Strawberries have always seemed like little heralds of Spring for me.Their cheerful, bright red color stands out among the fruits that linger at the end of winter and their sweet-tart taste starts me thinking about warmer weather.
Of course strawberries are in our grocery stores all year round, but when the Florida strawberry season is in full swing, the prices drop so low that I can’t resist picking up a container whenever I shop. Admittedly, I use strawberries mostly in sweet recipes, but they’re also quite appealing on the savory side of the spectrum as in this lovely, bright springtime salad I’m sharing with you today.
This tasty little salad couldn’t be easier to assemble and goes well with nearly any entree. The strawberries, sweet peppers, and mandarin orange segments play nicely against the sweet balsamic dressing, the spring salad mix, and peppery arugula. It’s one of our favorites and I hope you like it, too.
In a large bowl, combine the spring salad mix, baby arugula, sliced strawberries, yellow pepper strips, and orange segments. Toss well. Note: if you’re not a fan of arugula, baby spinach would be very nice in this salad in its place.
In a medium bowl, add the shallot, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream whisking all the time. Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat.
Serve shaved Parmesan cheese and croutons, if desired. You can purchase croutons, or make them yourself using my basic recipe with any bread you like.
And, yes, I did forget the Parmesan cheese in the main photo above! Oops.
Delicious spring salad featuring strawberries, baby arugula, and mandarin oranges.
Ingredients
- 4 cups spring salad mix
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 cup yellow pepper strips
- 1 can mandarin orange segments, well drained
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tblsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 3-4 grinds black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Croutons
- Shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the salad mix, arugula, strawberries, pepper strips, and orange segments. Toss well.
- In a medium bowl, add the shallot, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream whisking all the time.
- Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat. Serve with croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese.
Other strawberry salad recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Spinach and Strawberry Salad from Whole Foods
- Chaos in the Kitchen’s Favorite Strawberry Summer Salad
- Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing from Simple Bites
- Broccoli Strawberry Salad from Taste of Home
What I was cooking…
- One year ago: Homemade Croutons
- Two years ago: Not Quite Classic Waldorf Salad
- Three years ago: Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks SO good :)
Thanks, Aly. It really is delicious.
So enjoyed meeting you in Orlando!
I can feel the freshness! Unfortunately in my part of the world strawberry season is a bit far but I will keep this recipe for when we get there. Thank you for sharing.
I just love berry-packed salads. I’ve been all about blueberry and brie salads these past few weeks. Yum.
This looks absolutely amazing. I love creative ways to spice up a salad because salads can get really boring after a while. Thanks for the post!
This salad would be quite at home on my table!! Just the kind of salad I love – a little sweet, a little crunchy and a little tart!!
Love the balsamic with strawberries! Now I just need Spring weather.
sho do like that dressing playing with this blend of ingredients – I am so into salads right now and this one will be so good…. cannot wait. Thanks Lana
strawberry is really on season, just got read strawberry recipe from one of the blogs that I followed, I think this salad taste really great because I love strawberry and the orange mandarin.
Simple, yet very tasty! My favorite kind of recipe. Love your photos as well.