This Strawberry Arugula Salad with sweet strawberries, tangy goat cheese, crunchy almonds, and the dreamiest Creamy Strawberry Salad Dressing is super easy to make. It will satisfy all your healthy salad cravings! Make it with grilled chicken for the perfect light lunch or dinner. Or omit the chicken for an equally delicious and simple side dish.
Living in San Diego, I’m lucky to have access to the most delicious sweet, and luscious strawberries. And what’s better than strawberries on top of your salad? Strawberries on top of your salad AND in your dressing! Simple salads like this strawberry arugula salad are my jam!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Strawberry Arugula Salad Recipe:
Ingredients for Strawberry Arugula Salad
Creamy Strawberry Lemon Vinaigrette
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Or avocado oil, another healthy monounsaturated fat.
- Lemon Juice. I use sweet Myer lemons from my tree. You can also try orange juice or lime juice.
- White Balsamic Vinegar. This is my go-to vinegar because it’s lighter than regular balsamic vinegar but has a hint of sweet flavor. But use any vinegar you like, like apple cider, sherry, or red wine vinegar.
- Fresh Strawberries. Or try blueberries or raspberries instead, and LMK how it turns out!
- Salt and Black Pepper. These are the only seasonings I use but feel free to add maple syrup for additional sweetness, poppy seeds for fun, or garlic powder or Dijon mustard for extra flavor.
Salad Ingredients & Substitutions
- Fresh arugula. I grow the tastiest peppery arugula in my Lettuce Grow vertical garden which I love in this salad. But I also like to stock up on bags of baby arugula when I head to the grocery store. Don’t have or don’t like arugula? Swap it with your favorite leafy greens like kale, romaine lettuce, or baby spinach.
- Strawberries. This is the perfect savory strawberry recipe, but I bet the dressing and salad would also be yummy with blueberries or raspberries!
- Slivered Almonds. Chopped walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, hemp seeds, or sunflower seeds would be mighty tasty too!
- Microgreens. Or try torn basil leaves, fresh Italian parsley, sliced green onions, or any fresh herbs or spring greens you choose.
- Creamy Goat Cheese. Not a fan of goat cheese? Feel free to omit or swap it with salty feta cheese, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese, or any cheese you love.
- Cooked Chicken Breast. I’ve cooked chicken for this salad, but it’s easy to make with leftover or rotisserie chicken. You can also serve it with pan-seared salmon or steak or omit the meat for a vegetarian version or a side salad recipe.
How to Make Strawberry Arugula Salad
Make the dressing
This Creamy Strawberry Salad Dressing couldn’t be any easier to make! All you need is a blender. Then add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar (it enhances the sweetness), strawberries, salt, & pepper. Then blend away until the dressing is nice and creamy. You can store any leftovers in a mason jar.
Assemble the salad
Place three cups each of arugula on serving plates. Top with sliced strawberries and slivered almonds. Drizzle dressing on top. Add ingredients like chicken, micro greens, and goat cheese before serving. It’s SO easy to make this yummy Strawberry Arugula Salad!
Nutrition Facts & Notes
- One main dish serving of this strawberry arugula salad provides ~555 calories, 20 grams of carbohydrates (6 grams dietary fiber, 10 grams naturally occurring sugar), 45 grams of protein, and 30 grams of fat (only 7 grams of saturated fat).
- It’s a good source of vitamin C, providing more than 100% of your recommended daily requirement.
- The recipe is gluten-free, DASH Diet friendly, low FODMAP*, and low carb. Omit the chicken and goat cheese to make your salad vegan. Instead, I suggest adding beans, lentils, tofu, or quinoa for protein.
- Arugula is a cruciferous veggie that may help with cancer prevention, and strawberries, like other berries, may also protect against certain types of cancers.
- P.S. Did you know microgreens pack a nutritional punch, with nutrient levels up to 40 times higher than their mature counterparts?
Low FODMAP Note: 5 medium strawberries (65 grams) are considered low FODMAP per the Monash app as of 4/3/23, so adjust the recipe accordingly. If you have been consuming strawberries without any digestive discomfort, you may be okay with the recommended amount in the recipe.
Strawberry Arugula Salad Serving Suggestion
This is a complete meal all on its own, especially with the chicken on top. But if you want to pair it with a little something extra, may I suggest my yummy Brazilian Cheese Bread recipe?
More Healthy Salad Recipes
Healthy “Eat the Rainbow” Salads your jam too? Check out all my delicious salad recipes!
Strawberry Arugula Salad w/ Strawberry Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Creamy Strawberry Lemon Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 5 whole strawberries, stems/tops removed
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ground black pepper to taste
Strawberry Arugula Salad
- 6 cups baby arugula , or other salad greens
- 2 cups whole fresh strawberries, stems/tops removed and sliced
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 1 cup micro greens, optional, to garnish
- 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, optional, crumbled
- 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, optional, sliced
Instructions
- Prepare the salad dressing by combining the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, strawberries, salt and pepper in a blender, and blend on high until smooth. Set aside, or store in refrigerator until ready to use.
- To assembles the salads, place 3 cups each of arugula or other salad greens on two plates.
- Top with sliced strawberries and slivered almonds.
- Drizzle salad dressing on top.
- Add optional ingredients as desired: Micro greens, goat cheese, chicken.
Notes
Easy Ingredient Swaps/Options:
- Low FODMAP: 5 medium strawberries (65 grams) is considered low FODMAP per Monash, so adjust the recipe accordingly. If you have been consuming strawberries without any digestive discomfort, you may be fine with the recommended amount.
- Vegan: Omit chicken and goat cheese. Add cooked quinoa, beans, or tofu for extra protein if desired.
- Vegetarian: Omit chicken. Add cooked quinoa, beans, or tofu for extra protein if desired.
- Paleo: Omit goat cheese.
- Other options: Not a fan of strawberries? Try blueberries or raspberries instead! Not a fan of goat cheese? How about feta or grated Parmesan? Not an arugula fancier? How about spinach, kale, romaine, or watercress instead? Oh, and about those almonds…chopped walnuts, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds would be mighty tasty too!
Serving Suggestion:
This Strawberry Arugula Salad is a complete meal, but it’s also delicious with my Best Ever Brazilian Cheese RollsNutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave your comments, and if you loved it, give it a 5-star rating! And please share this post with your friends and family, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram @thespicyrd.Thanks so much for your support!
And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, Delicious News, to get new gluten-free recipes, integrative nutrition articles, free meal plans, reader discounts, and more delivered straight to your inbox!
