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Salad needs to be exciting for me to want to eat it. This strawberry mixed greens salad ticks all the boxes with a bit of crunch + lots of strawberry sweetness. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that it has a combination of leafy greens… these greens all have different flavors that come together for a tasty lunch. Plus, you can buy them all at once since most grocery stores sell “mixed greens.”
According to a study done by Harvard, greens like kale, spinach and arugula are powerhouses when it comes to providing you with Vitamin A, folate and Vitamin C, plus fiber, water and magnesium to help your digestion.
How to Make Mixed Greens Salad
This mixed greens salad recipe is filled with these greens, plus tangy green apple, creamy avocado, and crunchy almonds. Seriously, this salad is the perfect meal when your sweet tooth comes calling and you’re trying to eat healthy.
1. Wash and dry greens
A recent study done by Consumer Reports says that we should all be washing any produce that comes into our cooking spaces, whether “pre-washed”, organic or otherwise. This is because even those mixed greens carefully washed by well meaning producers can still contain contaminants from E. coli, chemicals and more.
2. Chop apples, avocado and cucumber
I like to chop them all into bite-size pieces (the smaller, the better).
3. Make the Strawberry viniagarette
Combine dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor and puree into the best dressing you’ve ever had with mixed greens.
4. prepare the plate
Add the mixed greens first, and then toppings to the plate. Drizzle dressing on top and enjoy!
Make-Ahead Salad Tip
If you want this salad for work, prep it all in a mason jar. It’s seriously so easy! Simply layer the ingredients in the mason jar. Keep the strawberry dressing in a separate container until time to eat. When you’re ready to eat, pour the dressing on top, give the mason jar a good shake, and enjoy!
Strawberry Mixed Greens Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups spring mix greens loosely packed
- 1 cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 green apple diced
- 1 avocado sliced
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Dressing
- 1 cup strawberries diced
- 6 basil leaves fresh, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- pinch sea salt
- pinch black pepper ground, to taste
Instructions
- Arrange salad ingredients on plates.
- Puree the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Drizzle some of the dressing over salad (you may not need all of it). Eat immediately.
Notes
- Swap mixed greens with the leafy greens of your choice.
- Oil-free? Omit the olive oil. It’ll still be delicious and less caloric.
- Lemon Vinaigrette would also be delicious on this recipe.
- Add the nuts or seeds of your choice for more healthy fats + protein.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions about Mixed Greens Salad
Yes! If you have a favorite dressing, feel free to swap out my Strawberry Vinaigrette. Yet I do encourage you to make it one time like this because it’s out-of-this-world delicious!
You sure can. You can swap it for any leafy green you prefer or have on hand. You might check out our Leafy Greens Guide for more inspiration.
In all my salads, I try and use some sorta nuts, seeds or protein to help me stay full. A salad is typically a meal for me, which means it needs a variety of fiber, healthy fats, protein and carbs to keep me full until the next meal.
The salad was excellent! I doubled the avocado, and used Thai basil (regular fresh basil was not avilable.) I believe it is a stonger basil and would only use 1 TBS in future dressings. My dressing was not as bright as the picture either, but it had great flavor. I prepared the salad the day before.
I put lemon juice on the avocado hoping it would slow the browning. I still had some brown spots today. Any ideas on how I can keep my avocado fresh but still have it in a pre prepped salad would be welcomed.
I will double my almond measurment next time.
I think I would have given this a 5 had I not used the Thai basil. First taste I was shocked, but thoroughly enjoyed each bite more and more. It is too bad it had to end.
Delicious recipe. I decreased the salt in the dressing, but I tend to like less salt. I love strawberries and basil together and this dressing was spectacular. We added a bit of lightly sautéed diced chicken breast to add some protein.
Wow…so good!!! Made for dinner tonight and will definitely make again.
The salad was so good! I ate it once as is and then added grilled chicken the second time. Both times were really good, I needed the extra protein for my lunch. I will definitely be making this again! I may add sliced strawberries to it also!
I’m in Northern Michigan so sweet strawberries can only be found frozen. I was worried they wouldn’t work, but they did! Perfect combo with the peppery basil and touch of maple. Kept thinking it would need red onion but am glad I didn’t cave to that temptation. We loved everything about this salad. Can’t wait to try the other 9!
Frozen strawberries absolutely work for this dressing! Great idea!
The salad was delicious and my crew absolutely loved it! I loved the slightly sweet combination of fruit with the veggies. I try to eat an avocado a day so it was a creative way to make my goal. The basil in the dressing really hit the spot too!
This was a great salad. Our dinner conversation was what we could add to change it up and discussed little sprinkle of Dried cranberries or cubed chicken or shrimp. Maybe grapes sliced in half. Of course hubby said maybe crumble slice of bacon! The dressing is our new favorite. I always make our dressings. I will post a pic on FB page. Grrreat!
Those are some great ideas for future toppings! Glad you loved the dressing – it’s a good one!
Delicious!! Dressing is like summer in a jar! Avocado adds a creamy satisfying addition! Will be making this one again 🙂
I loved the dressing. I made it without the maple syrup. I have a lot leftover dressing. Couldn’t find granny apples. The mixed greens salad probably would have gotten 5 stars if I had them to add to the salad. A lot of chewing.
Really enjoyed the different textures, and the sweet/tart combination. Substituted water for the oil to save on calories.
Not my favorite salad. But for someone who is not a fan of nuts or fruit in my salads, it was a pleasant combination. I did forget to add basil to the salad dressing, maybe I’ll fix that when I eat the leftovers tomorrow.
This was an easy recipe to make and quite good. I plan on making this for a co-worker of mine n keeping in my recipe box.
Great Salad, Easiest salad every made, great dressing, my avocado was not good, substituted frozen and tasted fine. Enjoy
Oh my goodness, the salad dressing was delicious and is a keeper! The rest of the salad came together quickly and was satisfying enough to have it for lunch tomorrow.
Loved the flavor and the crunch! Forgot to buy strawberries but had some frozen ones so I defrosted them and they worked fine in the dressing. Will definitely make again. Love your challenges!
Frozen works great!
This was quick, easy, and fun to make. I added a couple of sliced strawberries to the salad for some added color and only used 1/2 the dressing. It was delicious and I will definitely be making it again! I loved the different textures with the crunch of the apple and the sliced almonds mixed with the creamy smoothness of the avocados. I had it for dinner and I feel quite sated. Yum!!