Strawberry Feta Salad With Walnuts and Basil Dressing is one of the best summer salads. Ready in 10 minutes, it’s the perfect BBQ side dish salad for barbecued steaks, chicken, or seafood. Let’s make it!
Why it’s the best strawberry salad
- Crowd-pleasing salad – Serve this salad for asummer barbecue, meal prep it for a summer lunch, take it to a potluck baby shower… guests love it every time I make it!
- Healthy summer salad that’s light and flavorful. A little of the dressing goes a long way.
- Creamy feta and crunchy walnuts bring a great texture, making each bite delicious.
- A delicious way to use up strawberries in the summer.
- Super fast. In just 10 minutes, this strawberry walnut feta salad is done!
Ingredients for this salad
Most obviously, start with delicious, fresh strawberries. For the summer salad for two as shown in my photos I used an entire pint of strawberries from the farmers market. Honestly, my husband is lucky enough to have shared this with me as I could have eaten this veggie and fruit salad all myself!
Fresh fruits, vegetables, and mix ins for the salad
Mix and match ingredients for strawberry salad with whatever is in your fridge and pantry. Here is what I used for this demonstration…
- Lettuce (red oak, baby gem, or butter lettuce are my favorite greens for strawberry salads)
- Strawberries – an entire pint!
- Onion (in the Sip Bite Go recipe demonstration I used sweet Walla Walla onions, but yellow onions work, too)
- Walnuts, chopped
- Feta (crumbles or diced from feta block)
- 2 sprigs basil
- Fresh cracked pepper
Hey fellow feta lovers: check out this tasty make-ahead Greek pasta salad.
Basil Vinaigrette for Strawberry Feta Salad Dressing
The dressing for strawberry feta salad is simple and perfect. Fresh basil vinaigrette is the perfect match for sweet, fresh strawberries in season. Here’s what’s in it…
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Lemon juice
- Champagne vinegar (substitute white wine or red vinegar)
- 2 sprigs basil
- Salt and pepper
How to make salad with strawberries and feta
This recipe is short and sweet. Here’s the step-by-step so you can confidently make it the very first time you try.
First, let’s make the dressing…
Add all the dressing ingredients to a ball jar, close the lid and shake for 20-39 seconds to mix. Alternatively, whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
Taste the dressing to see how you like it.
Salad dressing tips
Salad dressing tastes boring?? If you only taste olive oil and the flavor is a bit “flat”, add 1 tsp vinegar at a time and a sprinkle of salt until it has more acid.
Salad dressing tastes sour? If you taste it and your mouth puckers, then there is too much vinegar and you should add a tsp of olive oil at a time until it tastes good to you.
Second, make the salad
In a large bowl, toss lettuce with ¾ of the dressing. Transfer lettuce to a large serving plate. Top with the rest of the ingredients and remaining salad dressing.
FAQs for strawberry walnut feta salad
Here are more tasty ideas: candied pecans, balsamic vinaigrette, blue cheese crumbles, orange slices, grilled sous vide asparagus, romaine lettuce, arugula salad greens, sliced almonds, kale, quinoa, or farro salad as a base.
Look for very bright red strawberries. Unlike tomatoes and bananas, they won’t continue to ripen once picked. Small berries can be just as ripe and juicy as larger ones, so rest assured: size doesn’t matter. Don’t wash berries until you’re going to eat / use them. They will mold even if refrigerated once water hits them. I always peak around a box before getting them at the grocery store to make sure no mold has started. And use within a few days.
No, but I personally like a little “bite” to offset the sweetness of ripe strawberries. My recipe calls for ¼ cup of yellow onions, sliced thin, but if you’re not a fan of raw onions, you can definitely skip that! Basil, pepper, and lemon juice will provide plenty of delicious flavor.
Use leftover produce in this easy recipe for sautéed onions and peppers.
Fresh basil gives the best flavor, but if you don’t have any, you can definitely use the dried basil you have on your shelf. Just add 1 tsp into the dressing. It’s more potent than fresh.
You can use an alternate oil like peanut oil, walnut oil or sunflower oil instead of the olive oil called for in this recipe.
Strawberry salad makes a delicious side for sous vide chicken tenders or chicken breast. It also adds a spark of color if you’re serving up bone in pork chops.
More delicious ways to cook with herbs
- Cilantro jalapeno ranch sauce
- Cilantro lime dressing
- Fresh Italian basil topped homemade pizza
- Tortellini pasta salad with cilantro
- Sautéed mushrooms with thyme
- Sautéed garlic dill carrots
- Thai basil stir fry with frozen vegetables
- Chicken breast sous vide marinades
- Steak sous vide marinades
Want more recipes? Find new ways to enjoy cooking with herbs here on Sip Bite Go and get my free ebook with herb recipes.
My new cookbook is available! Check out The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.
New recipes and foodie guides….
- Tri tip (it’s so good!)
- Homemade pizza
- Smoked wings
- Traeger pizza
- Pan grilled chicken
- Bacon wrapped hot dogs
- Potato side dishes
- Pasta side dishes
- Baked brisket
- Sous vide frozen steak
- Cooked chicken temp guide
- Jalapeno ranch sauce
- Sous vide pork chops
- Coulotte steak
- GUIDE: How to make hamburger patties
- GUIDE: Aerogarden
- Best restaurants in Portland
- Blackstone griddle recipes
Grill and smoker recipes…
- Grilled chicken wings
- Smoked pizza
- Smoked chicken
- Smoked tri tip
- Traeger pulled pork
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked chicken wings
- Smoked ham
- Flank steak marinade
- Skirt steak marinade
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked chicken breast
- Grilled broccoli
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, I want to know if you’re digging this salad with fresh strawberries. Show me photos of your food! Find me on Instagram @sipbitego to tag me and connect. People message me photos of their restaurant style meals inspired by Sip Bite Go all the time, so don’t be shy!
Are you tired of making the same meals over and over again? Change up your menu with these delicious summer recipes—I’ve got everything from zucchini chips to avocado ranch salad to baked feta!
Want to make restaurant-style food at home? I teach you how here on Sip Bite Go and with in-depth video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.
Strawberry Feta Salad With Walnuts and Basil Dressing Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
Ingredientsfor strawberry salad
- 1 head lettuce red oak, baby gem, orbutter lettuce, washed and cut to large bite sized pieces
- 1 pint strawberries greens removed and halved
- ¼ onion sliced thin (sweet walla walla onion or yellow onion is best)
- 2 tbsp Walnuts chopped
- ¼ cup feta crumbles or diced from feta block
- 2 sprigs basil leaves in tact
- Fresh cracked pepper
Basil Vinaigrette for Strawberry Feta Salad Dressing
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp Paprika
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar substitute white wine orred vinegar
- 2 sprigs basil diced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper fresh cracked
Instructions
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a ball jar, close the lid and shake for 20-39 seconds to mix. Alternatively, whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Taste the dressing to see how you like it. See notes below for adjusting the taste.
- In a large bowl, toss lettuce with ¾ of the dressing. Transfer lettuce to a large serving plate. Top with the rest of the ingredients and remaining salad dressing.
Leave a Reply