This Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad blends sweet and juicy strawberries with creamy and tangy goat cheese to make one satisfying and delicious summery salad. Thinly sliced sugar snap peas and chopped pecans provide a pleasant, crunchy texture.
There isn't much better to eat on a hot summer day than a crisp and cool salad, especially when the ingredients are fresh out of your garden or from your local farmer's market. It starts with a base of peppery arugula, which is one of my all-time favorite greens, especially paired with fruit like pears. A simple homemade white balsamic vinaigrette provides a tangy, bright dressing for this satisfying salad.
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Ingredients that Matter
You'll only need a handful of ingredients to make this delicious and simple salad:
- Strawberries. It wouldn't be a strawberry salad without strawberries! Since it's the star of this salad we suggest using the freshest and ripest strawberries you can find.
- Goat Cheese. The other star of this salad is the crumbled goat cheese. Strawberries love cream, and goat cheese is an ideal mix of creamy texture and tangy flavor. We recommend buying a log and crumbling the goat cheese yourself to ensure it's as fresh as possible.
- Arugula. The crisp texture and the peppery flavor complement the sweet strawberries quite well. No arugula? No problem. You can swap in baby greens or even baby spinach or kale.
- Pecans. Adding some chopped and toasted pecans provides a nice savory flavor plus a nutty crunch that makes the salad irresistible.
- White Balsamic Vinaigrette. For the dressing we reach for a white balsamic vinaigrette as we want to keep the vibrant color of the strawberries and arugula and maintain the stark white of the goat cheese. Making homemade vinaigrettes and dressings is super simple and worth your time.
- Sugar Snap Peas. Adding sliced sugar snap peas gives a nice vegetal flavor plus great crisp texture.
How to Make Strawberry with Goat Cheese Salad
This simple salad is incredibly easy to put together. We suggest assembling and tossing just before you are ready to serve. Here's how it comes together.
- Start by chopping the strawberries into bite-size pieces, thinly slice the sugar snap peas and chop the pecans.
- Make white balsamic vinaigrette from scratch by whisking together Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, salt and white balsamic vinegar. Whisk in olive oil and add minced shallots. You can use store-bought dressing, if you prefer.
- Add half of the dressing (¼ cup) to a serving bowl.
- Add arugula and toss until well coated. Add strawberries, peas and pecans and gently toss until well coated. Top with crumbled goat cheese and more pecans. Serve with more dressing on the side.
Substitutions
There are plenty of tweaks you can make to this recipe based on your dietary restrictions or flavor preferences. Consider the following substitutions:
- Arugula - If you aren't a fan of the peppery flavor of arugula swap in baby spinach, baby kale, mixed greens or your favorite lettuce.
- Goat Cheese - Goat cheese is great paired with fruit, like on this summery peach salad. You can swap our crumbled feta cheese or even shaved parmesan cheese. Or, leave out the cheese if you want to make this vegetarian or vegan.
- Dressing - White balsamic has a lighter color and flavor than regular balsamic. They are made the same way, but the big difference is white balsamic is cooked and aged far less than regular balsamic. Try this salad with our basil balsamic vinaigrette or maple Dijon dressing. Heck, you can even try our preserved lemon vinaigrette or basil vinaigrette.
Storage and Serving
While we recommend not making this salad in advance, there are techniques to prep it out so it comes together quickly. Here are some recommendations:
- Wash, dry, hull and chop the strawberries a day ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Slice the snap peas and and store in a separate airtight container in the refrigerator (this will avoid the strawberries turning the peas a pinkish red).
- You can make the homemade white balsamic vinaigrette up to 5 days ahead and store in an airtight container or a mason jar in the refrigerator.
- Toast and chop the pecans ahead and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to a day ahead.
- You can also easily double this recipe if you are serving a dinner party.
Adam's Pro Tips
- Always wash strawberries, regardless if they are local, organic or in a plastic container from the grocery store. To clean strawberries, place in a large bowl and submerge in water. Gently toss the strawberries, drain and rinse once more. Be sure to dry them well before using. Simply place on a clean kitchen towel and blot dry with more towels.
- To toast pecans, roast at 375°F for 6-8 minutes, until they smell nutty.
- Using white balsamic vinaigrette helps maintain the bright red color of the strawberries (using regular balsamic vinaigrette can turn the strawberries an unappealing brown color).
FAQ
We do not recommend using frozen strawberries to make this recipe.
Instead of using arugula you can swap in baby spinach, baby kale, Mache or mesclun greens. You can even use roughly chopped green leaf lettuce.
Instead of using goat cheese you can use crumbled feta cheese.
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Recipe
Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad
- Total Time: 10 min.
- Yield: About 8 cups 1x
Description
This Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad blends sweet and juicy strawberries with creamy and tangy goat cheese to make one satisfying and delicious summery salad. Adding thinly sliced sugar snap peas along with chopped pecans provides the crunchy texture that will keep you coming back for more after each bite.
Ingredients
- ½ cup white balsamic vinaigrette, divided
- 4 oz. arugula (about 8 cups lightly packed)
- 1 lb. strawberries (washed, drained and hulled), chopped
- 1 cup thinly sliced sugar snap peas
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans, plus more for serving
- 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Place half the dressing in the base of a large mixing bowl. Add arugula and toss until well coated. Add strawberries, peas and pecans and gently toss until well coated. Transfer to a serving platter and top with crumbled goat cheese and more pecans. Serve with more dressing on the side.
Notes
- Using white balsamic vinaigrette will help maintain the vibrant color of the strawberries.
- To make ahead, prep the strawberries and peas and store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Assemble the salad just before serving.
- We don't recommend storing leftover salad once dressed, but arugula is firm and will hold its shape and texture for about 1 day store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 10 min.
- Cook Time: 0 min.
- Category: Salads
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
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