Strawberry spinach salad recipe

This strawberry spinach salad is pretty popular around my house! It's definitely a summertime favorite! My mom came across the recipe somewhere on the internet years ago (if you know the original source, please let me know!) and I've made a few changes to the original recipe so it tastes even better! 

The salad is full of flavor and the perfect side to just about any dish! I hope if you give it a try you'll like it!

The salad itself is pretty simple, just these four ingredients!

I start off by chopping (or you can buy pre-chopped pecans) and placing them on a baking sheet. Toasting them in the oven helps to bring out the toasty goodness of the pecans and give the salad so much more flavor! 

Toasting the pecans first gives them enough time to cool down while you prepare everything else.

Next dice the cheese.

Wash the strawberries.

Slice or dice the strawberries into bite sized pieces. If you're using big strawberries, you might want to dice them, otherwise with smaller strawberries you could just slice them. However you prefer to eat them!
The dressing is pretty simple too; just a couple of ingredients mixed together!

And the salad is ready!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

For the salad

1 5oz sized package of spinach

1 1/2 cups pecan pieces

3/4 cup smoked Gouda cheese*

2 cups chopped strawberries

*I buy the smoked Gouda cheese in the deli section of the grocery store and ask for about a 1 inch chunk.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. 

2. Chop the pecans into pieces and spread out on a small baking sheet. Toast for about 6 minutes or until they start to smell toasted and look slightly browned. Set aside to cool.

3. Slice and dice the cheese, set aside.

4. Rinse or wash the strawberries in a produce wash, then pat dry with a towel. Cut strawberries into slices or cubes (whichever you prefer).

5. Place spinach in a large bowl, then top with strawberries, Gouda cheese, and the toasted pecans.

For the dressing

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

A little over 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1. Stir until everything is combined.

And that's it! Pretty simple! Enjoy!