Strawberry Spring Salad with Pecans and Feta

This strawberry spring salad with crunchy pecans and briny feta is the perfect easy weeknight salad! It’s a great spring salad since strawberries are in peak season in spring through early summer. Serve alone, as a side dish, or add in a protein to make it a full meal. Ready in 10 minutes!

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• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
• Instructions
• Top Tips
• Variations: The fruit-nut-cheese salad
• Storage and Reheating
• Related recipes
• Strawberry Spring Salad with Pecans and Feta

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy to swap out ingredients to use what you have on hand. 
• Comes together very quickly, ready in 10 minutes!
• Good even for picky eaters. 

Dana’s note: This strawberry spring mix salad is one of my favorite fruit-nut-cheese salads. My kids started eating salad when I introduced this recipe to the dinner table. I think this salad with its trio of ingredients is the gateway to enjoying salads. The fruit and varying textures make this salad irresistible. What I love is how quick and easy this salad is to make. You can change out the fruit, nuts, and cheese according to the season so you never get bored. 

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the recipe card below for a complete ingredient list and measurements.

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• Spring mix salad greens - You can really use any lettuce or mix here. Baby spinach leaves or fresh arugula would work well too. No need to wash the lettuce if you buy a pre-washed mix. 
• Ripe strawberries - Fresh strawberries are in peak season with the best flavor during April through July. In addition, the year-round California strawberries that are grown outdoors with a cover are pretty good too. 
• Chopped pecans - You can substitute any nuts here. Try thinly sliced almonds, candied pecans, or walnuts. These add great crunch (without any gluten).
• Crumbled feta cheese - Goat cheese would be delicious in this strawberry salad as well. Or make it vegan or parve with a cheese alternative like Violife Just Like Feta.
• Salad dressing - Balsamic vinegar and strawberries go well together, so a balsamic vinaigrette would be perfect. Make your own homemade dressing or use store bought to make it easier! I sometimes use Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette dressing which adds tang and sweetness.
• Other ingredients - Feel free to throw in whatever else you have on hand like thinly sliced red onion, avocado, or croutons. 

Instructions

See the recipe card below for complete directions.

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This easy salad recipe is so simple to throw together, making it perfect for busy nights. 

Prep and chop vegetables and fruit and toss together with lettuce and dressing in a large bowl. Top with nuts and enjoy. 

Top Tips

• For the sweetest, most flavorful strawberries, make this salad during spring or the early summer months. 
• Change out the fruits, nuts, and cheese for different seasons so you don’t get bored!
• You don’t have to be very specific with the measurements. Just eyeball the ingredients. 
• Store leftover salad and dressing separately so the salad doesn't get soggy. 

Variations: The fruit-nut-cheese salad

If you’re stuck on what to serve and need an easy salad recipe, use my foolproof salad formula: 

fruit + nuts + cheese

The fruit adds a juicy sweetness, the nuts give the salad a crunchy texture contrast, and the cheese balances the fruit with some saltiness. 

Just start with any lettuce. Top with any fruit, any nut, any cheese, and pick your favorite dressings. There you have it: a quick and delicious easy salad recipe. Feel free to add avocado and croutons as well because they both make everything taste better!

This is also a great way to clean out your fridge and use up any remaining fruits and vegetables. 

• Lettuce ideas: romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, spinach, arugula, spring mix, or butter lettuce. 
• Fruit ideas: Oranges, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, apples, dried cranberries, or figs. 
• Nut and Seed ideas: walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds.
• Cheese ideas: shaved parmesan cheese, crumbled feta, goat cheese, or blue cheese. Shredded or crumbled vegan cheeses work too.

Here are some ideas for fruit-nut-cheese salads for other seasons:

• Summer - Peaches, pistachios, and ricotta salata
• Fall - Pears, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and blue cheese
• Winter - Tangerine segments, almonds, and goat cheese

Storage and Reheating

How to store: Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 day. Store leftover dressing separately so the salad doesn't become soggy.

Related recipes

More delicious salads:

• Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
• Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Arugula Salad
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Dates, Pecans, and Cheese
• The Sweet/Savory Crunchy/Smooth Salad