Front Range Fed

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Strawberry Spinach Salad With Goat Cheese Walnuts

    Modified: Feb 22, 2025 · Published: May 20, 2017 by Sarah Jenkins. This post may contain affiliate links. See the Privacy Policy at the bottom of this page.

    Jump to Recipe

    This Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe is bursting with flavor. A blanket of earthy spinach, topped with juicy ripe strawberries, creamy goat cheese crumbles and crunchy, sweet candied walnuts.

    If you live in Colorado, you know how bananas the weather around here is – one minute the sun is shining, and the next – Bam! A snowstorm. This is exactly what happened to us this week. On Monday we were picnicking with friends for dinner at a local park, donning shorts, tank tops, and sandals, and enjoying the 80-degree weather. By Thursday, we had pulled our snow boots back out, had on heavy coats, and were trudging through the 5 feet of snow that was dumped on us. 

    spinach and strawberry salad with goat cheese and candied walnuts in bowl.

    Did I mention that this is the 3rd week of May, people?!?  My kindergartener will be done with school for the summer next week. This shouldn’t be happening!  Which just goes to show - Mother Nature do what she wants.

    But, despite all of that, there is a shift in the air that is turning to real summer. Earlier in the week (due to the gorgeous weather we had been having) I was feeling all the summer vibes and hungry for a light and fresh salad – one that would get us all excited about the upcoming months free of schedules and full of sun.

    Little did I know I would be eating it in a snowstorm, but hey, you take what you get. And this strawberry and spinach salad recipe did do its part to lift my mood out from beneath the weight of all that snow.

    I had stopped over at Isabelle’s farm stand in central Lafayette early in the week and picked up some gorgeous-looking spinach. I wanted to bring to mind the sweetness of summer but didn’t want a salad that was too heavy, so I landed on a classic strawberry and spinach salad, topped with goat cheese and candied walnuts. 

    fresh spinach in colander.

    How To Make This Strawberry Spinach Salad

    This is an easy-peasy salad recipe that can be thrown together in as little as 5 minutes.

    1. Wash your spinach and strawberries. Next, halve or quarter your strawberries, thinly slice up some red onion, and add all of it, along with the spinach to a bowl.
    2. Add some crumbled goat cheese.
    3. Top with delicious candied walnuts. These are super easy to make and only need a few of ingredients. Add butter, sugar and a dash of salt to a pan and heat over low heat. Add your walnuts and mix until they're well coated. Then just stir them around for 5 minutes over the stove until the mixture carmelizes. Watch these closely, and stir frequently. It's easy to step away for a minute and come back to a pan of burnt walnuts!
    4. Make your dressing, which is a simple mix of olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, honey and salt and pepper to taste.
    5. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

    The result? Earthy spinach, fresh and juicy strawberries, creamy goat cheese, and the crunch of sweet walnuts, all topped with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette. Perfect!  Summer here we come (even if it’s taking us just a bit longer to get there.)

    If you try this Strawbery Spinach Salad, leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And don't fortget to tag me with a pic on Instagram!

    spinach and strawberry salad with goat cheese and candied walnuts.

    More Bright And Fruity Salads

    • Burrata Salad With Cherries And Hot Honey
    • Tomato Salad With Grains, Mint And Feta
    • Peach Caprese Salad With Roasted Pistachios
    • Quinoa And Nectarine Salad With Basil And Feta
    • Chickpea Salad WIth Veggies And Dill Dressing

    Recipe

    spinach strawberry and goat cheese salad in bowl.

    Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

    Author: Sarah Jenkins
    This strawberry spinach salad is bursting with flavor. A blanket of earthy spinach, topped with juicy ripe strawberries, creamy goat cheese crumbles, and crunchy, sweet candied walnuts.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Calories

    Ingredients
      

    For The Salad

    • 2-3 cups fresh spinach
    • 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries stemmed and halved
    • 1 cup whole or halved walnuts
    • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

    For The Dressing

    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon honey
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Mix the spinach, strawberries, and red onion in a bowl and set aside. (A note about the red onion – a little goes a long way in this salad so be careful not to overdo it. I used ¼ of the onion but you may want to use less depending on your tastes.)
    • Make the candied walnuts. Over low/medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sugar and a tiny dash of salt. Mix in the walnuts and stir so that the butter and sugar mixture coats the nuts. Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture caramelizes on the nuts (about 5 minutes). Watch these carefully as they can burn very quickly. Let walnuts cool completely.
    • Mix the dressing. Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a bowl and whisk until combined. (See how easy it is to make your own dressing! You’ll never have to buy it at the supermarket again!)
    • Add the walnuts and goat cheese crumbles to the spinach mixture
    • Drizzle with dressing, toss and serve.
    Keyword 10-minute meal, 10-minute salad, candied walnuts, goat cheese, summer salad
    Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

    More Salads

    • closeup view of pomegranate couscous salad with pistachio, lemon and mint.
      Festive Pomegranate and Couscous Salad
    • coleslaw for pulled pork in bowl.
      Best Homemade Crunchy Coleslaw for Pulled Pork
    • 4-ingredient pesto pasta salad in serving bowl on countertop with basil sprinkled on top.
      Simple, 4 Ingredient Pasta Salad Recipe
    • mediterranean cucumber salad in serving bowl on countertop.
      Chopped Mediterranean Cucumber Salad With Tomato

    Comments

    No Comments

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Sarah Jenkins

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I love creating dishes based on what's in season and using local ingredients as often as I can. I hope you'll find some new to you recipes here that will inspire you to make something delicious!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • closeup of lazy lasagna with frozen cheese ravioli, pieces cut.
      Lazy Baked Frozen Ravioli Lasagna (With Cheese Ravioli)
    • closeup of buffalo wild wings garlic parmesan chicken pasta in serving bowl.
      Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (BWW Recipe!)
    • dump and bake meatball casserole in casserole dish on countertop.
      Quick And Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Casserole
    • stack of air fryer biscuits on cutting board with bowl of jelly on the side.
      Easy Perfect And Fluffy Canned Air Fryer Biscuits 
    • cornbread cowboy casserole in dutch oven on countertop with section of casserole spooned out.
      Easy Cornbread Cowboy Casserole With Beef And Beans
    • glazed meatloaf on platter.
      EASY Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf Recipe
    • small batch chocolate chip cookies piled onto cutting board.
      Best Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
    • sheet pan pancakes with mix in pan with strawberries, blueberries and chocolate chips.
      Sheet Pan Pancakes From Mix

    Latest Recipes

    • instant pot pork carnitas on platter.
      Easy Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe - Crispy And Juicy!
    • two wine glasses with hugo spritz, garnished with mint and lemon wheel with St-Germain bottle in the background.
      How To Make A Hugo Spritz - The Ultimate Summer Cocktail
    • bowl of turkey tetrazzini on countertop.
      Easy Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe (Lighter Version!)
    • tray of fried potato tacos with cilantro and red cabbage on the side.
      Spicy & Crispy Potato Tacos Recipe (Easy Taco Dinner!)
    Subscribe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    INFO

    Privacy Policy & Disclaimer

    Contact

    SUBSCRIBE

    Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Follow

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    Copyright © 2025 Front Range Fed

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.