Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
This bright and colorful Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad explodes with flavors and textures and can be made in under 20 minutes. With ripe fresh strawberries, creamy goat cheese, caramel-ly, and crunchy candied walnuts, crisp romaine lettuce, and the perfect tangy and creamy balsamic salad dressing this recipe is sure to be a summer fave.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 497kcal
Ingredients
Candied Walnuts
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp sea salt
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- 8 cups romaine (about 2 large heads)
- ½ cup candied walnuts or more to taste
- 1 cup strawberries hulled and sliced
- 2 oz goat cheese crumbled
- ¼ red onion
- ¼ cup fresh mint
- ¼ cup fresh basil
Creamy Balsamic Dressing for homemade dressing
Instructions
Candied Walnuts
- Heat a skillet with 1 tsp of oil over low-medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the walnuts and toast until they start to smell lightly toasty, about 2-3 min (do not wait for color to change).
- Add the maple syrup and salt to the skillet and stir using a rubber spatula. Continue to cook until the syrup becomes bubbly and starts to thicken, stirring throughout. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Once the syrup begins sticking to the walnuts you can remove them from the heat, stirring once more while sugar is still liquid to help it coat the nuts.
- Transfer the walnuts to a piece of parchment paper in a single layer to cool. As the syrup cools it will harden on the nuts. Set aside.
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
- Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a blender or food processor and blend until it is creamy and smooth.
- Place dressing in a jar with a lid or an airtight container and store in the fridge until use.
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Chop the romaine heads into bite size pieces, discarding the ends. Use a salad spinner to wash and dry the lettuce.
- Stack the basil and mint leaves on top of one and other in stacks of about 8 leaves. Starting at the base of the leaves, roll each stack of tightly and then thinly slice on the short end to shred the leaves (this is called chiffonade). Toss the shredded herbs with the romaine lettuce in a large serving bowl.
- Peel and thinly slice the quarter red onion. Hull the strawberries and slice. Add both to the bowl with the lettuce and toss.
- Add the cooled candied walnuts to the salad (you can use all of the candied walnuts for a sweet, crunchy and indulgent addition, or only ½ cup for a lighter salad) and top with goat cheese.
- Stir the creamy balsamic dressing and serve with the salad. You will not likely use all the dressing. Leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Each serving of this strawberry goat cheese salad is an excellent source of manganese (36%), copper (28%), vitamin K (78%), vitamin C (23%), and folate (26%).
- Each serving is also a good source of vitamin B6, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.
- Each salad contains 10% or more of your daily value for 9 vitamins and minerals, and 3 grams of fiber.
- Each serving of creamy balsamic dressing is a good source of manganese, vitamin B2, and vitamin E.
Nutrition
Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 533mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 5701IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg