Light and colorful Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe filled with crisp baby spinach, sweet summer strawberries, sliced onions, tangy feta cheese, and creamy avocado. Drizzle with a light poppyseed dressing and enjoy this crowd-pleasing Strawberry Spinach Salad for lunch or as a light dinner.

Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe with Poppy Seed Dressing

The salad of the summer, this simple, uncomplicated, and unbelievably fresh strawberry spinach salad with easy homemade poppy seed dressing is everything you ever wanted. And more.

Filled with simple ingredients like fresh baby spinach, sliced red onion, slivered almonds, tangy feta cheese, salty bacon, and juicy fresh strawberries, this easy summer salad is nothing short of amazing with perfectly balanced flavor in every single bite.

But what about that poppy seed dressing?

I decided to drizzle this strawberry spinach salad with a slightly sweet and somewhat tangy, poppy seed dressing. Made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, and poppy seeds, all you need is a jar or bowl to whisk this simple dressing together.

Not a fan of poppy seeds? A light balsamic vinaigrette is just as delicious.

Enjoy this strawberry spinach salad with all your summertime favorites including chicken shish kabobs, chicken breasts, or perhaps a refreshing margarita.

Ingredients in Strawberry Spinach Salad

The ingredients in this strawberry spinach salad include:

Spinach – I used fresh baby spinach here. The fresher, the better. Not a fan of baby spinach? Any green will work, but darker greens are especially wonderful given the strong flavors from the other ingredients.
Strawberries – fresh, juicy, ripe strawberries, is there anything better?
Red onions – Thinly sliced or diced, red onions are sharp and spicy, but still slightly sweet. They’re the perfect complement to the sweet strawberries.
Green onions – Green onions have so much flavor. The white and green parts, toss it all in.
Slivered almonds – Almonds, in truth, don’t add an explosion of flavor like strawberries and bacon. That said, they are there to add a lovely, subtle, earthy crunch. You’ll like it. Just make sure you’re not allergic to nuts.
Bacon – Bacon bits, need I say more?
Feta cheese – Tangy and delicious, the best part of feta cheese is that you don’t need a lot. No feta cheese? Goat cheese is a delicious alternative.
Avocado – Like the bacon, need I say more? But really, so creamy and the perfect balance.

Easy Poppy Seed Dressing

This poppyseed dressing was made for this strawberry spinach salad. It takes just 5 minutes to prepare and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The perfect complement to all the flavors and textures that make this salad so amazing, I highly recommend trying it out.

All you need are the following simple ingredients,

Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Honey
Poppy seeds
Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper

If you’re not a fan of poppy seed dressing, a light balsamic vinaigrette would be another fantastic option.

How to make the very best Strawberry Spinach Salad

Here’s how you can make this strawberry spinach salad,

Fry the bacon – Start by frying the bacon first. You can even do this step ahead of time if you want to plan ahead. I, personally, find that it’s easiest to cook bacon bits by chopping them up first, however, feel free to cook them according to your preferred method.
1. Add the chopped bacon to a large skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the bacon is hot and sizzling, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with a lid.
2. Cook, low and slow, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the bacon pieces are golden and release their grease, remove the lid and allow them to cook until the desired doneness is reached.
4. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
Prepare the poppy seed vinaigrette – Add all ingredients to a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. Whisk well to combine or seal and shake vigorously until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
Assemble – Add spinach to a large salad bowl and top with sliced red onion, green onion, cooked bacon bits, sliced strawberries, slivered almonds, crumbled feta, and sliced avocado. Gently toss to combine.
Serve – Divide salad among individual serving bowls and drizzle with prepared poppy seed vinaigrette.

Tips and Tricks

Add the poppy seed dressing just before serving. Unlike cabbage salads, spinach tends to get soggy much faster so it’s best to wait and add the salad dressing at the very end.
Try to pick ripe, yet firm avocados to prevent them from turning to mush.
Make it vegetarian and skip the bacon. Still delicious.
Can’t get your hands on any ripe strawberries? Don’t use frozen. Use a different fruit instead – blueberries, raspberries, mango, pears, persimmon, etc.
Add extra protein such as chicken, steak, garbanzo beans, or shrimp.
Save time and prepare the bacon and vinaigrette ahead of time.
If red onions are too strong for you, soak them in water after they’ve been sliced. This will remove some of the harshness.
I do not recommend adding a heavy cream-based dressing, however, as it will weigh down the entire salad and distract from the freshness from the strawberries.

What to serve with this Spinach Strawberry Salad Recipe

This strawberry spinach salad is an easy thrown-together lunch or light dinner. Perfect as is or served as a base for a bigger meal, this yummy bowl of greens loves to be tossed with chicken (Greek, citrus, or spicy Jerk marinade), shrimp, garbanzo beans, or lightly marinated grilled steak.

One of my favorite salads to serve on warm summer nights, I often serve this salad with a big fruit salad or a bowl of homemade guacamole and a margarita or mojito.

More easy salad recipes,

If you try making this Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe with Poppy Seed Dressing, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.

Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe with Poppy Seed Dressing