Side Dish Ideas is an Amazon Associate and may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.
My easy Spinach Salad Recipe is loaded with flavor from fresh strawberries, sliced red onions, crumbled feta cheese, and walnuts. Topped off with a homemade champagne vinaigrette dressing, this is an easy but delicious salad that's ready in minutes!
Jump to:
Best Spinach Salad
One of my go-to side dish salads is this easy spinach salad recipe, but it's also an amazing choice for a main course salad with chicken mixed in! Spinach salad is simple to throw together and so tasty.
Even my kids love my recipe for spinach salad - it's the perfect way to get picky eaters to eat their greens and even love them!
I took all my favorite things to pair with spinach: juicy sweet strawberries, sliced red onions, crumbled feta cheese, and walnuts, all tossed together for a delicious, simple salad you can make in minutes.
Lastly, it's topped off with a homemade spinach salad dressing recipe to pull all the flavors together! I guarantee you will love this fresh spinach salad. Try it out as a side dish for your next springtime lunch or summer cookout!
Simple Spinach Salad Ingredients
- fresh spinach
- strawberries
- chicken breast
- walnuts
- red onion
- feta cheese
Spinach Salad Dressing
- champagne vinegar
- olive oil
- dijon mustard
- sugar-free honey
- salt
- pepper
Recipe for Spinach Salad
- In a large serving bowl, layer fresh spinach at the bottom.
- Top spinach with slices of chicken breast, strawberries, walnuts, and sliced red onion.
- Sprinkle the top of your spinach salad with crumbled feta cheese.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until well combined. Carefully pour over the salad.
- Serve spinach salad immediately and enjoy!
Storing Spinach Salad
- Storing Salad: Store any undressed salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you're ready to enjoy, simply shake the dressing and pour it on top!
- Storing Dressing: Store spinach salad dressing in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container or jar.
Spinach Salad Recipes Tips
- Don't dress your salad until you're ready to serve! Otherwise, your spinach will begin to wilt.
- Make Ahead: Making spinach salad ahead of time is so easy and convenient! Make the salad and dressing as instructed, but store the salad dressing on the side until ready to serve.
- You can make a seasonal spinach salad by swapping out strawberries for a seasonal fruit or vegetable instead.
Spinach Salad Ideas
- Want to swap out the spinach? You can easily substitute for arugula, kale, or butterhead lettuce - or you could do a half and half mix!
- Not a fan of crumbled feta cheese? Although I love topping this salad with feta cheese crumbles, you can substitute for shaved parmesan, crumbled blue cheese, or goat cheese.
- More berries in this salad? The fresh strawberries add so much to this easy salad recipe, but you can also use other fruits or berries! Try adding in mandarin oranges, blueberries, or dried cranberries!
- Try using other nuts or seeds! Almonds, pecans, pistachios, or sunflower seeds are great choices for adding to fresh spinach salad.
Spinach Salads FAQs
The younger variety of spinach leaves can be eaten raw as part of a salad, while the older variety of leaves is better cooked down. When shopping for spinach to use in a salad, you will usually find the right variety of baby spinach near other salad greens.
The younger variety of spinach, such as baby spinach, can be eaten raw and has a crisp, gently bitter flavor that is enjoyable in salads with sweet toppings like sliced strawberries and nuts. The older variety of spinach should be cooked down as it is generally too bitter to eat raw.
Easy Salad Recipes
📌 Pin it for later!
Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Spinach Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Large serving bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
Spinach Salad Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh spinach leaves
- ½ cup strawberries sliced
- 12 ounces chicken breast fully cooked, sliced
- ⅓ cup walnuts chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion sliced
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
Spinach Salad Dressing Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon honey sugar-free
- pinch salt to taste
- pinch pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl, layer fresh spinach at the bottom.6 cups fresh spinach leaves
- Top spinach with slices of chicken breast, strawberries, walnuts, and sliced red onion.½ cup strawberries, 12 ounces chicken breast, ⅓ cup walnuts, ⅓ cup red onion
- Sprinkle the top of your spinach salad with crumbled feta cheese.⅓ cup feta cheese
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until well combined. Carefully pour over the salad.3 tablespoons champagne vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon dijon mustard, 2 teaspoon honey, pinch salt, pinch pepper
- Serve spinach salad immediately and enjoy!
Notes
-
- Don't dress your salad until you're ready to serve! Otherwise, your spinach will begin to wilt.
- Make Ahead: Making spinach salad ahead of time is so easy and convenient! Make the salad and dressing as instructed, but store the salad dressing on the side until ready to serve.
- Want to swap out the spinach? You can easily substitute for arugula, kale, or butterhead lettuce - or you could do a half and half mix!
- Try using other nuts or seeds! Almonds, pecans, pistachios, or sunflower seeds are great choices for adding to fresh spinach salad.
- More berries in this salad? The fresh strawberries add so much to this easy salad recipe, but you can also use other fruits or berries! Try adding in mandarin oranges, blueberries, or dried cranberries!
- Not a fan of crumbled feta cheese? Although I love topping this salad with feta cheese crumbles, you can substitute for shaved parmesan, crumbled blue cheese, or goat cheese.
Nutrition
- Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese - September 12, 2023
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob - September 5, 2023
- Potato Seasoning - August 29, 2023
Leave a Reply