Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

If you’re looking for an amazing summer (or spring!) salad, then you’ve come to the right place.

I first made this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad recipe a few years ago. 

I had never made a homemade dressing before and honestly wasn’t sure how this recipe would come together. 

I am SO glad I just went for it because this recipe is now a staple for any spring or summer get togethers and my family always requests it! 

I’ve made it with and without a few ingredients and no matter what, it still comes together into a great dish that makes everyone go for seconds. 

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

Salad Ingredients:

• 5 oz Arugula (or other favorite salad greens)

• 2 c strawberries, sliced

• 1 c goat cheese, crumbled

• 1 c pecan halves, raw or toasted

• 5-6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

• 1 avocado, cubed (optional)

• ¼ red onion, sliced (optional)

  
  

For Balsamic Dressing:

• ½ c olive oil

• ¼ balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsp minced garlic (or 1 minced garlic clove)

• 1-2 tbsp honey

• 2 tsp dijon mustard

• ½ tsp black pepper

• Salt to taste

Steps

1. Cook the bacon and chop into chunks

2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients (or put them in a mason jar and shake them up!) and chill 

3. (optional) Lightly toast the pecans over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. 

4. Chop and prepare all the produce ingredients. 

5. Combine in a large salad bowl.

6. Dress and toss to taste with about ⅓ - ½ of the dressing, adding more as needed

   1. Note: If possible, wait to dress the salad until right before serving to prevent it from getting soggy.

Here’s some notes about this salad:

• If you don’t love arugula or can’t find it, then honestly any salad greens work! Spinach and spring mix are another classic combo with this recipe.

• I will say that this recipe is soooo delicious with the bacon. I’ve made it both with and without and wow, the bacon just really adds something. 

• I love that I can get everything I need for this recipe from our local Aldi and don’t need to make any special trips. 

• You can either buy the goat cheese crumbled already OR buy a goat cheese log, freeze it and then ‘shred’ it onto the salad (my favorite way). I find that I can find more fun flavors of goat cheese logs to experiment with (honey is a great example) this recipe (although classic goat cheese is absolutely delicious in this salad)

Bonus: The dressing is 50% of what makes this salad amazing and we always have leftovers. We store it in the fridge and use it on our salads for the rest of the week!

I hope you love this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad recipe as much as we do! 

Happy Summer Snacking!

With love from our kitchen,

Note: This recipe is based off of Lorie Yarro's Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad recipe - thank you, Lorie!