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Berry season has been waiting for this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad. Fresh berries, toasted pecans, crispy bacon and more. Takes minutes to whip up and topped with a homemade balsamic dressing. A great side salad or toss some grilled chicken on top for a full meal!
This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad is a simple, refreshing and jam packed salad that can make for a great side dish but also serves up as a perfect main with some chicken or protein!
Big fan of berries in salads over here--Mixed Berry Spring Salad or Strawberry Quinoa Salad are two other favorites from the site!
Why You Will Love This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad:
- It is NOT a boring salad. Salads really don't have to be boring, and this strawberry goat cheese is literally packed with juiciness, crunch and flavor. The combination of the berries, arugula, goat cheese, toasted pecans, bacon and avocado make this a recipe we love on repeat.
- Takes minimal time to make. Grab a handful of ingredients and add them to a salad bowl, and then whisk the dressing up. Not a lot to chop, easier when you already have bacon on hand and ready, but bacon doesn't necessarily take too much work to make. If you have all the ingredients to go, you can have this one up and running in just 10-15 minutes.
- Easy to make as a side or turn it into a full meal. That is what I love about any salad, to be honest. You can serve this salad as a side at a potluck, with some fresh honey glazed salmon, or another favorite refreshing main dish. Or you can slice up some lemon pepper grilled chicken and serve it over top as your meal. You pick!
Recipe Ingredients:
For the Salad:
- baby arugula: typically in the packaged greens section of the produce aisle. You can use other greens if baby arugula is not available as that can be the case at times.
- strawberries: berry season is obviously the best time to make this strawberry goat cheese salad, but our strawberries have still been pretty tasty even in the off season of late. I do not recommend using thawed, frozen berries in this recipe.
- red onion: go light on it if you aren't a fan. There is not a lot to begin with as my family will turn their noses up at ai.
- goat cheese: The goat cheese crumbles in the cheese section is what we use in this recipe. If you can't get any goat cheese, feta crumbles will sub well.
- avocado: not overly ripe so they hold shape and don't become mushy and break down when tossing the salad together.
- pecans: raw pecan halves, and then lightly toasted stove top for the very best flavor. If you get roasted pecans, aim for unsalted. You could also use some candied pecans if preferred.
- bacon: thick cut, cooked to your liking and then chopped. We bake ours on a foil lined sheet pan at 400°F. for about 20-25 minutes or until nice and crispy. You could use turkey bacon if preferred.
For the Balsamic Dressing:
- olive oil: extra virgin olive oil, and a nice one if possible for a good vibrant flavor. You can substitute with avocado oil or another lighter flavored oil if preferred.
- balsamic vinegar: a nice, aged balsamic vinegar is also key. The longer the vinegar has been aged, the smoother the flavor will be.
- dijon mustard: this is a key ingredient for me in this salad dressing--it gives the perfect flavor to the balsamic vinaigrette..
- honey: you can opt for maple syrup if preferred, but we love the honey
- garlic: just a touch, one clove finely minced
- salt: you can salt to taste
- pepper: freshly cracked is preferred
Recipe Notes:
- If you cannot get arugula or do not like it, you can still enjoy this salad as well. Pick your favorite green and go for it. Spinach? Spring Mix? Romaine? All will be great. Never force yourself to eat a green or lettuce you hate. Life is too short. I absolutely LOVE arugula, but if you gave me this salad with kale, I would probably not be quite as excited to eat it. And that is ok!
- To make this salad in advance, prep all the ingredients and dressing no more than one day in advance. Do not add the avocado or dressing until just before serving.
- To save on time, use store bought dressing. There's no shame in that! I love a homemade balsamic but sometimes I feel like I am only re-inventing the wheel when I have a bottle in the fridge already!
Strawberry Goat Cheese Storage Instructions:
For best results, eat any leftovers of this salad within 2 days of making it. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
If you are planning to serve this strawberry goat cheese and arugula salad at a gathering or special event, it is ideal to prepare the salad close to serving time so ingredients don't become discolored, wilted or brown. The dressing however, will be good for about 2 or 3 weeks.
Other Salad Recipes:
- Spring Green Salad with Sourdough Croutons
- Pesto Orzo Salad
- Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Tomato Basil Pasta Salad
- Ramen Cabbage Salad
- Strawberry Feta Quinoa Salad
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Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
Berry season has been waiting for this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad. Fresh berries, toasted pecans, crispy bacon and more. Takes minutes to whip up and topped with a homemade balsamic dressing. A great side salad or toss some grilled chicken on top for a full meal!
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Servings: 6
Calories: 451kcal
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 5 oz baby arugula
- 2 c strawberries stems removed and sliced
- ¼ c red onion, sliced
- 1 avocado cubed
- 1 c goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 c pecan halves
- 5-6 slices of bacon cooked and chopped
For Balsamic Dressing:
- ½ c olive oil
- ¼ c balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1-2 T honey
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.
- Chop and prepare all of the salad ingredients. Lightly toast the pecans over medium heat, stove top for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook bacon using your favorite method.
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Dress with about half of the dressing to start, adding more as desired just before ready to serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you cannot get arugula or do not like it, you can still enjoy this salad as well. Pick your favorite green and go for it. Spinach? Spring Mix? Romaine? All will be great. Never force yourself to eat a green or lettuce you hate. Life is too short. I absolutely LOVE arugula, but if you gave me this salad with kale, I would probably not be quite as excited to eat it. And that is ok!
- To make this salad in advance, prep all the ingredients and dressing no more than one day in advance. Do not add the avocado or dressing until just before serving.
- To save on time, use store bought dressing. There's no shame in that! I love a homemade balsamic but sometimes I feel like I am only re-inventing the wheel when I have a bottle in the fridge already!
- Nutrition info is an estimation and based on use of the full amount of dressing. It is very likely that not all of the dressing will be used so should be taken into consideration.
Nutrition
Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 212mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 824IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!
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Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
The strawberry, arugula and goat cheese sound like such a fresh combo and I love the addition of a hearty protein like chicken. I'm definitely going to have to try your pretzel crusted twist!
Lorie says
Enjoy it Claire, and thanks so much!!
Jenni LeBaron says
Goat cheese, pecans, strawberries - already three of my favorite things! But adding the pretzel crust to the chicken is brilliant. I love how much texture this gives the chicken - love a little crunch!
Lorie says
Yes! Isn’t it such a fun addition? No more boring chicken!!
Analida Braeger says
I have never had pretzel coated chicken, but it looks so tasty!!. This dish looks like summertime to me as well
🙂
Lorie says
Thanks Analida—it’s such a fun way to change up the same old same old chicken!!