Strawberry Spinach Salad

5 from 1 vote

Sweet and savory come together in this easy spinach salad. Naturally sweet strawberries, spinach,quinoa, feta and avocado are dressed in a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. A perfect healthy lunch or light meal option. {Clean Eating, Gluten-free}

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Susan Randall

Ingredients

Salad

1 cup water
½ cup uncooked quinoa rinsed (or 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa)
2 cups strawberries sliced (or diced)
6 cups baby spinach coarsely chopped (or baby spinach/spring lettuce mix)
½ cup crumbled feta cheese or crumbled goat cheese
1 large avocado diced
¼ cup fresh basil coarsely chopped

Balsamic Vinaigrette

¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey more to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic minced (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh colander for at least 30 seconds. Add water and quinoa to a medium saucepan. Heat on medium-high until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat until mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa absorbs all of water (about 10 minutes). Remove pan from heat and cover for 5 minutes until quinoa “blooms” . Let the quinoa cool.
While quinoa is cooling, prepare the balsamic vinaigrette. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic and salt & pepper in a small bowl until combined.
Once quinoa is cooled, transfer it to a large serving bowl. Add roughly chopped spinach, sliced/diced strawberries, feta ,avocado, and chopped basil. Toss to combine. Add vinaigrette and lightly toss. Serve immediately.

Notes

* Nutritional info in label is for salad only (w/o dressing)

Nutritional Info for Balsamic Vinaigrette (per serving- ¼ of recipe) 130 cal, 13.5g fat, 1.8g sat fat, 32.7mg sodium, 3.8mg potassium, 2.5g Carb, 0g fiber, 1.3g sugar, 0.1g protein

Variations/Substitutions/Add-Ins:

Extra Protein- If you want to add additional protein to this salad, grilled/cooked/rotisserie chicken are all good options. If you’d like to keep things plant based, chickpeas work nicely with the flavors in this salad.

Greens- prepared spinach blends such as spinach/spring mix or baby spinach/baby kale mix are great in this strawberry salad.

Fruit- blueberries, apples and pears are all good substitutions for the strawberries or good additions if you’d like more fruit.

Zip- add some sliced red onions.

Crunch- add some toasted or candied pecans, walnuts, almonds or cashews for extra crunch.

Nutrition