Celebrate summer with a delightful strawberry goat cheese salad, featuring the summer's freshest strawberries. This strawberry salad comes together in just 20 minutes, making it a wonderful choice for a quick lunch, a light dinner, or a delicious meal prep option.
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Looking for more summer salad recipes? We've got a bunch! This mouthwatering honey hot chicken salad has become famous on the internet and is insanely delicious. Also, you can't skip our creamy broccoli salad with bacon, which is perfect for any summer cookout or gathering. And one more delicious salad recipe you have to check out is our chopped deli grinder salad!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This strawberry goat cheese salad is quick and convenient to whip up in a hurry. Throw some ingredients into a salad bowl, pour on some delicious creamy dijon dressing, and that's it! Strawberry salad is a perfect weeknight meal for those long summer days when you'd rather be spending time outside than cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
- It is a versatile dish. Serve this summer salad as a full meal, a side dish, or a light lunch. Easily switch up the protein by using fresh succulent shrimp or add some crispy tofu to give this salad a whole new flavor.
- A flavour symphony. The combination of perfectly sweet strawberries and tangy goat cheese creates a beautifully balanced, delicious flavor. The juicy, fresh strawberries give a burst of sweetness that complements the creamy, slightly sharp taste of the goat cheese. We also add some pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts to give this salad a wonderful crunch.
- Goat cheese salads have to be one of my favorite kinds of salads. The goat cheese adds a wonderful creamy element that rounds out the texture of any salad.
Overall, it's a perfect blend of taste, nutrition, versatility and convenience!
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Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Ingredients
- Goat Cheese - While I highly recommend sticking with goat cheese for this salad, if you don't have it on hand you can also use crumbled feta or gorgonzola.
- Dressing - Any type of dressing can be used for this salad. I prefer to make my own quick jar dressings at home (I'll show you my favorite one down below). Other quick options that I recommend are a simple balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar with olive oil.
- White Wine Vinegar - used in the dressing, this vinegar may be replaced with apple cider or regular white vinegar.
- Maple Syrup - Maple syrup is also used in the creamy dijon dressing and may be substituted with agave syrup or regular white sugar.
- Nuts - Instead of pumpkin seeds, you can use honey roasted cashews or roasted almonds.
A full ingredient list with the exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Modifications
This salad can be easily changed to suit a variety of ingredients that you may have on hand or that you prefer.
- Lettuce - any kind of lettuce you prefer can be used for this tasty salad. I like to use spring mix because it is convenient and has a good variety of lettuces. Other lettuces or greens you can use include romaine, iceberg, green leaf, or spinach.
- Goat Cheese - as I mentioned above the goat cheese in this salad can be swapped out for crumbled feta or gorgonzola.
- Pumpkin Seeds - don't have pumpkin seeds on hand? Swap these seeds out for sunflower seeds, walnuts, or pecans! Or if you are feeling fancy, you can whip up a batch of these candied pecans from my broccoli salad recipe.
- Hemp Hearts - this ingredient is completely optional but a good way to sneak in some extra nutrition and omegas! Plus they have a deliciously nutty flavour that pairs perfectly with this salad.
For a lighter vinaigrette-style dressing, try this honey Dijon salad dressing!
Protein Variations
The options are endless when it comes to proteins you can add to this salad. In the recipe below I make this salad with chicken breast, but you can use anything you prefer, here are some ideas:
- Steak - grill up a steak and slice it into pieces and serve it on this salad to make it a strawberry steak salad with goat cheese. Delish!
- Tofu - an incredible plant-based option to add some protein to this wonderful salad. Try this crispy breaded tofu, and consider tossing it in sweet chili sauce for the most delicious spicy sweet addition.
- Hard Boiled Eggs - these can be served on the salad as an addition to chicken or other proteins for even more nutrition and added protein.
- Shrimp - add some fresh shrimp to this salad or make these blackened shrimp to serve on top for out-of-this-world flavor.
How To Make This Salad Suit Different Diets
- Gluten Free - this recipe is naturally gluten free. The only thing to double-check is the mayonnaise that you use in the dressing (some companies don't certify their mayo gluten free).
- Dairy Free - to make this salad dairy free you don't have to do much, the only thing that is technically considered dairy is the goat cheese, but it has a different chemical makeup than regular cheese and is much lower in lactose making it safe for some dairy free diets to consume (but be sure to check with your dairy free friends first!).
- Vegan - making this salad vegan is quite simple. First, leave out the goat cheese completely, and replace the chicken with some crunchy tofu or chopped smoked tofu. For the dressing, you may use the recipe below, just replace the regular mayonnaise with vegan mayonnaise.
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How to Make Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese
Follow these steps to make this wonderful summer salad in 20 minutes or less!
Prepare the Protein
Cook the chicken or the protein of choice. Chop it up and set it aside.
Chop, Chop, Chop
Cut up and gather all of the ingredients and make the creamy dijon dressing.
To make the dressing, in a jar combine the mayonnaise, extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, maple syrup and salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until no lumps remain.
Build the Salad
On a large platter or in a salad bowl, add the lettuce on the bottom and layer the chicken, red onion, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, cucumber, strawberries and goat cheese on top.
Dress the Salad
The dressing can be added before or after serving.
Now the only thing left is to enjoy your wonderful summer strawberry goat cheese salad.
Recipe Tips
Hint: If you are storing the salad or making it as meal prep, do not add the salad dressing, adding the dressing would make the salad soggy within a couple of hours. Instead, portion the salad dressing into separate containers and add the dressing right before eating the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, I would consider this salad to be a very healthy option. The pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts especially add so much extra nutrition and omega's to the salad.
The number one thing to remember is to not add the salad dressing onto the salad if you are planning on storing it. Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and store the salad dressing in single-serve containers, adding it to the salad when you are ready to eat it.
You can use any salad dressing for this strawberry goat cheese salad. I prefer the creamy dijon dressing in the recipe below or a simple balsamic glaze. Some great other options include ranch, greek, or olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
More Summer Salad Recipes
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Creamy Dijon Dressing
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- Salt and Pepper to taste
The Salad
- 2 large Chicken Breasts
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 312 grams Spring Mix Lettuce
- 1 cup Fresh Strawberries sliced
- 1 cup Goat Cheese crumbled
- 1 cup Cucumber diced
- ½ medium Red Onion diced
- ½ cup Pumpkin Seeds
- ¼ cup Hemp Hearts
Instructions
Creamy Dijon Dressing
- In a medium sized jar or small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, maple syrup and salt and pepper.
- Shake or whisk to mix the salad dressing, mix until there are no lumps left and it is a creamy consistency.
Cooking the Chicken
- Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper.
- In a small frying pan, add the oil and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping regularly, until the chicken is 165℉ internally and thoroughly cooked.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, allow it to cool slightly and dice it into 1" cubes. Set aside.
The Salad
- On a large serving platter or in a salad bowl, add the lettuce. On top of the lettuce, layer the cooked chicken, strawberries, goat cheese, cucumber, red onion, pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts.
- Top with creamy dijon dressing or add the dressing after portioning (see notes below).
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Notes
- This recipe makes 4 full-sized salads or 6 lunch-sized salads.
- You can use any type of dressing for this salad.
- Any type of lettuce may be substituted for the spring mix. Some options include romaine, spinach, leaf lettuce, and iceberg.
- A variety of proteins can be used, instead of chicken try grilled steak, crispy tofu or shrimp as a protein option.
- To store this salad: do not add the dressing to the salad if you are going to be storing it. Store the salad in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days with the dressing on the side. Add the dressing right before eating the salad.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free. The only thing to double check is the mayonnaise, some companies don't certify their mayonnaise gluten free.
- To make this salad vegan, don't use goat cheese, and replace the chicken with crispy tofu. For the dressing, be sure to use vegan mayonnaise.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Eddie says
This recipe is so delicious and fresh, number 1 salad