This strawberry spinach salad with maple glazed pecans is so good you'll wonder... is this even a salad?
★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Chock full of flavor, creaminess, and tangy not to mention vitamins. Easy to prep. My kind of salad. Healthy, yummy, easy. Boom!
This popular salad offers a twist. The glazed pecans.
It's not hard to make these. In fact, you just microwave the glaze ingredients, dip the pecans, allow them to harden and you're good to go.
The pecans come out smooth, creamy and sweet. Melt-in-your mouth delicious. In fact, you may want to make extra. They're excellent just by themselves as a snack.
You may have seen or tried this salad with candied or sugared pecans. It's good. Buuuut maple glazed pecans make this well-loved strawberry salad, next-level. Like best salad ever status.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
You'll need just 5 main ingredients for the salad, 4 ingredients for the dressing and 4 for the glazed pecans.
Here's a look:
For the Salad
Fresh spinach leaves, sliced strawberries, thinly sliced red onion, and crumbled feta cheese.
For the Glazed Pecans
- Brown sugar. Light or dark, your choice.
- Salted butter.
- Maple syrup. Real maple syrup will give you the best flavor but any will do, even sugar free! You can also use honey in place of the maple syrup for the pecans as well as the dressing.
- Pecans. Halved.
For the dressing
- Apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
This salad comes together in 3 basic steps. Super easy!
- Make the glazed pecans. Heat and mix glaze, coat pecans, let dry.
- Make the dressing. Add ingredients to a jar, seal with a lid and shake.
- Dress the salad. Add salad ingredients to a bowl, top with pecans and dressing.
Super simple, very fresh, lots of flavor!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Can I change up the dressing and go with a more traditional poppy seed dressing?
Sure! you can use bottled poppy seed dressing if you prefer. If you need a shortcut to save time, a bottled poppy seed dressing is excellent with this salad. However, the homemade dressing recipe you'll find below is simple and easy to make and it tastes so fresh and light.
What are some add-ins I could include with this strawberry salad?
There are several thing you can add to this strawberry spinach salad or you can keep it simple. Up to you! Somethings that would taste great are:
- Mandarin oranges go great right along with the strawberries
- Don't have pecans? Try using slivered almonds, sesame seeds, or walnuts.
- Don't have feta? Try goat cheese!
- Bacon - bacon makes everything better, go for it!
- Poppy seeds - Add these to the homemade dressing for extra crunch
All are great toppings.
You can also add chicken to this salad!
If you want to add some more protein to this salad and turn it into a full meal, chicken is a great option here. You may just want to make and add a little extra dressing. Grilled chicken or crispy chicken are both good options.
Grilled salmon is another option.
What pairs well with this strawberry spinach salad?
If you're serving this salad as a side dish, then here are some ideas and recipes for the main course:
Seriously, almost anything! This salad is a wonderful salad to serve for a special occasion or as part of a holiday meal.
★ More Recipes You'll Love ★
Want more easy recipe ideas?
Browse all my recipes and Pin your favorites.
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Maple Glazed Pecans
Equipment
Ingredients
SALAD
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 8 fresh strawberries sliced
- 2 tablespoon thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
GLAZED PECANS
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ cup pecans
DRESSING
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Divide spinach, strawberries, red onion and feta into two serving bowl.
- In a medium-sized microwaveable bowl, add brown sugar, butter and maple syrup. Microwave for about 1 minute or just until bubbling. Carefully remove from microwave and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Dunk pecans into maple-butter mixture to coat and then set aside on a plate to cool and harden. You can speed up the cooling process by putting them in the fridge.
- While pecans are cooling, prepare dressing by adding ingredients to a small mason jar with a lid and shake.
- Place cooled pecans on top of each salad, drizzle with dressing and serve.
Notes
- Offer dressing on the side to prevent salad leftovers from becoming soggy.
- Feel free to offer topping on the side if you have picky eaters.
Leave a Reply