Pecan and Goat Cheese Strawberry Salad

I don’t think there is anything more colorful and scrumptious than fresh summer recipes that highlight the beauty of produce. Our garden is going crazy with lettuce and the local berry patches are full of strawberries for picking, so I decided to make this Pecan and Goat Cheese Strawberry Salad. I serve it with homemade raspberry vinaigrette. I love how it fills me up for a light lunch and how it compliments nearly any piece of meat for dinner. 

The Strawberry Salad

Start with freshly washed lettuce. Any kind is fine so pick whichever is your favorite. Most frequently I use romaine, a bag of spring mix, or pictured here are greens from my garden. We grew red leaf, green leaf, and romaine this year so I picked a little of each. Chop it up and put it into a large bowl.

Now slice 1/4 of a red onion into tiny slivers and a pound of cleaned and hulled strawberries.

Put the strawberries and onions on top of your greens and pull open a bag of honey roasted pecans. You’ll probably find these in the produce section near the refrigerated salad dressings. You can also use candied pecans and those can be found in the baking aisle or with the peanuts. If you can’t find them, order them here because this strawberry pecan salad can’t be missing the pecans! (My favorite pecans are from Trader Joes!)

Sprinkle 3 oz of crumbled goat cheese on top of the pecans. Don’t toss the salad until you are ready to serve. Refrigerate the salad until you’re ready to eat.

The Raspberry Vinaigrette

You’re done with the salad (how easy was that?), now for the dressing! I like the homemade raspberry vinaigrette from Brett at This Mama Loves. I like it because it takes all of 5 minutes and all you have to do is toss everything into the blender (except the poppyseeds). The dressing keeps for up to 7 days in the fridge, so if you have a couple extra minutes I highly suggest you make some for your salads throughout the week.

If you don’t have the time and just want to pick up a quick bottle at the store, I suggest Marie’s raspberry vinaigrette. It is low calorie and doesn’t have any preservatives. It is usually located in the refrigerated area in the produce section.

And there you have it! The most dainty and flavorful Pecan and Goat Cheese Strawberry Salad. I usually serve this next to a piece of Lawry’s marinated grilled steak or baked salmon, but it is perfect for a light lunch all by itself. To make it a bit more robust, I have added my 3 ingredient tangy marinated chicken to the strawberry salad and that is delicious as well! The salad would also be fun to serve at a bridal or baby shower or at a brunch. The possibilities are endless! I hope you can find a place for it on your summer menu. Happy cooking ya’ll!