Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Greens Salad

Every time I’ve made a salad for company (baby shower, BBQ, etc) over the past year or so, I’ve made a version of this salad. In the fall and winter I use peeled, diced pear in place of the strawberries and toasted walnuts for the pistachios but keep everything else the same. If the strawberries aren’t great, I’ve subbed blueberries – works wonderfully.

The salad is always met with great reviews and the recipe is requested, though I’d not written it down because salads are difficult to measure. Greens in particular. When you make this salad you might not need to use all the dressing – you might want double the cheese or half the onion amounts. That’s the thing about salads – they’re naturally custom. I can say, though, that this particular combo of ingredients is just so spot on that I wouldn’t recommend subbing them out except for the seasonal changes I mentioned above. This is now my go-to, so I hope you enjoy it!

To make ahead, put your dressing in a lidded jar and refrigerate. Place your clean, dried greens in the serving bowl and cover with plastic. Have your cheese crumbed, your fruit and onions cut, and your nuts nearby. When it comes time to serve, just give that dressing a vigorous shake and you’re minutes away from “ready”.

Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Greens Salad

Serves 8

Dressing

1/4 c. champagne vinegar (can sub white wine vinegar)

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

1/2 c. olive oil

Salad

8-10 c. mixed greens, baby romaine, or baby spinach

about 1/2 a red onion, very thinly sliced

1 pint strawberries, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 c. crumbled goat cheese

1/4-1/2 c. roasted (salted or unsalted will work), shelled pistachios

1. Combine dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. Arrange greens in bowl and toss with desired amount of dressing.
3. Add onion, strawberries, cheese and nuts and toss gently to combine with greens. Serve immediately.