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.
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 the farmer’s market. This is one of those recipes that checks all the boxes we love for salads: complimentary flavors, different textures, just a handful of simple ingredients, and as beautiful as it is delicious.
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 the, ahem, strawberries! Since it’s the star of this salad we suggest using the freshest and ripest strawberries you can find. Perhaps you have some growing in your garden, or a neighbor dropped off a bowlful, or maybe you even went strawberry picking with the family. Those super sweet strawberries are perfect for this salad.
- Goat Cheese. The other star of this salad is the creamy crumbled goat cheese. Strawberries love cream, and goat cheese is an ideal mix of creamy texture and tanginess. We recommend buying a log and crumbling the goat cheese yourself to ensure it’s as fresh as possible.
- Arugula. The greens for this strawberry salad are arugula. We love the crisp texture and the peppery flavor complements 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 adds 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. Plus, we use our own homemade white balsamic vinaigrette recipe as it has a bit of sweetness, herbs and shallots that balance the flavors in the salad very well.
- Sugar Snap Peas. Adding sliced sugar snap peas gives a nice vegetal flavor plus great crisp texture.
How to Make This Salad
This salad is incredibly simple 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.
Add half of the white balsamic vinaigrette to the base of a mixing bowl.
Add the arugula and toss until well coated. Add the strawberries, peas, pecans and toss. Top with goat cheese and more pecans. Drizzle with more dressing, if desired.
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.
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.
More Salads and Sides
PrintRecipe
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 sie.
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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