsessed!

A stunning Chef recipe for a Strawberry Spinach Salad. Spinach, fresh strawberries, blue cheese and candied pecans with a Strawberry Balsamic Dressing. recipetineats.com

This salad is an absolute stunner. Visually and taste.

Strawberry and balsamic is a combination I discovered last year. Like tomato and basil, it just works. Sweetened balsamic, that is. Plain balsamic vinegar is too harsh.

Bringing that flavour combination into a salad is incredible. I was researching online for Cajun / Creole salads to complete my 2016 Thanksgiving Feast. I actually had to browse quite a bit, reading up on classic Cajun menus, even checking out some restaurant menus.

I really love doing this – exploring the internet’s hidden corners for treasures. As I hunted around, I chanced upon this recipe on a blog called Around Anna’s Table. Actually, I found the recipe name on a website called Gumbo Pages but couldn’t find the recipe so went hunting for one.

This is not a salad I would have come up on my own, it’s definitely a Cheff-y recipe. And that’s exactly what this is – it’s a recipe by Chef Varnedoe of Baton Rouge’s Restaurant IPO (now closed 🙁 ) which was published in [url:2]Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine[/url].

A stunning Chef recipe for a Strawberry Spinach Salad. Spinach, fresh strawberries, blue cheese and candied pecans with a Strawberry Balsamic Dressing. recipetineats.com

The Strawberry Balsamic Dressing itself is absolutely gorgeous. The sweet fragrance of strawberries, tartness of balsamic transformed into a salad dressing. It’s got that sweet-salty-tart-fresh thing happening. I really like it. I made it 3 times in the space of a fortnight and used it on many salads!

Strawberry Balsamic Dressing recipetineats.com

When the Strawberry Balsamic Dressing is combined with delicate baby spinach, fresh juicy strawberries, creamy salty pops of blue cheese and the sweet crunch of candied pecans, and you have a truly fabulous salad. My taste testers LOVED this!

A stunning Chef recipe for a Strawberry Spinach Salad. Spinach, fresh strawberries, blue cheese and candied pecans with a Strawberry Balsamic Dressing. recipetineats.com

This Strawberry Salad is part of my 2016 Thanksgiving Menu. As you may have guessed, this years’ menu is Cajun themed and the star of it is a genius reader recipe: a one roasting pan Cajun Baked Turkey Breast and Dressing / Stuffing recipe. The full menu is outlined in the Turkey recipe. 🙂

Normally I am very flexible about substitutions in recipes. This is one of the few exceptions. I made this Strawberry Salad last weekend for friends, switching the blue cheese for goats cheese and without using candied pecans. While they said they liked it, they didn’t rave about it like my Thanksgiving Menu Taste Testers.

I began to doubt myself so I made it again yesterday, exactly as the recipe is written. It is stellar. The blue cheese can’t be substituted or omitted and the sweetness of the candied pecans is essential for the complete experience!!! – Nagi x

A stunning Chef recipe for a Strawberry Spinach Salad. Spinach, fresh strawberries, blue cheese and candied pecans with a Strawberry Balsamic Dressing. recipetineats.com

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A stunning Chef recipe for a Strawberry Spinach Salad. Spinach, fresh strawberries, blue cheese and candied pecans with a Strawberry Balsamic Dressing. recipetineats.com

Louisiana Strawberry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Dressing

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 20 mins
Salad
Louisiana, Southern
4.84 from 6 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 139
This is a fabulous salad - especially for special occasions! It's a surprising combination of ingredients that works brilliantly together. The Dressing is especially beautiful! This is a recipe by Chef Varnedoe of Baton Rouge’s Restaurant IPO (now closed 🙁 ), via Around Anna's Table.

Ingredients

Strawberry Balsamic Dressing (makes ~1 3/4 cups)

  • 250 g / 8 oz fresh strawberries , tops cut off
  • 3/4 cups balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar , packed (light brown)
  • 2 tbsp strawberry jam or preserves
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Candied pecans:

  • 1 cup pecans (mostly whole, can chop some)
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (any)
  • 2 tbsp / 30 g butter

Salad

  • 4 cups baby spinach , packed
  • 16 (250 g / 8 oz) large strawberries , sliced
  • 75 - 100 g / 2 - 3.5 oz blue cheese , crumbled (to taste)
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Whizz Dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Strain if desired (to remove little strawberry seeds). Keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
  • Pecans: Line a tray with parchment / baking paper. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add pecans, toss to coat. Add sugar and stir for 5 minutes. The sugar will melt and coat the pecans. Pour onto tray, spread out, allow to cool - it will harden.
  • To serve, place the spinach and half the strawberries in a bowl and drizzle over a bit of Dressing. Toss gently, then transfer to a serving bowl. Top with remaining strawberries, then drizzle with more Dressing. Crumble over blue cheese and scatter with pecans. Serve immediately, with remaining Dressing on the side!

Recipe Notes:

1. Adapted from a recipe by Chef Varnedoe of Baton Rouge’s Restaurant IPO (now closed 🙁 ) which was published in Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine, found via Around Anna's Table.
2. Recipe makes more dressing that you need, but I find it harder to make less in a food processor. You could half the recipe if you have a small food processor. It keeps well for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
3. Nutrition per serving, assuming 1/2 the dressing is used.strawberry-spinach-salad-nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 252gCalories: 387cal (19%)Carbohydrates: 26.8g (9%)Protein: 8.1g (16%)Fat: 28.8g (44%)Saturated Fat: 7.9g (49%)Cholesterol: 23mg (8%)Sodium: 621mg (27%)Potassium: 517mg (15%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 15.3g (17%)Vitamin A: 3100IU (62%)Vitamin C: 101.5mg (123%)Calcium: 180mg (18%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 


LIFE OF DOZER

Seriously. This dog is interested in ANYTHING edible. (And many things that are not!)

dozer-strawberry-salad-9

A stunning Chef recipe for a Strawberry Spinach Salad. Spinach, fresh strawberries, blue cheese and candied pecans with a Strawberry Balsamic Dressing. recipetineats.com
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Cajun Baked Turkey Breast and Dressing (Stuffing)
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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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23 Comments

  1. Mary says

    August 4, 2021 at 4:00 am

    5 stars
    This is a really tasty salad. I LOVE the dressing! I had some leftover grilled chicken so I added it to the salad and we had it for lunch. Delicious! All of your recipes are so good. We love your crunchy chicken fingers – in fact I’m making them as “chicken and waffles” for our meal on our family vacation (for 30+ people). Easy and delicious. I tell everyone about you!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 4, 2021 at 11:23 am

      Wahoo, sounds perfect Mary!! N x

      Reply
  2. Charlie says

    February 11, 2021 at 9:32 am

    5 stars
    This salad is so delicious!

    Reply
  3. Monika says

    December 24, 2020 at 10:24 pm

    5 stars
    Can I use frozen strawberries for the dressing? 😬

    Reply
  4. Janice Thompson says

    November 28, 2020 at 4:29 am

    question-Can I sub romaine lettuce for the spinach? With the exception of the spinach, I have all of the ingredients on hand. The store is not nearby, or I would make a run.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 28, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      Yes definitely Janice!! N x

      Reply
  5. Annette says

    August 28, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    I want to make this but I REALLY don’t like blue cheese! Is there another cheese that would work?

    Reply
    • Andrew says

      October 8, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      I made it with goats cheese and it was delicious. Could use feta either.

      Reply
  6. Maria Arnold says

    August 3, 2020 at 10:17 am

    Hi I want to tell you I been cooking some of your recepites
    and Family love them. Thank
    you for sharing you recepites
    MArnold

    Reply
  7. L says

    July 13, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    Usually in salad dressing, it’s two parts oil to one part acid. Are the measurements for this dressing correct?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 13, 2020 at 2:13 pm

      Hi L, yes the measurements are correct – I don’t follow rules 😂

      Reply
  8. TH says

    July 4, 2019 at 12:12 am

    4 stars
    It’s hard to decide which salad I liked better, this one or Nagi’s Strawberry Salad with Avocado. Both are nice, and definitely are winners. (Today, the tiebreaker goes to the later because avocados are in season and the poppyseed dressing is nice and light with a touch sweet; perfect for a nice summer day here in the U.S.) But, I’m fond of a good blue cheese so I tried her Strawberry spinach with the strawberry balsamic dressing. Nagi is correct, there is no substitute for blue cheese. (As a test, I tried some White Stilton with Mango and Ginger from Trader Joe’s. The kick from the ginger was nice, but the mango was a little too sweet for this salad especially with the candied pecans.) To serve the salad for friends, I used a Roquefort; the sharp acidity complimented the tangy dressing perfectly. (Note, crumble blue cheese yourself by inserting a fork and giving it a little twist. Store bought crumbled blue cheese in a tub can be okay but some of them use cellulose, an anticlumping agent, and they could be powdery and dry. In any case, look for the trademark blue for its characteristic flavor.) While I had a clear preference for the sharp funky notes of Roquefort, you can soften it with drinking an Alsace or even an ice wine for a sweet balance.

    Reply
  9. Casey says

    April 18, 2018 at 10:06 am

    5 stars
    Just made this for dinner and my partner and I absolutely loved it! Thanks for sharing such awesome recipes. 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 19, 2018 at 8:40 pm

      Terrific to hear Casey! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it – N x

      Reply
    • Rick B says

      August 24, 2018 at 6:33 am

      It’s a great recipe. I love it. I found the dressing already made and it’s great also in the local grocery store. when I get home I will post the brand.

      Reply
  10. Nicole says

    November 25, 2017 at 4:58 am

    5 stars
    Made this for Thanksgiving, delicious as written (I didn’t strain the strawberry seeds). Next time, I would let guests pour their own dressing instead of incorporating beforehand. Also, I like a little more crunch to my lettuce, will add another type of lettuce to bump up the crunch. Another fantastic Nagi recipe. Everyone at Thanksgiving said they liked it. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 27, 2017 at 6:39 pm

      That’s so terrific to hear Nicole!!!! Thank you were sharing your feedback – N x ❤️

      Reply
  11. Marianne says

    November 24, 2016 at 3:44 am

    Hi Nagi, I’m making the salad tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. My problem is when I made the pecans (I’m making them ahead) the sugar didn’t coat the pecans. I melted the butter, then added the pecans and sugar and stirred over medium heat, but the sugar kind of separated from the pecans and is in its own little clumps – any idea what I might have done wrong?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 24, 2016 at 7:54 am

      Hi Marianne! If you continue to stir, the sugar will melt, same way caramel is made 🙂 It does becomes clumps at first. I will try to sneak in photos this afternoon as I am making candied nuts later today and will drop a message here if I do so you can see how mine looks. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  12. Felicity Beadle says

    November 17, 2016 at 5:33 am

    Boom! This will be one of my Christmas day salads. Perfect colours for a Christmas table spread and looks so very yummy. Will have a practice run this weekend. Thank you for all your great recipes Nagi. Every one is always inspiring for me who is such an amateur in the kitchen. Can’t wait to make the Creamy Corn Casserole.
    Dozer is such a delight appearing at the end of your posts. Always makes me smile.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 17, 2016 at 6:53 pm

      Oooh, I am dying to hear what you think! I know this is a pretty unique salad, but I swear, I LOVE it. So glad you enjoy seeing Dozer at the end of each post instead of being a turn off!!! 😉 N xx

      Reply
  13. Dorothy Dunton says

    November 17, 2016 at 1:48 am

    Hi Nagi! This sounds delicious! Assuming I can get some good strawberries I will be making this for Thanksgiving! The tastes and textures here are perfect!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 17, 2016 at 6:47 pm

      Isn’t it so pretty?? I was amazed at how it tastes. Absolutely floored!

      Reply

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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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