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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!
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 5 oz baby arugula
- 2 c strawberries, stems removed and sliced
- 1/4 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:
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1-2 T honey
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
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What a combo! I don’t usually like salad, but I would be all over this! I am so glad it is beginning to be strawberry season so that I can try to make this!
Yay to all things berry season, right?!!!
There are so many of my favorite foods in this salad! I can’t wait to dig in to it!
Awww so glad to hear this Anne! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!
I can honestly say that all those ingredients are our favorites. We always buy arugula and goat cheese. Add the strawberries to the mix and that touch of sweetness is ideal. The chicken with the pretzel coat is such a wonderful way to serve a light summer type meal. This recipe is going in our roster.
Yay!!! Thanks for sharing Marisa! Hope you love it as much as we do!
Love these vibrant clicks, you are so talented! And that crunchy crust, yum! I can almost taste it.
Awwww thanks so very much!
Strawberry Salad with Arugula is my favorite! I never understand the whole strawberry/spinach obsession. Arugula is where it’s at 😉 And perfect for the spring and summer!
Agree. I’m a cooker spinach or spinach in my smoothie kind of girl.
Yum! I love crunchy chicken to pair with my salads. These flavours all sound delicious together, especially the goat cheese and strawberries. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks so much Aleta!!! Can never go wrong with goat cheese and berries. Summer salad perfection!!
Cant miss out on this delicious salad Bowl. I am a lover of cheese and this is so perfect for my taste buds. Wish I could grab all of this delicious Bowl. Amazing combinations too.
Awww thanks so so much Veena!!
Oh yea loving everything about this salad. Goat cheese in my salad is my jam…and love the twist of pretzel chicken. Can’t wait to try this!!
Enjoy! Goat cheese never fails me!
I have never thought to use pretzel crumbs as a coating for chicken and it looks amazing! I can imagine it must be so crisp. Can’t wait to try this! I would probably be great on pork chops too.
Oh yes! Pork chops for sure as well! Thanks for the idea!
Love love the sound of this salad, but no chicken for me. My hubby can have it 🙂 .
I’m sure you will still have plenty to enjoy even without the chicken!