Deliciously simple strawberry spinach salad paired with the most amazing tomato-balsamic vinaigrette! One of our very favorite salad and dressing combinations.
My mother-in-law made a similar strawberry spinach salad from her “Marshall Field’s Cookbook” years ago and I immediately fell in love. It’s been a recurring salad in our kitchen ever since, and one of the first recipes I posted on this blog. (But we love it so much I wanted to update the photos to share with you all.)
The sweet strawberries and tender spinach pair amazingly with the tangy balsamic vinaigrette. The dressing keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge and tastes even better after the flavors mingle so it’s definitely something you can make ahead of time. The recipe makes enough vinaigrette to have some extra. (I like to use it on other salads throughout the week.) So reduce/cut in half if you don’t want leftovers. Hope you enjoy if you give it a try!
PS – come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and share a pic if you make or adapt this! I love seeing your beautiful recreations. (Or leave a review/star rating below if you give it a try – your feedback is very appreciated!)
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Tomato Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 6 oz. baby spinach
- 8 oz. strawberries (sliced)
- 1/2 small red onion (thinly sliced)
For the Tomato-Balsamic Dressing:
- 2 large roma tomatoes (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 shallots (1/2 cup chopped)
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. salt (more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing: in a blender combine tomatoes, garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, and mustard. Blend until smooth. With motor running, slowly add olive oil then salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, toss spinach with about 2/3 cup dressing (more or less to taste).
- Place spinach on plates and top with strawberries, onion, and another drizzle of dressing if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (estimate)
Enjoying this strawberry spinach salad? Also feel free to check out the full “Vegan Salad” recipe archives on the site for more fresh inspiration! (Or this other berry favorite: Blueberry Basil Salad Dressing.)
mmm this looks incredible! i love salads with berries 🙂
Thanks – me too!
Just found your blog and I love it! I have been a vegetarian for years and sometimes it's hard to make meals that will satisfy my carnivorous boyfriend's taste buds. We live in New Mexico and are HUGE fans of spicy Mexican food, which your blog has a ton of! Also, we love Thai food which your blog ALSO has a ton of! You rock and you just saved me from searching for meals!
Liz
http://www.liz-makes.com
Hey Liz!! Ahhhh! Thanks so much for the sweet comments! I love hearing people excited about the recipes! I definitely love TONS of Mexican and Asian food. I don't think I'll ever get sick of it 🙂 Hope you love the recipes you try!
I love this salad with candied pecans. Yummy!
YES!! Candied pecans are an amazing addition 🙂
Can you make the dressing without the oil?
Hi Mark! So funny you asked that, because we're starting to cut way back on our oils and this was one of the first recipes I thought of to modify! I love it so much, but it's an alarming amount of oil.
Here are a couple methods I'll play around with first:
http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/05/06/thick-water/
http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2015/02/05/no-oil-oil/
Would love to hear if you come up with anything as well! I need to find something, because this is one of my favorite dressings! 🙂