I have a confession to make. I am not the biggest salad fan at all because I usually don’t like my veggies and greens raw. I prefer having them roasted, sautéed or in juice form from my juicer. This strawberry spinach salad completely changed my perception of what salad could be. I can’t remember whether it was my mom or sister who made it as part of dinner one night. Probably both at some point, ha! I just remember that I was skeptical of having strawberries with spinach and then being absolutely floored by how good it was. My sister gave me the simple recipe and I’ve been making it ever since!
That was all there was to it! I kept the poppy seed dressing in its bowl when I served because I think everyone likes to dress their own salads. This way the strawberry spinach salad wouldn’t get soggy either. Oh my goodness, this is truly my favorite salad in the world. It’s bright, fresh and perfect for warm weather meals. Enjoy, friends!
- 1 pound fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
- 10 ounces baby spinach (usually 2 small containers)
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 a lemon zested
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- In an extra large salad bowl toss the sliced strawberries and spinach together. Take another bowl and start on the dressing. Combine the sugar, apple cider vinegar, lemon zest, salt and ground mustard in the bowl and whisk it all together in the bowl. While still whisking, slowly pour in the canola oil. Keep whisking the mixture for a couple of minutes until it comes together into a thick dressing.
- The last touch is to stir in the poppy seeds. Then it's just time to serve! I always serve the dressing on the side of any salad so that everyone can dress their salads to their own liking. It also keeps it from getting soggy. Enjoy the fresh, summery goodness!