Strawberry Spinach Salad

This recipe was a big winner. Small modifications to the original: Cut the sugar down to ¼ cup. Add a few turns of fresh ground pepper Use balsamic vinegar. Use red onion. Add some fresh bacon bits Add a mix of blue cheese and feta cheese. Also, do not mix the dressing in with greens, as it will only wilt the salad. Just apply as normal dressing. Mixing in the dressing and letting it sit I think would make it too ‘limpy’. We put a few red onion slices on top with the cheese and bacon. It was great. The sweetness of the dressing would have been excessively much at ½ cup of sugar. This we will make again and again and again.

This is great but substitue balsamic vinegar for white, purple onions instead of white then add blueberries and bananas to the strawberries and it's to die for.

This salad is so tasty, specifically the dressing is out of this world delishhh. It is important to chill the dressing for a bit after mixing the ingredients together so that they blend with eachother well and mix well right before pouring it on the salad. My advice is not to skip the onion even if you don't like them because they play an important role in the taste of the dressing. You can hardly taste them in the dressing as the onion taste is not the dominant taste but they play an important role in marrying the sugar and vinegar together to create the specific taste this dressing has. For mine I halved the amount of sugar and it still came out super. I love the strawberries in the salad, but if you don't have them they can also be substituted for other fruits such as pineapple, oranges, or apples. A+ :)

I have prepared this two ways: hot and cold. Fried and crumbled bacon, then added all dressing ingredients till sugar dissolved. Pour this hot dressing over spinach/strawberries: outa this world! Also delicious prepared cold. Adding chicken chunks and kiwi is another wonderful variation for a complete, colorful meal in a bowl!

Excellent! Brought this to several parties and it was a big hit! Used less sugar and used balsamic vinegar and it was fantastic!

This is a unique and delicious salad. I brought this to a barbecue and everyone loved it. Sounded a bit odd to me at first - but it is wonderful. I omitted the poppy seeds, and toasted the sesame seeds to bring out their flavor. Also, I substituted chopped pecans for the almonds (just because I happened to have them in the cupboard) AND added a little crumbled BLUE CHEESE (approx. 1/4 cup). Delicious! Friends are still talking about it - and already asking me to make it again.

This is a great recipe. If strawberries are not in season, use mandarin orange segments or pineapple tidbits. It is also good with some grilled chicken added to the salad.

I was a little sceptical when I decided to try this recipe...but WOW! This is one of the best salads I have ever had. Thanks for a great recipe!

Excellent salad! Very pretty and easy to make. I love both strawberries & spinach. The dressing was very good and sweet. Served it for Sunday dinner and it was loved. Thanks!

Great recipe. For the dressing I used: 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (toasted) 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar Approx. 2 tablespoon of honey whisk well. Delicious!!!

Excellent - not a drop was left in the bottom of the serving bowl. Caution: don't pour the dressing on until serving time; the spinach will wilt after being in contact with the dressing for 20 minutes or so.

This was a delightful salad, but do NOT put the ingredients in a blender as 1 reviewer suggested or you will end up with a thick paste. I forgot that too much mixing of oil will turn it to a solid and we literally had to spread the dressing on our salad servings because it was not pourable.

I cheated and used bottled fat free raspberry vinaigrette. I also replaced the almonds with candied pecans, and added 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions and 3 tbsp cup crumbled blue cheese. Coat the salad in dressing very sparingly or it becomes too wet and don't add dressing to the salad until just before serving or it will wilt into a mess. My very picky teenagers loved this salad and demanded it make a regular appearance at the dinner table every week!

This salad has great contrasts between soft and crunchy and sweet and sour. We made this for a family reunion. My husband's cousin is very very picky and NEVER eats salad (not manly enough!). He ate so much I had to make another batch! His wife could not believe her eyes! A way to get fresh vegies and fruit into her husband! One suggestion, though, is to cut the sugar down by about half. The dressing is very sweet. If you use good fresh strawberries you don't need so much sugar in the dressing.****UPDATE***** Here it is 4 years later and I'm still making this salad for family reunions by special request! One thing I have tweaked in the recipe, though, is lessening the sugar and serving both the nuts and the dressing on the side. If you dress the salad and are lucky enough to have leftovers, it's inedible!

Unlike everyone else, I was not very impressed with this salad or dressing. I used frozen strawberries and didn't chill-- maybe these are the reasons for my disappointment.

Added crumbled feta, candied walnuts (whip egg white with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg then add nuts and bake until golden stirring once), and used rice wine vinegar in the dressing. It was delicious, everyone at our party wanted the recipe. We had enough spinach to make the salad again the next night, but used mandarin oranges instead of strawberries. . .I think I liked the oranges better! Yum!!

Ashamed to admit I am finally reviewing this after making it so many times. The recipe is wonderful, but I found the flavor is enhanced by using balsamic vinegar in place of the white vinegar and reducing the sugar to taste. Helpful Hint: Toasting the sesame seeds brings out their natural flavor significantly. Have used mandarin oranges, raspberries, and green onions in this and each time it's wonderful. Always a plus to have a recipe in your arsenal that allows for quick modifications to what's on hand. Definitely a hit Tozenuf; thanks for sharing!

Tripled the recipe for a large Easter gathering with the following changes: 1. Substituted shelled sunflower seeds for the almonds (due to nut allergies). 2. Toasted the sesame seeds. 3. Used red onions. 4. Used white wine vinegar 5. Added mandarin oranges for color. 6. Substituted "spring mix" for 1/2 the spinach. And, based on other reviews.. 7. Used a little more than 1/2 the amount of sugar. 8. Made dressing ahead, but did not refrigerate. 9. Used about 3/4 of the dressing (set the rest out, but nobody took any). 10. Added dressing immediately prior to serving. It was a BIG hit! Not only beautiful salad, but it tasted great. In fact, one picky vegetarian asked to take the extra dressing home to use as a marinade on some veggies.

Dressing is sweet and delicious. Salad is a great mix. I added matchstick carrots and dried cranberries. WOW! It was sooo... good. Nice presentation with the red strawberries and green spinach leaves. I will be making this dressing for other salads too. Dyann

Made it for Mother's Day and it was the hit of the brunch!! Just don't pour the dressing on too far in advance due to the Spinach wilting. Doesn't keep for long...

Delicious! I already have requests for the recipe. One note, very soggy the next day, so only make what you will require for a meal.

dressing is good for about 2 weeks in the fridge. Makes a lot more than is needed for the salad.

This is much more than a 5 stars recipe. The combination of flavors is absolutely delicius. Because I from Brazil I use to eat fruits with my salt/warm food and when I have my regular recipes from Brazil and this salad together, oh boy!!, it is the heaven. Abyway, this is a good combination of ingredients and flavors. Enjoy!!

Absolutely wonderful! Great mix of flavors and textures! Spinach is a pretty hearty leaf - you don't need to worry about it getting 'wilty' as others have said.

When I don't have any fresh strawberries on hand, I just add strawberry jam to the dressing in the blender. I love this salad!

This salad is wonderful and I get great reviews when I make it. Very light and fresh. It is a go to recipe whenever strawberries are in

I made this salad for Easter and served it to about 20 people, every person went back for seconds and raved about how great it is. It is a delicious salad that is punch full of flavor. I making this my "go to" salad. It's the best!

I have been making this for years but with slight changes. For the dressing I use cider vinegar instead of white and also a minced clove of garlic. Lightly toasted walnuts and shredded sharp cheddar cheese with the spinach make this WONDERFUL! I have also used a mixture of bllueberries and strawberries for color. Even kids gobble this up and I have never had any left after a potluck!

Not that this needs another review...but I need to say, I do not like salad, nor do I like spinach. I ate two HUGE plates of this!!!!!!! This is quite possibly the best thing I have ever put into my mouth! Ha! I added blue cheese and feta cheese crumbles, and fresh crunchy bacon on top of ours with some walnuts as well as some sliced red onion. This is out of this world!

This was so good everyone loved it! I changed a couple of things in it due to some suggestions. Used Balsamic Vinegar and cut the sugar to 1/8 cup. With the strawberries, I added oranges, pineapple and banana's. I also didn't put the dressing on the salad. I let everyone put their own on. Would make again! As a side note, I had extra dressing and marinated some chicken in it and then grilled them...it was wonderful!!

This is soooo good. I did not use sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or almonds. Boyfriend is allergic to everything. My mother came over the next day to ask me if I had any more salad. Make sure you use onion in the dressing. I make this kind of dressing all the time for other salads. I even add a couple tablespoons of Peanut Butter and a tablespoon of Soy Sauce for an oriental dressing. THIS IS GOOD!!!!! Use apple cider vinegar, it's yummy. Thanks for the recipe.

This is a recipe I would be proud to serve to the queen of England.

I love to add blueberries, especially around the 4th of july!

This is my go-to salad for pot luck lunches/dinners in the summer. I must have made it about 10 times this summer. I follow the recipe exactly and I get raves about it. People are constantly asking for the recipe. Thanks!

As a guy I don't eat salad all the time, but when I do, I choose this one. Stay hungry my friends.

The salad is great as is, but I like to add about 1/2 cup of feta cheese to give it a little kick.

This is my go-to item to bring to potlucks, showers, you name it, and I always get rave reviews. I did take some reviews into account, and use red onion for the dressing and salad instead of white onion, adding a handful of blue cheese crumbles, and reducing the sugar to 1/4 cup. My special touches include using candied pecans for the nuts and using 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar plus 2 tablespoons of RASPBERRY WINE VINEGAR instead of white vinegar. The berry vinegar balances the balsamic, and complements the strawberries perfectly. It's do-ahead-able, portable, healthy and delicious--a perfect recipe!

Delicious! I made a few changes to the dressing based on other reviews: toasted the sesame seeds first to make them more flavorful; omitted the poppy seeds because I didn't have any on hand; used balsamic instead of white vinegar; reduced the sugar to about a tablespoon. The strawberries are naturally sweet on their own, balsamic vinegar is sweeter than white vinegar, and I also added some pecans that I carmelized in a hot pan with a sprinkle of sugar, so with all that sweetness, I didn't want the dressing to be too sugary-sweet. For the salad, I used baby spinach (I think it tastes better in salads than regular spinach leaves and it also looks prettier), sliced strawberries, blue cheese crumbles, and the pecans. The dark green of the spinach and the bright red of the strawberries makes for such a nice presentation. Brought it to a dinner party & it was a huge hit!

This is a definate keeper. I make it for special occasions, a couple of times a year. It is festive looking and delicious. However, could NOT get my 8 and 6 year old sons to eat it. Reduced the oil by just a little bit. The seasame seeds, paprika and worstershire all add a nicely to the flavour of the dressing. Didn't have poppy seeds on hand.

This salad is delicious when made right - But it makes more dressing than you need for the amount of greens and berries and calls for a LOT of sugar!! I used 1/4 c oil, 1Tablespoon of sugar, 2 Tb vinegar, 1 Tb. Worcestershire, pinch of paprika, 2 tsp poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp. salt and a sprinkle of onion powder. I use honey glazed sliced almonds for salads, you can find at the grocery store. I don't use sesame seeds.

We love the sweetness of this salad - it's wonderful! I brought it to a potluck dinner and was complimented several times. I'd have to say it makes more than 4 servings... unless this is to be served as a main dish meal.

This is really good with a few minor adjustments. I used shallots instead of onion in the dressing, and only used 1/4 cup of sugar (which I think could be reduced even further, if you like less sweet dressings). The dressing had a really nice flavor. I added some sugared walnuts and craisins to the salad along with pan fried chicken slices and the sliced strawberries... all on top of baby spinach. Would have also been good with crumbled feta cheese. All in all, a very good, simple recipe.

Excellent recipe with one small exception; too much sugar. The first time I made this I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was o.k., but it was just WAY too sweet. The second time I put only half the amount of sugar called for and it was perfect. Also, I substituted balsamic vinegar for the distilled white vinegar and I used half olive oil and half canola oil (since olive oil is so expensive) and it turned out superb! With some minor tweaking, this recipe makes the perfect strawberry salad!

very tasty & beautiful when presented in a crystal bowl - I omitted seeds, which I liked even better.

Best Salad I have had in a long while. I have a sweet tooth and cut the sugar by half and it was perfect. I also used half distilled white vinegar and half balsamic (I hate when people go to far off the recipe and completely make a new recipe but i love balsamic). A definite keeper!!

I think I must have done something wrong with the dressing. The sugar never dissolved in the oil and my family and friends pretty much found the salad inedible because it was too sweet. I fixed the dressing in the morning and whisked and whisked - the sugar didn't dissolve. So, I let the dressing sit until lunch time - still didn't dissolve. I figured it was supposed to be that way and served it. Not a good choice! Any suggestions?

I made this for my husband and me for our little Easter dinner-for-two and we LOVED it. Of course, it makes too much for one meal so I didn't dress it all at once, but kept the ingredients separate and chilled for another dinner! Yum!

This recipe was great, but I think that next time I would cut down on the dressing or add more spinach. I'm not use to that much dressing. Otherwise very, very tasty Thanks Teresa

I have no idea why this was so delicious, but it was! I followed others' advice and used balsamic for the vinegar, reduced the sugar by almost half, used red onion, and added a clove of garlic. I made the dressing the night before, and was glad that I did. It tasted a lot better the second day. Served with a sprinkle of blue cheese. This would make an amazing entree salad with some grilled chicken.

OMG I'm not a salad eater but I'm really trying to eat healthy so I decided to make this last night. WOW WOW WOW. I love this salad. The dressing was SOOOOO GOOD!!! I did as other reviewers mentioned and subbed the white vinegar for balsamic vinegar. I added just a 1/4 cup sugar and it was still nice and sweet. Not a sesame seed person so omitted it and the onion. I added feta cheese and pecans and it is to die for. I will be making this often. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe.

Awesome! I only use 1/4 C sugar, it is plenty. Took to potluck and everyone wanted this recipe. The dressing as written handles 2 bags of spinach in my opinion, just make sure it is tossed and sets of the 15 minutes. A friend told me she uses no sugar, her family likes it better that way. Don't know if I'd go that far.....

This recipe is amazing! I hardly ever take the time to review recipes here but I just had to get on and say something about this one. I do a tablespoon of sugar instead of 1/2 cup because I don't like the dressing that sweet. I also throw in some crumbled goat cheese and it's to die for!

Like others, I suggest adding fresh pepper, feta, and/or candied almonds. I also agree that the dressing tastes better when the sugar is reduced by as much as a half. More importantly, I advise you to cut the portions in half, or more. The portions are absolutely huge, even for grown men. Like most salads, this does not keep well, and it is such a shame to spend time and money on food that's thrown away...

I've made this salad several times and each time it's a hugh hit. I tried to double it once and it was way too much spinach and dressing. I think it would work better to use the same amount of dressing and just add another 1/2 bag of spinach for a 8-10 servings.

Fabulous! Incredible! Pretty! My geusts thought I was a gourmet cook when I served this salad! Thank you!!

Fantastic recipe. I made it two nights in a row. The second night I added walnuts instead of almonds and blue cheese crumbles. Divine !

What a fantasic salad! I made this for Easter a year or two ago and ever since, my family has begged me to bring it to all our family gatherings. Really easy and tasty. If you like more "stuff" in your salad I've added sliced onions and feta cheese successfully to this salad too - but it's great as is. Thanks for the great recipe!

Wonderful recipe! We all loved it. Thank you Andrea

I add sunflower seeds and used only 1/4 cup of sugar and i loved. it.

This recipe is GREAT!!!!! I've made it several times since discovering it and the raves are fantastic!!!

MY FAMILY AND I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! Add some mandarin oranges. You won't regret it.

I swear, *EVERY*TIME*I* MAKE*THIS*SALAD* someone asks me for the recipe. Easy to do, and it makes you look like a genius in the kitchen!!

Love this recipe. I made it exactly to the recipe and it turned out perfect. I've made several times and I also get asked for the recipe.

I think this recipe is great. I don't use quite as much sugar in the dressing and usually add some leftover grilled chicken. What a tasty and simple salad.

A big hit at picnics. The dressing is spectacular. The dressing keeps in the fridge for a long time.

It is delicious, but use balsamic vinegar.

A bit sweet, but overall a good variant of a poppy seed dressing. I used red onion and processed it in a blender with all but the seeds, then added them last. The red onion made a pink sauce which darkened a bit with the other ingredients. It added a nice touch with the red strawberries.

This is a delicious recipe that my daughter made for us on her college break. She found it on your site while looking for a different salad to make. This was so good that when she came home recently my husband asked her to buy the ingredients again to make it for us. A real treat!

Fantastic Salad!! Hit at Mother's Day cookout. Beautiful and tasty! Be sure to NOT put the dressing on too soon before serving. One of my all-time favorite salads!

Loved it!

Delicious! I recommend adding some red onion and either goat feta cheese to this salad. Superb!

The Salad was good but I did not like the dressing.

Very good! Only complaint, I should have added a little more spinach, or a little less dressing. maybe that's because the spinach I used was short 1 oz.

Wonderful!

This was a great spring salad! Everyone enjoyed! Thanks!

This has been a huge hit with everyone I have made it for. I use 1/4 cup of sugar, balsamic vinegar instead of white, and red onion. Add a little feta cheese on top - perfection.

This was absolutely fabulous! I made it for a dinner party and everyone loved it. My husband ate seconds and thirds and raved about it. He has never done that with a salad before. The dressing makes quite a bit and so I had to add extra spinach with it and next time I will probably add even more spinach or just not put in all of the dressing. Overall it was a relatively easy salad to prepare. I also made up the dressing the night before to save time before the party began. Very good recipe!

We had guests over for dinner and all of us loved this!!

great recipe, used it today (4th of July) and had the strawberries, feta cheese and blueberries-very festive and the taste was outstanding. I did use balsimic vinegar instead of white vinegar.

This salad was delicious, but made way too much dressing! Your salad will definitely be soggy the next day. Next time I will serve the dressing on the side. I also cut back to 1/4 c. sugar and it was plenty sweet. Love the seeds in this... mmm... EDIT: Still making this salad and loving it! I now add mandarin oranges and serve the dressing on the side. Received many compliments from my friends!

Excellent spring/summer salad!

My husband's comments: "I don't usually like fruit in my salads but this is really good." 10 stars for that!! lol The dressing was simple, quick and easy. It was a little on the sweet side so next time, I'll cut the sugar by half or just use splenda. The hardest thing was mincing the onion so I cheated and used my grater. I forgot almonds at the grocery so I toasted sesame seeds and put those on the salad too. Yum, yum, yum. Can't wait to take another reader's advice and try it with other berries. My kids didn't care for it but to them, McD's is a gourmet meal. :)

I took this to our potluck for church and people were talking and asking for the recipe! It went super fast. The dressing is what makes this salad. The dressing seemed like such a weird combination on paper that I was skeptical. I cut out the almonds (personal preference) and didn't use the poppy seeds because I didn't have any on hand. If there wasn't something missing, I couldn't tell. It was FABULOUS! I brought the dressing in a separate container and poured over the salad right before the food was going to be served. I would recommend others do the same or else it will be a soggy mess after a while. I will DEFINITELY be making this again.

LOVE this salad. I add crumbled feta also.

INCREDIBLE!!! I was very skeptical of the strawberries in this recipe, maybe adding a little too much sweetness wit the sugar. BOY WAS I WRONG!! I cut the sugar in 1/2 and both my husband and I agree, it was sweet enough for us (our strawberries were very sweet!). I'll definitely be making this again, soon with a grilled chicken breast split between the two salads to round-out a meal!

Absolutely delicious!; dressing is very flavorful and don't need to put a lot on the salad

DELICIOUS! This is my new favorite salad recipe! The combination of sweet strawberries, a tangy vinagrette, and crunchy almonds made this salad wonderfully unique. If you enjoy this recipe you may also enjoy Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad also found on this website.

This salad was brought as a pot luck dish, and I have made it every week since..... absolutely delicious! Although, I cut the sugar down to 1 tablespoon!

This is one of my favorite salads. I don't use the paprika because I never have any but without it, it's great! Definitely a staple in my house!

I substituted Splenda for the sugar. This is an excellent dish that is quick to prepare. I brought the ingredients to work, with the dressing in a bottle. Assembled it for lunch and everyone loved it.

Wasn't what I was hoping for.

Great recipe, turned out very good. Next time I will add a little less sugar. Thanks!

Excellent, easy salad. I halved the sugar as many reviewers recommended. We served buffet-style, so I gave diners a choice of quartered strawberries, mandarin orange segments or both. Was well-liked by all.

This recipe is REALLY delicious! I made it for a special occasion and it was perfect. The dressing is super easy to make and quite tasty.

I thought the dressing made the salad taste too sharp, the strawberries tasted really sweet though. I would use a different vinegar the next time, maybe balsamic in a smaller quantity.

Very good.

Very VERY good! I made this salad for a recent business luncheon. It got RAVE reviews and flew off the table in no time!!!! It was a hit!

Great combo of flavors and textures. Used balsamic instead of white vinegar. Reduced olive oil to 1/4c. And only used 2 tblspns of a no sugar substitute such as Ideal. Plenty sweet! Excellent salad. Thanks!

I could eat this everyday and be happy!!! So delicious! Will make again and again.