Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

My Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad is the spring salad you’ve been searching for! It makes a great addition to a brunch spread or holiday meal. Four simple ingredients (plus a homemade dressing!) is all you need to make this showstopper.

Spring is so close I can taste it you guys.

Clearly this has spurred a moment with strawberries because I seem to be using them in just about everything lately. I promise that I eat other fruit!

Back to this recipe: it’s a super simple fresh and seasonal salad that will go over well with any crowd. It has everything a salad should including crisp leafy greens, seasonal berries, a creamy cheese, toasted nuts and a tangy homemade dressing. It leaves people asking, “what exactly was in that?” I’m all about contrast with my salads and this one covers all the bases. 

As a side note, I somehow developed a reputation as the resident salad-contributor for a lot of social events. Maybe because I’m a dietitian but also because I just really love coming up with different combinations.

Ditch Boring Salads

Most people think salads are the boring, obligatory part of a meal but I like to think of them as the perfect compliment. With a salad this good, the greens can absolutely be a favorite.

I started with the traditional components of a strawberry salad, but made it slightly more gourmet with toasted nuts and a dressing that really pops. Both simple steps, so you can impress without any hard-to-find ingredients.

And while you can certainly add the almonds without toasting, take my advice and do not skip this step. It seriously amplifies the flavor (here’s why you should always toast your nuts). Similarly, adding fresh-squeezed orange juice isn’t totally necessary but a fun addition and convenient if you don’t normally buy juice.

Salad best practices:

• Switch up the greens. Instead of plain old leaf lettuce, branch out with peppery arugula, baby spinach or shredded kale.
• Add fresh fruit. Berries work really well, but other ideas include orange segments, thinly sliced apple or fresh peaches, when in season.
• Try a flavorful cheese like goat, feta or bleu. A little goes a long way and I love the salty, creamy factor.
• Add nuts for crunch (bonus if you have time to toast) or try homemade croutons with leftover stale bread or even corn bread.
• Think outside the box with non-traditional items like olives, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and dried fruit.
• Use a homemade dressing (more on this below)

How-to Make Great Homemade Salad Dressings

Let’s talk about this orange champagne vinaigrette for sec. Sounds fancy, but really it’s not.

If you’ve been following along with me for any amount of time, you know that I’m a huge proponent of going homemade with salad dressings. Not in a pretentious “I make everything from scratch” sort of way, but because it’s easy, way more flavorful and you likely have all of the ingredients you need on hand anyway.

For this salad I used a combination of fresh-squeezed orange juice and champagne vinegar to add some acidity and contrast to the rest of the ingredients. Here’s everything you need:

• Champagne vinegar
• Orange (I love Cara Cara oranges)
• Honey
• Dijon mustard
• Extra-virgin olive oil

I typically use a mason jar for salad dressings for easy shaking, storing and washing. Add everything but the oil and mix well with a fork first (to make sure the honey and dijon are well-incorporated). Then add the oil, top with the lid and shake really well. Done!

Note: if you don’t want to buy the champagne vinegar, a white balsamic or red wine vinegar will work just fine here.

So there you have it. If you’re the resident “salad maker” of your social circles too, give this one a try at your next special occasion. It’s simple but perfect!

You might also like:

• Strawberry Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk
• Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Farmer’s Market Salad

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This recipe was originally published in March 2018 and updated in March 2022.

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