Spinach Strawberry And Walnut Salad

Spinach, strawberry and walnut salad is a light and flavorful salad option. It combines a hint of sweetness from the strawberries and onions with a rich, salty flavor from the feta cheese. This perfect combination creates an delicious salad!

I've been making this spinach strawberry and walnut salad for as long as I can remember! It's a salad that is so easy to make, yet looks and tastes like you spent a long time making it. This salad is a lighter option which makes it great as a side dish, however you can also add a protein (such as chicken) to make it a main entree.

What I love most about this salad is that it's so easy to make! The only prep work required is slicing the onions and strawberries. This salad is so easy to make, that there have been times I've needed a salad for party, picked up all ingredients at the store, and then made the actual salad at the party! Simply mix and you are done!

Is This Salad Healthy?

Here's the breakdown on the nutritional profile of this salad:

• Spinach is packed with vitamins and minerals- Vitamins A, C & K to name a few. Depending on your individual health needs, this may be beneficial.
• Spinach also has calcium - great for bones!
• The walnuts contain a healthy source of fat, which is great for your skin and hair. Also, the fat helps your body absorb some of the vitamins in the spinach.
• Strawberries are packed with Vitamin C. Some studies show Vitamin C may protect the immune system and against our overall healthy.

How to Keep Spinach Fresh

I purchased the ingredients for this salad and held them in the refrigerator for about 5 days before making the salad. Here's a couple tips to keep spinach fresh in the refrigerator:

• Wait to wash the spinach leaves until right before using. Only wash the amount of leaves that will be used.
• Store spinach leaves in between 2 paper towels in an air tight container. The paper towels absorb moisture from the spinach and will prevent it from getting slimy.
• Keep the spinach in the crisper section of the refrigerator.

Love Veggies?! Here's A Few More favorites:

• Sweet Potato Fries- the perfect "healthy" fry!
• Butternut Squash Cubes- savory and perfectly flavored!
• Hawaiian Veggies - a new twist on your favorite veggies!

Tips For Serving The Strawberry Spinach Salad

• Strawberry Spinach and Walnut salad is a great option for a side dish at a party, to bring to a barbecue or simply for a tasty salad option at lunch or dinner.
• To make this salad a main entree, add some sliced chicken breast or turkey to the top. This adds protein and creates a more balanced meal.
• Serve this salad as a side dish to compliment any meal. Some meals it would go great with are grilled meats, shredded barbecue chicken or fish.

Can I Eat Leftover Strawberry Spinach Salad?

You betcha! This salad holds great for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. After the salad sits for a while, the strawberries and onions marinade the spinach leaves, creating an enhanced flavor. In my opinion, it almost tastes better leftover!

If planning to eat this salad at more than one meal, only add raspberry vinaigrette dressing to individual servings of the salad. Dressing the entire salad will cause it to get soggy faster.

Ingredients Needed for Spinach, Strawberry and Walnut Salad

Here's the ingredients needed to make this super delicious salad:

Spinach: Use fresh spinach leaves- the pre-bagged spinach that is sold at the store works great! Cut off any long stems on the spinach if desired. Do not cut the spinach leaves, however. This will allow the salad to last longer.

Strawberries: This salad works best with strawberries that are slightly ripe, however not overly soft and mushy. Remove stems from strawberries and slice length wise.

Purple Onion: Use a purple onion, as it is sweeter in flavor than other colors of onions. To make peeling the onion easier, soak the onion in luke-warm water for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and peel; the skin should come right off.

Feta Cheese: Feta cheese provides a rich and slightly salty flavor. Use low fat or fat free feta cheese if wishing to make this salad a little bit lower in calories or fat.

Chopped Walnuts: Walnuts can be purchased already chopped, or you can purchase whole walnuts and chop yourself by using a knife. Pecans can also be substituted in place of walnuts.

How to Make the Salad

Place spinach in a large mixing bowl. Cut off the long stems of the spinach leaves using scissors. Do not cut the spinach leaves, however. This will allow the salad to last longer.

Slice strawberries length wise. Chop onion into thin strips which are about ½ inch long by ⅛ inch thick. Add the strawberry slices, onion slices and chopped walnuts to the spinach. Combine using two forks.

Add the feta cheese into the salad mixture and combine. The feta is added last so that it mixes evenly and doesn't all fall to the bottom of the bowl. Allow the salad to sit for bout 15 minutes before serving. This allows the onions and strawberries to start marinating the spinach leaves.

Top with the Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing. If wishing to serve this salad at another meal, consider serving the dressing on the side.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

This salad uses calls for Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing. Any type of vinaigrette dressing could be used, however in my opinion, the raspberry vinaigrette dressing nicely compliments the flavor of the salad. While the homemade version tastes great, this dressing can also be purchased at the store if running short on time. I recommend the brand "Newman's Own Raspberry & Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing".

Making the Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Puree the raspberries until smooth in a blender. In a mixing bowl, combine the pureed raspberries, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Mix until combined. Note: the mixture will separate if it sits for a while. Simply stir well before serving.

Check Out These Other Delicious Salads (No Lettuce Involved)!

• Southwest Quinoa Salad
• Cheesecake Fruit Salad