This strawberry summer salad has the perfect combination of color, crunch, and taste! And adding a sprinkle of goat cheese takes this salad to the next level!
Top it with Strawberry Vinaigrette or your kid's favorite dressing and you will have found yourself your new favorite salad that even your kids will love!
There's nothing like a light and tasty salad on a warm summer day. Here in Pennsylvania, strawberry season is at its peak in June. So, we try to take full advantage of it by making strawberry everything!
I used to think that my kids would only eat salads that had croutons. Turns out, I was wrong! The pistachios add a nice salty flavor and crunchy texture that kids love.
As a way to introduce more variety to your kids, try changing the salads that you serve. My kale salad, Caesar salad are also kid-approved!
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Why This Recipe is so Great
Sit back and relax as your kids assemble their own light and refreshing summer salad. It is just perfect for warm days when you don't want to turn your oven on and for when you order pizza and want something quick and healthy to serve with it.
- Easy. Even kids can make it.
- Colorful.
- Perfect balance of flavors and textures.
- Light and tasty side dish.
- Contains 6 grams of protein.
- Perfect salad to serve for Easter, Mother's Day brunch, and on hot summer days.
- Can easily be topped with an additional source of protein like hard-boiled egg, chicken, or salmon.
Ingredient Notes
- Salad greens Baby spinach, arugula, spring mix, or a mixture of salad greens work well. Salad greens, especially the darker leafy greens are packed with a variety of nutrients. For instance, spinach provides a good source of iron, folate, potassium, various vitamins, and phytonutrients. Spinach also contains a small amount of protein.
- Pistachios Add a nice crunch and a touch of salt to this delicious salad! They also contribute monounsaturated fat and protein which will help you feel full longer!
- Hemp hearts (optional) Add a nutty flavor and soft texture. You can add them to almost any dish and they won't disappoint! They are a source of Omega-3 fatty acids and protein. They also contain fiber, potassium, iron, and more.
- Strawberries High in vitamin C, antioxidants, vitamins, manganese, folate, fiber, and more. They add a lovely color and a pleasant texture to this salad.
- Goat Cheese Made from goat's milk. Goat cheese has a soft texture and a tangy flavor.
Dietitian Tip
If your kids don't like having a lot of textures or new foods in one dish, try serving this salad either with one topping that is new to them or serve it salad bar style. To serve this salad bar style, put the lettuce on a plate and have all of the other ingredients in separate small bowls.
Then, allow your kids to choose what else to put on their salad. This way, your child can take some ownership of what they are eating.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's a quick overview of the steps to make this kid-favorite salad. For the full list of ingredients and specific instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- Wash and drain salad greens and microgreens. If you purchased already washed greens, you may skip this step.
- Top salad greens with sliced strawberries, pistachios, hemp hearts, and crumbled goat cheese. *See the expert tips section for the easiest way I've found to do this.
- Drizzle on your kid's favorite dressing, like my strawberry vinaigrette and use kitchen scissors to cut the lettuce into small pieces as well as incorporate the dressing.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Expert Tips
- If your child is allergic to pistachios, leave them out. Roasted and lightly salted sunflower seeds would make a nice substitute!
- Hemp hearts, shelled hemp seeds, and hulled hemp seeds are one and the same. When the outer shell has been removed, you are left with the softer, chewier inner seed. Yum!
- Use kitchen shears to cut the salad greens into smaller pieces. This will make the salad easier to eat.
- Avoid putting large chunks of goat cheese on the salad because goat cheese has a strong flavor.
- To get small crumbles of goat cheese, lightly scrape across the top of a log of goat cheese with the tips of a fork. Twist the fork side to side as you scrape it.
Recipe FAQs
Although it's not a must, I suggest using a mixture of greens. Doing this will add a variety of colors, nutrients, and texture. Kids especially tend to enjoy salads more when a softer green is mixed in with a heartier green (like spinach and/or arugula).
In general, spring mix salad contains a variety of tender baby greens. The type of green can vary. Each package of store-bought spring mix will list what baby greens it contains. Baby romaine, green and red leaf lettuces, and spinach are examples of what can be in a spring mix salad.
Spring mix salad greens are much softer in texture which makes it easier to chew. They are considered 'baby greens' which is why they are more tender than their more mature counterpart.
Spring mix salad greens may not be as nutrient-dense as darker greens, but if it brings my kids (or anyone, for that matter) to increase their vegetable/nutrient intake, then I am all for it!
More Recipes Made with Greens
Did your kids love this delicious strawberry goat cheese salad? Please leave a 5-star rating below or a review in the comments section!
Don't forget to snap a pic of their colorful salad with the toppings they choose and tag @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram so I can see it. Enjoy!
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups salad greens spring mix, baby spinach, arugula, washed and drained
- ¼ cup strawberries sliced
- 1 tablespoon pistachios shelled
- 1 teaspoon hemp hearts
- 2 teaspoon goat cheese crumbled into small pieces
Instructions
- Lay salad greens on a plate or in a bowl.
- Top with remaining ingredients and drizzle a small amount of dressing on top.
- Use kitchen shears to cut salad into smaller pieces and incorporate the dressing.
Notes
- If your child is allergic to pistachios, leave them out. Roasted and lightly salted sunflower seeds make a nice substitute!
- Using kitchen shears to cut the salad greens into smaller pieces helps to make the salad easier to eat.
- Avoid putting large chunks of goat cheese on the salad because goat cheese has a strong flavor.
- To get small crumbles of goat cheese, lightly scrape across the top of a log of goat cheese with the tips of a fork. Twist the fork side to side as you scrape it.
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