Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe

The BEST ever Strawberry Spinach Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing, goat cheese and almonds. Sweet, tangy, and a healthy summer salad!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 473kcal

4 cups baby spinach leaves (approximately 10 oz)
4 cups romaine or any salad greens
⅓ cup red onion thinly sliced *
1 quart strawberries
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup crumbled goat cheese optional - feta cheese or blue cheese would also work

Make the poppy seed dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the salad: Layer spinach, salad greens of your choice, red onion, strawberries, almonds, and goat cheese in a salad bowl. Drizzle it with the dressing.
Toss & Serve: Give it a gentle toss using salad tongs and serve.

To Make Ahead: If you’d like to prepare the spinach salad a few days ahead, I would recommend storing the salad greens, sliced strawberries, crumbled cheese, toasted nuts, and poppyseed dressing in separate containers. Then simply toss the salad just before you’re ready to serve.
To Store: The composed salad will keep undressed for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Note, however, the nuts will lose some of their crunch factor.
A note on red onions*: If you have a few extra minutes, place the raw sliced onions in a large bowl of cool water while you prep the rest of the ingredients to take away the strong bite.
Earlier version of this recipe used a different kind of poppy seed dressing. If you prefer that version, below are the ingredients. Simple whisk everything in a bowl.
1 medium size (or 2 small shallot, chopped), 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon vegenaise or fat-free yogurt, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt.