My in-laws introduced me to fresh strawberry salad with spinach, feta cheese and walnuts or pecans. My salad usually becomes more of a spring mix for the base with whatever I have available in the garden. I like to top the greens with strawberries, pecans (or whatever nuts we have on hand) plus feta cheese if we have it available. I love how versatile this salad is! Be sure to keep scrolling below the recipe for some pictures of my garden and some tips for growing the biggest and best tasting strawberries.
If you love salad, be sure to try out my Amish macaroni salad, Curried chicken cobb salad or Amish potato salad recipes as well!
As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. Follow along for Amish recipes (and more) and feel free to leave a rating and comment in the comment section below!
Strawberry Pecan Salad
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups fresh spring greens (lettuce, kale, arugula, spinach etc.)
- 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup pecans, walnuts or almonds more or less
- 3-4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
- Ken's Steakhouse Raspberry Pecan Dressing fat free
- Homemade vinaigrette *see below for recipes
Instructions
- Chop the salad greens as needed, then place onto a large plate. Layer on the sliced strawberries, nuts and feta cheese.
- Drizzle homemade or storebought dressing over the salad to taste. I find that fruit flavored vinaigrette (strawberry or raspberry) tastes best with this salad, but you can also add a simple poppy seed dressing or plain vinaigrette. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Subscribe today and get free meal inspirations delivered to your doorstep!
Ingredients needed for this Strawberry Pecan Salad: Fresh spring mix (I used lettuce, kale and spinach, but just spinach will also work), pecans (can use other nuts), dressing, sliced strawberries and crumbled feta cheese.
Dressings to pair with this salad:
I do have to admit, I am not a vinaigrette fan so I may not be the best judge of vinaigrette dressings. The storebought dressing listed in the recipe card is actually my favorite dressing for this salad because it has a nice, sweet and nutty fruit flavor that pairs so well with the strawberries and pecans in this salad. I did make a homemade balsamic and brown sugar recipe that my husband enjoyed, so apparently it is an option if you prefer to make your own.
For the homemade brown sugar vinaigrette dressing you will need:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (can be omitted). Blend all the dressing ingredients until the brown sugar has dissolved and the mixture is creamy.
Some outsourced dressing recipes that also sound great (not tested by me personally), are strawberry vinaigrette from Lil Luna, or homemade raspberry vinaigrette from All Recipes.
Perhaps the first step should be go out to the garden in the rain and gather your veggies (it has been so rainy this spring)! Just kidding, you can definitely make this salad with storebought ingredients and although I may be totally biased toward my fresh produce, the salad will still taste delicious with produce from a supermarket.
Assemble the salad to your taste. Perks if you can layer it on top of a pretty speckled plate for a fun aesthetic.
I enjoyed testing out several dressings for this salad yesterday, but found myself reaching for the storebought dressing (Ken’s Steakhouse) whereas I noticed my husband went for the salad with the brown sugar vinaigrette because he loved the tangy flavor of the homemade dressing.
Tips for raising big and juicy strawberries:
My strawberry patch is a hand-me-down strawberry patch from my Mom. I will always treasure the strawberries because they are the offspring of the same strawberries I enjoyed as a little Amish girl! To keep the strawberries big and beautiful, I like to fertilize them with Organic Berry Tone every few years (I find they can go a year or two between). I also prefer to plant them in fresh topsoil and to cover them with straw over winter if we have some on hand. I have even fed my strawberries with old coffee grounds because they like the acid.
I do find that bark mulch is not a strawberry favorite because they tend to rot underneath where the strawberry comes in contact with the mulch and if the mulch is layered on too thick the strawberries spoil from the heat.
To keep the birds and pests away, keep your strawberries covered with a mesh netting.
If at first you don’t succeed, try-try again! You can always move a few plants to a new location in the spring to see where your strawberries thrive the most. Strawberries prefer well drained soil and a sunny location with 6-8 hours of sun per day (not counting rainy days).
Feel free to pin this recipe for later (pin button in the recipe card) and be sure to tag me on Instagram to show off a photo of your own creation of this recipe. Thank you for your support.
Delicious recipe! And thanks for the advice on growing strawberries! Hoping for big juicy berries from my garden this year, but rarely have much luck 😢
You are welcome! I hope you can find a spot or method that works best for you! Sometimes climates and soil can be affecting their growth as well.