• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • Latest Recipes
  • Sweets
  • How To's
  • About

Where Is My Spoon

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Latest Recipes
  • Sweets
  • How To's
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Latest Recipes
    • Sweets
    • How To's
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Where Is My Spoon > Other Recipes by Region > American Recipes

    Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing and Almonds

    Published by: Adina May 11, 2019 · Last modified: February 4, 2022 4 Comments

    Sharing is caring!

    124 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • Twitter

     

    Jump to Recipe

    An amazing spinach strawberry feta salad with poppy seed dressing, a salad that celebrates spring.

     

    STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD WITH POPPY SEED DRESSING

    What can I say about this spinach strawberry salad with feta and poppy seed dressing?

    It is a celebration! A celebration of food, of spring, of color and of taste! A glorious list of ingredients, all things I absolutely love, fresh spring produce.

    If there is a time to make this spinach and strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing, NOW is the time. I just love the strawberries we are able to buy at the moment around here.

     

    strawberry salad poppy seed dressing

     

    OK, I admit, the local German strawberries found in the stores right now are a bit pricier than the watery and pale red ones coming from Spain, but really, if you want to eat and actually taste the strawberries, local ones are the real deal. They are worth it every extra cent!

    And that is probably the most serious advice I can give you if you decide to make this spinach strawberry feta salad: buy the best sweetest strawberries you can get. The quality of the strawberries will make or break this salad!

     

    SPINACH STRAWBERRY FETA SALAD

    This strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing is not only a salad to celebrate spring, but a salad you might want to make for your mother on Mother's Day.

    I think I would have a hard time to find a woman who doesn't love anything made with strawberries and this spinach strawberry salad is a winner. Your mother will be impressed!

     

    strawberry salad poppy seed dressing

     

    INGREDIENTS FOR THE STRAWBERRY SALAD WITH POPPY SEED DRESSING

    Strawberries

    As mentioned above buy the very best strawberries you can find, they should be perfectly ripe and sweet. I did not actually weigh the amount of strawberries I used, just counted about 6-8 medium strawberries per person and arranged them on individual serving plates.

    Spinach

    Use fresh baby spinach leaves, about 1 large handful per person. I had a bag of about 125 g/ 4.4 oz and made strawberry spinach salad for two.

    Feta cheese:

    Don't buy a container of ready crumbled feta cheese! Buy a block of feta, it is about a million times better and it takes 2 seconds to crumble the feta cheese you will need for this salad. A creamier sort of feta cheese would be best, but use whatever sort you have.

     

    strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing

     

    Nuts:

    I have often seen recipes for the strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing made with candied pecan nuts. While I am perfectly convinced that candied pecans are delicious, pecans are super expensive around here, so I use them about once every two years.

    And I did not want to make any candied nuts either. I had already marinated the strawberries with a little sugar and I thought that to be enough sugar for just a salad.

    So I used roasted almost flakes and they were wonderful! And much healthier than candied nuts.

    Poppy seed dressing:

    It was the first time I have made a poppy seed dressing and, to make sure I have the best, I've tried different versions, one with mayonnaise and yogurt and the second one with oil and balsamic vinegar.

    While both versions tasted good, I found the oil and balsamic poppy seed dressing to be a better fit for the spinach strawberry feta salad. It is lighter in taste and texture and the oil dressing coats the spinach leaves in a more pleasant way than the creamy and heavy textured mayo dressing.

     

    strawberry salad poppy seed dressing

     

    HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD

    1.  Wash and dry the strawberries with kitchen paper. Top and slice them. Give them to a small bowl, sprinkle with the sugar, toss well and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Take the strawberries out of the marinade, but reserve the marinade to make the dressing.
    2. Toast the almonds in a large pan without adding any fat. Stir very often and remain near the pan, if unattended the thin almond flakes will burn easily. Once roasted, give the almonds to a large plate and let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
    3. Make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, about 2 tablespoons of the reserved strawberry juice, mustard, mayo and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the poppy seeds.
    4. Wash and dry the baby spinach leaves. Give them to a bowl. Add about ½ of the poppy seed dressing and toss with your hands making sure that all the spinach leaves are coated with the dressing. Arrange the spinach on two plates or a larger serving platter.
    5. Arrange the strawberry slices on the spinach bed.
    6. Finely chop the red onions and slice the avocado. Arrange them both on the plate. Crumble the feta cheese on top.
    7. Pour the rest of the poppy seed dressing on top of the salad making sure that the dressing reaches all of the ingredients on top of the spinach.
    8. Give the toasted almonds on top of the salad and serve immediately.

     

    strawberry salad poppy seed dressing

     

    HOW TO PREPARE THE STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD IN ADVANCE

    • I would not make the strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing very much in advance, but you can prepare the ingredients and then put the salad together just before serving.
    • Wash and dry the spinach. Leave it until ready to assemble the salad. Toast the almonds. Crumble the feta, cover and place in the fridge.
    • Marinate the strawberries about one hour before you want to serve the salad.
    • Make the poppy seed dressing and add the marinade after the strawberries are done marinating.
    • Only chop the onion and the avocado before adding to the salad.
    • Once you serve the salad, arrange the ingredients on the plates as instructed above.

    Otherwise, I wish you all a nice Mother's Day tomorrow. We will celebrate it with my mother-in-law and cake. 🙂

     

    strawberry salad poppy seed dressing

     

    MORE SALADS WITH FRUIT OR BERRIES:

    Tiger Prawns with Red Currant Sauce and Rocket

    Grilled Peach Salad with Chicken

    Strawberry, Nectarine and Quinoa Salad

    Spring Salad with Asparagus, Chicken and Strawberries

     

    strawberry salad poppy seed dressing

    Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing and Almonds

    An amazing spinach strawberry feta salad with poppy seed dressing, a salad that celebrates spring.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Salads
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Additional Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 423kcal
    Author: Adina
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    • Strawberry spinach salad:
    • 2 handful baby spinach about 125 g/ 4.4 oz
    • 12-14 medium strawberries ripe and sweet
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 50 g/ 1.7 oz/ about â…“ cup feta See note 1
    • ½ small red onion
    • 1 small avocado or ½ a larger one
    • 2 tablespoons almond flakes
    • Poppy seed dressing:
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to taste
    • 2 tablespoons of the strawberry marinade more to taste
    • ½ teaspoon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon mayonnaise optional (See note 2)
    • ½ teaspoon poppy seeds
    • some basil leaves
    • fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Wash and dry the strawberries with kitchen paper. Top and slice them. Place them in a small bowl, toss with the sugar and marinate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Take the strawberries out of the marinade, but reserve the marinade to make the dressing.
    • Toast the almonds in a large pan without adding any fat. Stir very often and remain near the pan, if unattended the thin almond flakes will burn easily. Once roasted, transfer the almond to a large plate and let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
    • Make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, about 2 tablespoons of the reserved strawberry marinade, mustard, mayo, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in the poppy seeds. Adjust the taste with more balsamic vinegar, strawberry marinade, and salt and pepper, if necessary.
    • Wash and dry the baby spinach leaves. Place in a bowl. Add about ½ of the poppy seed dressing and toss with your hands making sure that all the spinach leaves are coated with the dressing. Arrange the spinach on two plates or a larger serving platter.
    • Arrange the strawberry slices on the spinach bed.
    • Finely chop the red onions and slice the avocado. Arrange them both on the plate. Crumble the feta cheese on top.
    • Pour the rest of the poppy seed dressing on top of the salad.
    • Scatter the toasted almonds on top of the salad, garnish with some basil leaves, and serve immediately.

    Notes

    1. Buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself, it takes about 2 seconds and the feta is much better than the already crumbled one.
    2. The mayonnaise makes the dressing slightly creamier. Use it if you have it, but don't buy it just to make this dressing, the dressing is delicious without the mayo as well.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/2 of the salad | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 860mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

    More American Recipes

    • two pieces of sliced fried chicken breast and lemon wedges on a plate.
      Easy Fried Chicken Breast
    • honey garlic chicken wings in a bowl with lemon wedges.
      Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
    • crispy chicken burger with coleslaw, lettuce and red onions.
      Crispy Chicken Burger
    • slow cooker chicken and rice served on a small white plate.
      Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice (Crock Pot)

    Sharing is caring!

    124 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • Twitter

    web banner representing all the websites logos that featured our food blog.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. angiesrecipes says

      May 12, 2019 at 6:30 am

      A perfect salad for the strawberry season!

      Reply
    2. mimi rippee says

      May 12, 2019 at 3:44 pm

      Beautiful! I love all of your ingredients, and thank you for not adding a ton of white sugar to the dressing! It's a real American thing to do; I remember tasting it for the first time and I almost gagged! Anyway, I love your recipe. Perfect for spring!

      Reply
    3. Roslia Santamaria says

      May 13, 2019 at 7:28 am

      This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! It’s all delicious ingredients 🙂

      Reply
    4. Evi says

      May 16, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      This is definitely my style of salad! So fresh and delicious with all the spring goodies 🙂

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Follow me!

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Hello! Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

    More about me →

    Strawberry recipes

    • small bowl with macerated strawberries ready to be served
      Macerated Strawberries
    • crumble strawberry rhubarb pie
      Rhubarb Crumble Tart with Strawberries
    • strawberries and cream dessert in a glass
      Strawberries and Cream Dessert with Meringue
    • brownies with strawberries sliced on a table
      Brownies with Strawberries (and Chocolate)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Our second blog

    The Fast Recipe Food Blog

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 - Where Is My Spoon. All rights reserved.