My family loves this spinach strawberry salad all year-round, if we can find strawberries. Even the grandchildren love this salad. Quick and easy.
Just made this salad for a dinner party and it was a huge hit! I will make this salad all the time now. I also halved the sugar like others recommended and substituted Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar for White Vinegar. Also, left out the seeds(I couldn't find them in the store) and used sliced almonds. Delicious.
Read MoreI hate to be the critic... But I'm going to be completely honest. The taste was a 4 star, but I could only eat a few bites of this salad. I followed the recipe exactly. First, it wasn't until I got into the recipe that I realized that this recipe took everything that was healthy about raw spinach and strawberries and turned it into a complete heart attack equating to McDonald's food on a bad day. Literally, you are putting 1 full cup of super high fat oil mixed with sugar all over some healthy raw spinach and good healthy sweet fruit. Normally when I eat spinach salad, which is daily, I can eat a full plate of raw spinach with about 2 teaspoons of Italian dressing. The whole thing is under 200 calories. This recipe is immensely high fat and high sugar. Anyhow, I could only eat about 4 bites until I felt like "ugg". I'm laying back now with my sugar rush feeling bad. If I eat plain raw spinach with Italian, I feel like a million bucks. I would highly consider re-doing this recipe. The strawberries are a very nice touch, but all the sugar is a nightmare. This is my opinion, and I do feel that we as a society eat way too much sugar. This recipe is an example of how something very healthy is turned into a completely unhealthy meal. I'm sorry, but I did think the flavor itself is 4 to 5 stars, but then again, oil + sugar taste good with anything. Just like fried anything tastes good.
Read MoreJust made this salad for a dinner party and it was a huge hit! I will make this salad all the time now. I also halved the sugar like others recommended and substituted Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar for White Vinegar. Also, left out the seeds(I couldn't find them in the store) and used sliced almonds. Delicious.
Excellent Salad that brought rave reviews. Per others suggestions, I decreased the sugar by half. I only had red wine vinegar, so I used that. Dressing was tasty with just the right amount of sweetness for the salad. I served the dressing on the side. I added mandarin oranges, red onion and pecans!!!! Great salad!!!! Thanks Jerry. Update: I tried the dressing with the raspberry balsamic vinegar and it was wonderful. I did increase the vinegar to a half cup and reduced the sugar in half. I think it could have used more sugar, but it was still a wonderful dressing and salad. I continue to add mandarin oranges, pecans and red onions. Great Salad!!!
I hate to be the critic... But I'm going to be completely honest. The taste was a 4 star, but I could only eat a few bites of this salad. I followed the recipe exactly. First, it wasn't until I got into the recipe that I realized that this recipe took everything that was healthy about raw spinach and strawberries and turned it into a complete heart attack equating to McDonald's food on a bad day. Literally, you are putting 1 full cup of super high fat oil mixed with sugar all over some healthy raw spinach and good healthy sweet fruit. Normally when I eat spinach salad, which is daily, I can eat a full plate of raw spinach with about 2 teaspoons of Italian dressing. The whole thing is under 200 calories. This recipe is immensely high fat and high sugar. Anyhow, I could only eat about 4 bites until I felt like "ugg". I'm laying back now with my sugar rush feeling bad. If I eat plain raw spinach with Italian, I feel like a million bucks. I would highly consider re-doing this recipe. The strawberries are a very nice touch, but all the sugar is a nightmare. This is my opinion, and I do feel that we as a society eat way too much sugar. This recipe is an example of how something very healthy is turned into a completely unhealthy meal. I'm sorry, but I did think the flavor itself is 4 to 5 stars, but then again, oil + sugar taste good with anything. Just like fried anything tastes good.
I have made this for years and it is always a huge hit. For the dressing I use 1/4 cup oil, 2 T. sugar, 2 T. vinegar, 1/2 t. salt, and ground red pepper to taste. I often add mandarin oranges and fresh blueberries. Sugared almonds are a great addition as well. Great with grilled steaks and chicken. Thanks for all the great ideas for other variations!
This is an excellent salad. Instead of regular vinegar I tried Balsamic vinegar and it turned out fantastic. Also the recipe doesn't tell you to let the dressing refrigerate before serving. That is necessary to blend the flavors.
Not what I expected at all! Even my boyfriend, who was making faces the entire time I made this, liked it. I used half the sugar, red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar and added red onions and pecans. I will make this again!
A friend introduced us to this about a year ago, and I use variations on this recipe all the time to "wow!" guests. In addition to the recipe shown here, I've mixed the baby spinach and salad dressing with fresh mandarin oranges and toasted almonds - a nice classy dish to cut the taste of an accompanying spicy meal. This is a sure-fire winner!
Great recipe, and it's the first I've save to my recipe box ;). Here are my adjustments: 1. I used red wine vinegar instead of white vinegar 2. I used half the amount of sugar based on others recommendations 3. I added candied almonds... who doesn't love a little nut added to the mix? I followed the recipe suggestion from another comment. 4. I added red pepper flakes... I like it spicy 5. I halfed the salad dressing recipe and added balsamic vinegar to the other half so that I could experience both... I preferred the one with balsamic vinegar 6. This recipe is nothing without the poppy seeds ;). I had this sort of recipe at my wedding with a creamy poppy seed dressing and it was a hit! And just to add... for all of the people that comment and say they hate when people adjust the recipe, I'm one of those that lives in the comments. I'd prefer to see how people adjust, change and make the recipe their own. It's what makes this site and the recipe soooo much better! Enjoy.
Very good salad. Made it for a family dinner! They loved it. Very pretty and easy to make. Thanks!
I didn't have the sesame seeds so I doubled the poppy seeds. Delicious. Next time I will cut back on the sugar and add some muddled strawberries to the dressing so there's some strawberry juiciness in addition to the strawberry chunks in the salad.
Yummy, but it got soggy after a while at my work's potluck. I would put the dressing, strawberries and spinach in a separate container and refridgerate them... then combine them right before serving.
I used equal parts sugar, vinegar and oil and it was PERFECT! Definitely use Raspberry Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the best taste. You can even add a dash of sesame oil to enhance the sesame flavor. I don't like Poppy Seeds, so I omitted them and it was just fabulous. I've also added grilled chicken and shredded mozzarella to make it a whole meal and WOW! I've made this for everyone I know... Yum yum yum!
Acutally we've been eating this for years; it is soooo delicious. My recipe varies slightly: it adds a few dashes of Worchestershire and some minced green onion in with the dressing. I like to use sesame oil and rice wine vinegar to give it an oriental flair. Mix the dressing in a jar and refrigerate, and you can use it as you need it. It's also great on field greens or if you use mandarine oranges instead of strawberries.
I made this salad for a dinner party the other night and it was very tasty. This makes alot and as others stated, it does begin to wilt once you add the dressing, so next time I make this, I will use only one bag of baby spinach. I also added some fine sliced red onion, gorgonzola cheese, and honey roasted walnut pieces. I also used olive oil and only 1/4 cup sugar. Makes a nice presentation. I also think this would be good to eliminate the spinach and use romaine lettuce instead.
I already loved spinach salad, but could not believe how much better it was witht he strawberries. This is great and a slightly lower fat recipe with the bacon left out.
Simply Delicious!!! I cannot begin to tell you how good this salad was. I love fresh fruit in my salads, so I tossed in some fresh diced pears along with the strawberries. Instead of spinach I used a bag of gourmet salad greens. I didn't have the sesame seeds so I left them out and added a tsp of onion powder to the dressing. I sprinkled a bag of roasted parmesan almonds on top (you know...those new almond toppers that you can buy at the store), and they were TERRIFIC with this salad. I highly recommened this one. Can't wait to make this again when I visit my mom back home. Great recipe Jerry!
My favorite! I love this! We had it for Easter dinner and our company thought I was a gourmet cook! It was so pretty in a clear glass bowl. I heat the dressing before adding the seeds to melt the sugar and then cool it in the freezer. Thank you for this recipe!!!
We use 1/2 cup balsamic, 1 cup EVOO, 1/2 white sugar, put the hot toasted sesame seeds in the EVOO, along with the poppy and paprika. BEST balsamic dressing ever!!!!!!
This salad has great flavor. The sweetness of the strawberries is really great. The only thing is the dressing is VERY oil based. Maybe next time I make it I will use a 1/3 cup of oil instead of a 1/2, or maybe try olive oil instead of vegetable (or actually the canola oil I used. ) Overall though this is really great salad with dinners.
Delicious salad. I prepared this for a dinner party earlier this week and it was a HUGE hit! I took the suggestions of others, and used balsamic vinegar and the dressing was perfect. Thanks for sharing this one! **Update 12/03-I made this again for a Holiday Party and used mandarin oranges and walnuts instead of the strawberries.....soooo good. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. You cannot go wrong with this! You can "Healthy it Up" by using EVOO and Splenda, just as good. I don't always use all the dressing. Just enough to taste. Otherwise, it can get a little too soggy.
A very good spinach strawberry salad! I brought this into work for a potluck, and didn't have any leftovers to bring home.
Quite possibly the best salad i ever made one adjustment i used Olive Oil instead of vegetable oil..the secret is in the dressing ..i have not only used it on this salad but other salads as well.
I made this for a family holiday party, picking it because it sounded healthy and because it was mainly green & red... and it was a huge hit, even with family members who usually turn their noses up at my healthy vegetable contributions. It was really delicious!
definite crowd pleaser! i use less sugar, and it is perfect. lots of people always ask for the recipe.
I made this salad a few times and I think it turned out great! A lot of people wrote saying they used rasberry basalmic vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, but I used the white wine vinegar and I think the salad still turned out awesome. I also didn't use as much sugar as it says to in the recipe because it seemed like way too much.
Very easy recipe. I didn't have paprika so I used cloves, I switched the vinegar to balsamic and used olive oil. So I made it a little more italian. I have had this original recipe though and it is terrific. Thank you!
Mmmmm. EXCELLENT salad! I added feta cheese and crushed pecans. Will make again and again. I couldn't get enough of it!!!!
I shared this salad with a friend who is fighting cancer. She is working hard to avoid sugars right now and this salad was adaptable. She enjoyed her own dressing and her family enjoyed the recipe dressing. And the strawberries gave it just a touch of sweet for her enjoyment.
Great salad! I prepared this for my company Christmas Party and I received rave reviews. I did add sliced almonds to it. Mary - Wichita, KS
I have never taken this anywhere that I have not been asked for the recipe. The only thing I do differently is melt 1/2C white sugar and brown almond slivers in it to add to the salad for an extra kick and some crunchiness. The only downfall to this salad is it must be eaten just after dressing; it's not good leftover. Great for summer potlucks or patio entertaining!
I loved this salad, it is such a nice change. I used the advice of others and added walnuts, feta cheese, and red opnion rings. I also took the advice of others on the dressing and used balsalmic vinegar (I love it), and chose to omit the sesame seeds, and poppy seeds as I did not have any. The dressing was a bit too granular for me so next time I will use less sugar. This is a great summer recipe - a wonderful change from a normal salad.
When I first saw this at a party I thought, "what a combination, yuck!". I love strawberries & like spinach so I gave it a try. I am now a hugh fan of this!!! Now I think, "WHAT A COMBINATION, YUM!!" I use balsamic vinegar & it's even better! Give it a try!!
This was ok, but I probably wouldn't make it again. I added toasted walnuts. Used the Brianna's blush dressing instead of mixing up the one in the recipe, but I did add the sesame seeds & poppy seeds to the dressing.
Great recipe! Took it to a friend's dinner and everyone loved it. The hit of the evening. My friend has been making it ever since. So have I. Thanks for the recipe.
Great salad! As others recommended, I halved the sugar, used balsamic vinegar, omitted the poppy and sesame seeds and added chopped pecans. My husband and I both loved it.
This was simply fantastic...the perfect summer salad! Here are my tweaks: 1) Cut the amount of sugar in half 2) Skip the seeds 3) Use raspberry balsamic vinegar instead of white vinegar and 4) add sliced toasted almonds and feta crumbles DELICIOUS!!!
This salad was amazing.My husband who can't stand spinach asked for seconds.
If you want to be the star of the party, take this salad! Best of all it is so adaptable to taste and ingredients on hand. Make it a meal with chicken or steak. I've added gorgonzola, bacon, red/green onions, almonds/walnuts, the list goes on. As far as the dressing I like to use only 2 packets of splenda and a tablespoon of sesame oil. Thanks for the post, Jerry!
I made this for the work potluck. Everyone loved it. I didn't bring enough! Vinegar nice contrast to strawberries. I only used half the spinach. BIG mistake. It made it a bit soggy in the end. Definately use 2 bunches.
I cut down on sugar as I don't like things too sweet. Only change I made. I thought the dressing was "flat". Wondered what all the fuss was about. Finally I realized it had NO salt in the dressing. The next time I made it I added some salt and what a difference! Loved it. I read many reviews and no one mentioned adding salt, so maybe it's just me.
My husband, neighbors and their families all just loved it. I did use balsamic vinegar and added thinly sliced red onion, walnuts and cubed swiss cheese. Will make this many times during the summer.
This is a tasty, refreshing salad. Next time, however, I will cut the sugar in half as others suggested. It was just a little too sweet.
This salad is a perfect combination of both textures and flavors...I served it for lunch to a group of cosmopolitan female friends-with ver-y sophisticated tastes in food.....You should have heard the raves-Thanks Jerry, I love it when I can get that response!
As written I give this 4 stars, but with two simple additions, feta cheese and walnuts, this is easily 5 stars.
Just had it for dinner...delicious.... A salad to have on our repeat menu .. I did add walnuts for an extra crunch...yummy
I loved this recipe. I think it would be especially good served chilled on a hot summer day.
This is a wonderful recipe. The dressing is fantastic and can be used with so much more, including a fruit salad. Thank you for sharing!
Turns out great. Simple to make and we like the lite dressing in this recipe. A good spring go-to salad.
Absolutely delicious. I added green onions and omitted the sesame seeds. Also, I used only half the sugar and added sliced almonds. I've never seen my fiance eat salad like that before.
This is such a delicious salad and dressing. I also add slivered almonds, crispy cut up bacon, and sliced hard boiled eggs to it.
Totally addicting! I didn't have sesame seeds or poppy seeds, but I added walnuts instead. Wonderful!
Really enjoyed this recipe. I took out the sesame seeds and the poppy seeds and added in freshly toasted pecans that I did a quick maple syrup glaze on. (Very simple - put pecans in pan and toast for 1 minute then add in a bit of maple syrup to coat. Stir to combine for 1 minute and let cool). Everything else was the same as the recipe called for. Everyone LOVED it!!!!
I have been making this recipe for a long time now, I make it exactly like the recipe says and everyone loves it!!
This is such a delicious salad!!! My whole family loves it, and it's great for holidays or just any day. It's incredibly easy to make too. Though once I cut the sugar in half and it didn't taste as good, but made the way it's shown, it's really an amazing salad.
Nice to have a spinach salad recipe without a lot of bacon and cheese. Way too much sugar in this one tho; I don't really think it needs any, maybe a tablespoon or so.
I made this exactly as posted. However the dressing was horrible. The sugar was WAY too much and it wouldn't mix or dissolve whatsoever. I ended up remaking it myself. The listed recipe was useless and gets 2 stars. I was almost out of the white wine vinegar however so I used half white wine vinegar, half white cooking wine. I also used agave nectar instead of the sugar. Didn't measure it out just added it, tried it then added a bit more. MY version of the dressing was great and everyone loved it!
Since I did not follow the recipe exactly, I probally should not review. I used the recipe as a start and only changed a couple of things. I did not add the paprika, but used balsamic vinegar instead of the white wine vinegar. I also added fresh cut up oranges and walnuts. this salad was to die for. Such a refreshing change to have with a meal. I was so pleased with the outcome I am making it again for Easter. I made the dressing the night before and just let it set covered on the countertop and then drizzled it over the individual salad right before serving. You really must try it, but be ready to be hooked.
If I could give this 10 stars I would. I had girlfriends for lunch and they couldn't get enough of the salad. We could have just made this our lunch! I'm going to try and cut up some rotesserie chicken and add it to the salad next time.......Try it you'll love it!
This is the best salad!!! All of my friends have begged for the recipe. When I did not have the poppy and sesame seeds, I used sunflower and I liked that better.
I made this today to bring with me to a baby shower. It was gone before I even had a chance to taste it. I have never made it before, thought I would try my luck, and it was perfect. I had several people ask me for the recipe. So, I have extra strawberries left to try this myself. Based on a empty dish, I would say definately 5 stars, didn't change a thing. Thanks for a great recipe!
This is a GREAT salad! I have been making one very similar with a few exceptions. Add blue cheese! I know it dosen't sound great...I don't even LIKE Blue cheese, but it is so good in this salad!!! Also, add crushed walnuts. In the dressing, I only put 1/4 cup sugar, everything else the same, and added 2-3 dashes worcestershire sauce. Please try this, you'll love it this way!!!!!!! I made it for a gourmet dinner (very pretty presentation) and also took it to a tennis match. Everyone will ask for the recipe!
This was a lovely looking salad. I did change it quite a bit though. I added toasted slivered almonds and thinly sliced red onions. And I used a balsamic vinagrette for the dressing, as I didn't want it to be too sweet. The final result was delicious.
Really good. Recipe makes a lot of dressing ( in my opinion). I could've added more spinach to soak it up.
Excellent!! I do reduce the sugar to 1/3C as others have suggested; just a little too sweet for me. I did use canola oil instead of vegetable oil and substituted red wine vinegar for the white. I also added sweet candied pecans and chunks of blue cheese. One of my favorite salads! It's a simple recipe that can be altered to suite anyone's personal tastes!
quick and easy to make tastes great red strawberries with the dark green spinach looks great together
Excellent!!! Cut down on the sugar and used slivered almonds in place of poppy/sesame seeds as Mother claims they get caught in her teeth.
This recipe is good and the poppy seeds are a nice touch. It uses a lot of sugar and I just ended up substituting honey for some of the sugar. Would be good with lemon juice instead of vinegar in the dressing.
This recipe is amazing!! I didn't use the seeds, but instead used crushed pecans. I used the full amount of sugar for the dressing (though many reviewers said not to) and thought it was perfect, but I do have a major sweet tooth! ;) I also used balsamic raspberry vinegar instead of the white wine vinegar. I tossed together organic baby spinach, the sliced strawberries and pecans. I put the dressing into a bottle so we could pour it on our salads right before eating. I think that works better than mixing it all together, that way if there is some leftover it will last awhile in the fridge. I think next time I will try EVOO in place of the vegetable oil to make it a bit healthier!
LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I did change it abit our family doesn't like poppy seeds so i took those out of the dressing and just add some sunflower seeds to the salad. In the dressing I only used oil, apple cider vingar and white sugar and it turned out amazing!
I used only 1/4 cup oil, sugar, and vinegar and left out the seeds for the kids. I cut the strawberries in half instead of slicing and added chucks of watermelon and blueberries. Fantastic!
Onion and pecans were added to this first try. There's a little bit of cheese crumbles and balsamic dressing. I had this once and thought it tasted delicious. Croutons round out the flavors.
What a great salad! My kids ask for this one all the time...especially when strawberries are really in season. Great for parties since it is easy and beautiful to present.
Excellent!!! I have made this several times now, for a couple different sets of company, and everyone has loved it! Very easy to make, pretty presentation, so wonderfully nutritious, and absolutely delicious! Spinach and strawberries are SO healthy! I feel so good eating it! The only thing I do differently is I serve the dressing on the side, in a gravy boat with ladle, so the salad doesn't get soggy. This makes it much, much better for leftovers as well (I always make a double batch now, as it is great to eat for days after, though the dressing must be mixed up again before each serving).
I served this and received more compliments. A light, refreshing spring salad.
This is delicious and simple. I hate when people rate the recipe based on a ton of modifications; however, I did decrease the sugar to 1/4 cup, which seemed just right to me. I can't imagine it with the full amount in the recipe. When I made it a second time, I further decreased the oil by half (calorie-counting) and used olive oil (a "healthy" oil on my Weight Watchers). I also used balsamic vinegar rather than white due to personal preference. In conclusion, I think the recipe is wonderful as it is (with half the sugar), but it's easy to make modifications and still come up with something terrific.
This salad was fabulous! The only thing that I did differently was I added Honey roasted almond slivers for a little crunch! My husband is not a salad fan and he said "A salad should not taste this good." Well said honey!
How can I put this...3 picky eaters plus this salad equals one happy single father...it was a hit with my boys...and they even liked the looks of it....
This salad is so good. I made it without having high hopes and when we usually have left over salad, we were fighting over licking the bowl!!
I have heard of salads like this but have always been a little skeptical of trying them. BUT, I made this one for a family gathering and I loved it as well as all of my family!! So sweet and refreshing and such a switch from your everyday garden salad! Loved it!!
Fantastic salad, though I used half the sugar. The second time I made it I added red onion and feta cheese, which worked incredibly well.
Great recipe. I also add blueberries and blackberries if I have on hand. And sometimes some feta cheese. The dressing is amazing.
I have made this many times for family gatherings and pot lucks. Got requests to make it again. Even my kids love it!
Followed the recipe exactly. Not a fan. Most reviewers modified this recipe. Should have done the same. Don't like the vegetable oil in the dressing. I tried the dressing with half the sugar as suggested first and the vinegar taste was too strong, so then I added the full amount of sugar and it was an improvement. The salad was somewhat bland. Maybe feta cheese or goat cheese would have helped. Will substitute olive oil and possibly balsamic vinegar if I try this again. Maybe add toasted almonds. Bottom line: I recommend modifying the recipe.
We made this salad and it was my idea. My girlfriend loved it. I couldn't stand the aroma of and texture of it. I would still recommend trying it. Yay
I followed this recipe exactly and everyone loved it! Thanks for a great salad recipe!
I've been using this recipe for several years as my standby salad recipe. I usually don't have sesame seeds on hand and I flip-flop the oil (I use olive) and vinegar (red wine vinegar). I make the dressing ahead and let the strawberries marinate in the dressing...unsweetened frozen strawberries can easily be used when you make it this way. Just pour the dressing over the spinach immediately prior to serving!
I make this regularly, all year long. Great dressing! I usually add sliced almonds and chow mein noodles for crunch. Have even added chicken breast for main dish. Everyone loves it.
