This fresh green salad gets a pop of color and vitamins from sliced strawberries, and is mixed with creamy goat cheese and basil vinaigrette for extra flavor.
“If I actually liked the ingredients in there, that salad would look really good,” said my 9-year old son as I was photographing this recipe. Umm…thank you? Well, this might not be a hit with the under 10 crowd, but I think this strawberry and goat cheese green salad would be a welcome addition to any Easter meal. After all, we all need something healthy to offset the pounds of Easter cookies and chocolate eggs we are bound to consume. Whether you celebrate with a brunch of Heath Bar Cinnamon Rolls and Hot Cross Buns, or a more traditional meal of ham and Scalloped Potatoes with Three Cheeses, this light and easy dish boasts the flavors of spring.
The basil vinaigrette follows the basic principles outlined in How to: Make a Vinaigrette, using a ratio of vinegar and oil and an earthy flavor from fresh herbs. The bright green dressing comes together in minutes by being pureed in a blender. The rest of the salad is a simple combination of red leaf lettuce, sweet strawberries, tangy goat cheese and toasted almonds.
The recipe:
The vinaigrette:
In a blender or mini food processor, combine fresh basil leaves, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Puree until fairly smooth (small pieces of basil are okay). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The salad:
In a small skillet set over medium heat, toast slivered almonds until light golden brown, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully so that the almonds do not burn.
In a large bowl, combine torn red leaf lettuce, sliced strawberries, almonds and crumbled goat cheese. Toss with desired amount of basil vinaigrette. You will not need all of the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
Other green salads with fruit:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Spinach Salad with Chicken, Orange & Avocado
Cookin’ Canuck’s Spinach Salad with Fuyu Perismmon, Jicama & Avocado w/Miso Dresing
Family Fresh Cooking’s Salad with Goat Cheese Toasted Pecan Balls & Raspberry Vinaigrette
Citron et Vanille’s Grilled Sweet Potato & Spinach Salad with Blood Orange
Strawberry & Goat Cheese Green Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients
The vinaigrette:
- 10 large fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
The Salad:
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 6 cups packed torn red lettuce leaves
- 1 1/4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
- 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
The Vinaigrette:
- In a blender or mini food processor, combine fresh basil leaves, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Puree until fairly smooth (small pieces of basil are okay). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The Salad:
- In a small skillet set over medium heat, toast slivered almonds until light golden brown, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully so that the almonds do not burn.
- In a large bowl, combine torn red leaf lettuce, sliced strawberries, almonds and crumbled goat cheese. Toss with desired amount of basil vinaigrette. You will not need all of the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Sheri Schutte
Just wondering if the dressing will turn black if I make it too far ahead of time. Fresh basil tends to do that. Any thoughts? I’d love to make it in the morning to take to a potluck after work.
Dara
Hi Sheri, you’re right…fresh basil does have a tendency to do that. I’d be worried about pureeing it ahead of time. Alternatively, you could whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, then minced some basil right before serving. It won’t be the same consistency, but should still work and give you that great basil flavor.
thepickyeater
hey dara …i love this salad…definitely going to make it. strawberry in salad sounds good to me ! thanks for stopping by….hope you make that mousse someday – its delicious !!
– shruts
Kristen | Pixelated Crumb
What a beautiful salad! We made it tonight and loved it. The mellow, creamy goat cheese, the nutty crunch of the almonds, and fresh bright strawberries were just perfect for a light spring meal. Thanks for the recipe!
Maria
Beautiful salad!
Jason Phelps
This salad combines elements that definitely make it greater than it s parts. Here’s to spring!
Jason
Danni
You have such gorgeous photos on your blog! I’m a fellow Camp Blogaway camper. I figured I’d calm my nerves by saying hello to everyone online before this weekend, though it just seems to be getting me more excited (hence the 1:45am comment!) I’m looking forward to meeting you 🙂
~Danni with LambAround
Roz
Love this salad. I’m creating a similar strawberry salad right now, but with a different dressing, but yours is tops! I wish I had this for Easter. Perfect photography too! Thanks for the inspiration! Now following cuz I just love your blog! Roz
Jamie @ Wokintime
I love this salad!!! The colors and the flavors work so well together. My daughter would eat the cheese and my son would steal all the strawberries.
Nithu
I love the salad, specially the dressing.
marla
Dara, I always love the pairing of goat cheese and berries! My kids would do the same thing as your son. They gawk over my food styling sessions and then won’t eat half of the stuff when offered. Go figure! More for us 🙂 Thanks for linking back to my raspberry goat cheese salad.
Mary
This salad looks wonderful, so refreshing. What a lovely combination of flavors.
Mary
Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels
What a gorgeous salad! I’m always impressed by your stunning photos. I love the idea of a basil vinaigrette. I can’t wait to try it out. 🙂
Penny
Getting youngsters to try anything is always a challenge, but once you do get them out of their “comfort zone” they discover new tastes and favorites.
I made a very similar salad just a few days ago (no goat cheese) and added some red raspberries to the vinaigrette.
sheila @ Elements
How beautiful!!! I could eat this every day and not get tired of it! 🙂
Heather
The perfect salad for spring!
Laurie @SimplyScratch
I meant I love this combination.. that’s what I get for late night blog commenting!! 🙂