Strawberry Balsamic Salad
This strawberry balsamic salad is the perfect dinner-worthy salad! It has fresh strawberries, greens, creamy goat cheese, candied walnuts, and the most delicious maple balsamic dressing! This salad recipe is a keeper! The inspiration for this strawberry balsamic salad came from a little French bistro. We’d go for lunch, and I always ordered their salad with fruit, goat cheese, and candied nuts. Depending on the season, they changed the fruit, but my favorite version of that salad had strawberries! This is genuinely dinner-worthy (or lunch if you want to be fancy). Everything is simple (even those candied walnuts). I love adding fruit to salads, especially when you’ve got a poppy dressing like this balsamic dressing. Another favorite is this strawberry iceberg salad, which is a little riff off a wedge salad with blue cheese, but made with strawberries instead of tomatoes. Key Ingredients Strawberries: Ideally, use sweet, ripe strawberries for this salad. If your strawberries are less than perfect, hull and halve them, then dust them with sugar and a pinch of salt. After 10 to 15 minutes, they’ll release their juices, dissolving the sugar and salt. This maceration process enhances their sweetness and flavor. Salad Greens: I like mild lettuces and greens for this salad, like butter lettuce, red leaf, or even spinach. Use what you love! Cucumber: I usually buy hothouse or English cucumber for salads since they have no seeds and thinner skin. Regular garden cucumbers work, too, but consider peeling some or all of the skin and removing larger seeds. Orange: I love adding some extra fruit to this salad, so I peel my orange and slice it into thin slices. I love the juicy orange with the other salad ingredients (especially the goat cheese). Goat Cheese: Use soft goat cheese and break it into large clumps for the salad. Feta is also nice, but I really love the creaminess of goat cheese for this one. Maple Balsamic Dressing: You’ll combine balsamic vinegar with red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and olive oil to make it. For the best flavor, use a mid-range aged balsamic vinegar from Italy. Taste the dressing and adjust the maple syrup for sweetness as needed. Higher-end balsamic might already be sweet enough, while less expensive balsamic tastes more vinegary and needs the extra sweetness of the maple syrup. I also have this balsamic vinaigrette recipe that calls for a little strawberry jam to sweeten things up. Maple Candied Walnuts: I haven’t been able to stop making candied nuts since I tried this stovetop method with maple syrup. It’s fast and easy, plus I love them on top of salads, like this one. Of course, you could also swap these for other nuts. If you are interested, we also have these recipes for stovetop candied pecans and this recipe for candied pecans in the oven. Strawberries: Ideally, use sweet, ripe strawberries for this salad. If your strawberries are less than perfect, hull and halve them, then dust them with sugar and a pinch of salt. After 10 to 15 minutes, they’ll release their juices, dissolving the sugar and salt. This maceration process enhances their sweetness and flavor. Salad Greens: I like mild lettuces and greens for this salad, like butter lettuce, red leaf, or even spinach. Use what you love! Cucumber: I usually buy hothouse or English cucumber for salads since they have no seeds and thinner skin. Regular garden cucumbers work, too, but consider peeling some or all of the skin and removing larger seeds. Orange: I love adding some extra fruit to this salad, so I peel my orange and slice it into thin slices. I love the juicy orange with the other salad ingredients (especially the goat cheese). Goat Cheese: Use soft goat cheese and break it into large clumps for the salad. Feta is also nice, but I really love the creaminess of goat cheese for this one. Maple Balsamic Dressing: You’ll combine balsamic vinegar with red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and olive oil to make it. For the best flavor, use a mid-range aged balsamic vinegar from Italy. Taste the dressing and adjust the maple syrup for sweetness as needed. Higher-end balsamic might already be sweet enough, while less expensive balsamic tastes more vinegary and needs the extra sweetness of the maple syrup. I also have this balsamic vinaigrette recipe that calls for a little strawberry jam to sweeten things up. Maple Candied Walnuts: I haven’t been able to stop making candied nuts since I tried this stovetop method with maple syrup. It’s fast and easy, plus I love them on top of salads, like this one. Of course, you could also swap these for other nuts. If you are interested, we also have these recipes for stovetop candied pecans and this recipe for candied pecans in the oven. I genuinely can’t wait until you try this strawberry salad. I bet you’ll even keep the dressing and candied walnuts earmarked for other dishes, too. I certainly have. You can see the walnuts in our photos. They get so glisten-y and taste incredible (I love making a double batch and keeping the rest for snacks!) For more strawberry recipes, I highly recommend this berry fruit salad (for dessert or breakfast) or these easy strawberry muffins! If you are completely inundated with fresh berries, I also love this strawberry pie! Strawberry Balsamic Salad PREP 15 mins COOK 5 mins TOTAL 20 mins PREP 15 mins COOK 5 mins TOTAL 20 mins Our balsamic strawberry salad features buttery lettuce, mounds of fresh strawberries, cucumber, orange slices, and big chunks of creamy goat cheese to balance it all out. This salad has everything. We even throw on some homemade candied walnuts for crunch (they only take 5 minutes to make). The quality and cost of balsamic vinegar vary tremendously, so we recommend tasting your vinegar before making the dressing. Aged balsamic vinegar tends to taste more decadent and sweet. If this is what you have on hand, you do not need to add maple syrup to your dressing. Makes 4 servings You Will Need Strawberry Salad 10 ounces mild salad greens like butter lettuce or romaine 2 cups (14oz) strawberries, hulled and halved Half of a large thin-skinned cucumber, sliced 1 orange, peel removed and cut into half-moons 4 ounces (113g) creamy goat cheese or feta cheese 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, optional 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper 1 cup (85g) walnut halves 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup Pinch ground cinnamon Pinch cayenne pepper Pinch fine sea salt Directions 1Make candied walnuts: Heat a wide skillet over medium heat, and then add the walnut halves, maple syrup, pinch of cinnamon and pinch of cayenne. Stir the nuts around the pan for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, and the maple syrup begins to stick to them Slide the nuts onto a plate or piece of parchment paper, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Allow the nuts to cool. If any nuts are stuck together, gently break them apart. 2Make balsamic dressing: Whisk the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Continue to whisk while slowly pouring in the olive oil until the dressing thickens. Taste, and then adjust with more salt, pepper, or maple syrup. Alternatively, place all the dressing ingredients into a jar, close the lid, and shake until thickened. 3Assemble salad: Divide the lettuce between salad bowls. Scatter the strawberries, cucumber, orange slices, and candied walnuts on top of the lettuce, then break the goat cheese into large crumbles and divide between the salads. Pour the balsamic dressing over each salad and serve. 1Make candied walnuts: Heat a wide skillet over medium heat, and then add the walnut halves, maple syrup, pinch of cinnamon and pinch of cayenne. Stir the nuts around the pan for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, and the maple syrup begins to stick to them Slide the nuts onto a plate or piece of parchment paper, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Allow the nuts to cool. If any nuts are stuck together, gently break them apart. 2Make balsamic dressing: Whisk the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Continue to whisk while slowly pouring in the olive oil until the dressing thickens. Taste, and then adjust with more salt, pepper, or maple syrup. Alternatively, place all the dressing ingredients into a jar, close the lid, and shake until thickened. 3Assemble salad: Divide the lettuce between salad bowls. Scatter the strawberries, cucumber, orange slices, and candied walnuts on top of the lettuce, then break the goat cheese into large crumbles and divide between the salads. Pour the balsamic dressing over each salad and serve. Adam and Joanne's Tips Depending on how rich and sweet your balsamic vinegar tastes, you may not need the maple syrup added to the dressing. Generally, the most expensive the balsamic vinegar, the richer and thicker it will be. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Depending on how rich and sweet your balsamic vinegar tastes, you may not need the maple syrup added to the dressing. Generally, the most expensive the balsamic vinegar, the richer and thicker it will be. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/4 of the recipe / Calories 388 / Total Fat 30.7g / Saturated Fat 7.2g / Cholesterol 13.1mg / Sodium 371.7mg / Carbohydrate 23.5g / Dietary Fiber 4.7g / Total Sugars 15g / Protein 9.8g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us Previous Post: The Best Quinoa Salad Next Post: Best Shrimp Salad