Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

This strawberry goat cheese salad is fresh, crisp, and tossed in an easy homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Made with strawberries, cucumber, greens, walnuts, red onion, and creamy goat cheese, it's the perfect healthy summer salad for a side dish or light meal.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Serving servings

Ingredients

The Salad:

10 ounces mixed green lettuce
1 quart fresh strawberries (about 1 ½ cups), hulled and sliced
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and cut into quarter moons
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
¼ - ⅓ cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds
2 - 3 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Balsamic Dressing:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 - 2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Make the Dressing: Make the dressing by whisking together ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar until olive oil and balsamic vinegar emulsify - meaning there are completely mixed and no longer separate. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking by adding more balsamic, salt, pepper, and/or olive oil, if desired.
Make the Salad: Add mixed greens to a large salad bowl and layer on the strawberries, cucumber, sliced red onion, walnuts, and goat cheese.
Dress the Salad: When ready to serve, drizzle dressing on the salad and gently toss to combine or serve with dressing on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

Dress before serving: Add the dressing right before serving so the greens stay crisp and fresh

Use ripe but firm strawberries so they don’t get mushy once dressed

Slice the red onion very thin or soak it in cold water for 5–10 minutes to mellow the flavor

Don’t skip the cucumber: It adds the best crunch and keeps the salad fresh and balanced

Want a softer base? Use baby spinach instead of mixed greens

To make it a full meal, add chicken, salmon, shrimp, steak, or tofu

Start with less dressing and add more as needed

This salad is best enjoyed fresh the same day

Nutrition

Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Healthy

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and tag @HealthfulBlondie on Instagram & hashtag it #healthfulblondie!