You have to try this delicious Strawberry Feta Salad recipe! Made with veggies, pomegranate pearls, crunchy arugula and lettuce, salty feta cheese and finished with a homemade citrusy light salad dressing.
If you love salads with a combination of fruits, vegetables and cheese, this strawberry feta salad is perfect! Perfect for potlucks, gatherings, house parties, summer picnics etc.
This salad makes a delicious, wholesome lunch for two, a nice side salad with main meals or can be served as appetizer or entrée with soup.
This is a perfect light summer salad recipe that uses fresh produce, easily customizable according to availability of ingredients and budget friendly.
Jump to:
Regular readers of this blog know that I don't share a lot of recipes using Cheese. We enjoy good cheese occasionally. Truth be told, I have a soft spot for feta cheese.
Feta cheese is salty and combines well with fresh fruits and nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds etc.
Sweet Fruits like watermelon, cherries, mango and berries pair well with feta, making it a perfect cheese for salads.
This salad is perfect to please your guests at dinner parties or bbq lunches.
Ingredients
Salad Greens are a combination of Arugula or Rocket Leaves, Iceberg and Romaine Lettuce.
You can either buy individual salad greens or buy a bag of pre-washed mixed lettuce from the supermarket and use.
Salad greens are a great way to bulk up salads. It adds crunchiness and texture.
You can substitute salad greens with a box of baby spinach. They are perfect combination with strawberries and feta.
Feta Cheese - I have used vegetarian Feta Cheese (without animal rennet).
Strawberries - Fresh strawberries are a combination of sweet and tart. You can replace with blueberries or blackberries or a combination of all 3.
Pomegranate Arils or pearls - You can substitute with fresh / dried cranberries, prunes, black currants, raisins etc.
Olives, Bell Pepper - Black Olives are used here for a nice color contrast. Bell Peppers can be of any color (yellow, red).
Strawberry Feta Salad Dressing
The salad dressing is quite simple. It uses basic ingredients (substitutes provided) and can be put together easily, made ahead as well.
Salad dressing is a key component. It should compliment the main ingredients, yet stand out in terms of flavors and taste.
Lemon / Lime Juice - Substitute with Balsamic Vinaigrette
I have used Palm Jaggery for sweetness. Palm Jaggery is almost similar to coconut sugar (more caramel flavor - hence the dark color)
Can be substituted with honey, agave or maple syrup.
You can also use coconut sugar, brown sugar etc.
Salt
Black Pepper powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Quantity of salad dressing depends on individual tastes and preferences. If you prefer extra dressing in your salads, double the quantity of the ingredients.
Variations
The salad is nut-free. However, you can add toasted pine nuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts or any other variety of your choice.
This salad can be made with any seasonal fruit. We love Pear Salad with Feta and Walnuts during fall / thanksgiving.
Garlic Croutons can be a great addition to this salad. Add them just before serving and always keep extra in a bowl as the croutons will soak up the dressing.
Beans or Legumes like Chickpeas, black eyed peas, Black Beans and Kidney Beans can be added to load up the salad. Use freshly cooked beans from scratch or canned beans (drained).
If you are avoiding bread and still want some crunch - Try Air Fryer Roasted Chickpeas
Cooked Quinoa or Barley make a wonderful addition to this salad.
Serving Suggestions
Soups - Serve with vegetarian soups like Tomato Soup Broccoli Soup, Carrot Ginger Soup, Vegetarian Taco Soup for weeknight dinners or weekday lunches.
The salad can be served as a side with Pumpkin Sauce Pasta and Garlic Pull apart bread or Garlic Knots.
Other Salad Recipes to try
Kachumber Salad (Indian Chopped Salad, No Oil)
Chickpea Salad (Vegan, No Oil)
Fruit Chaat Recipe - Indian Fruit Salad Recipe
Please take a moment to LEAVE A COMMENT and a STAR * rating on the blog. It would encourage others to try the recipe or you could TAG US on any of our social media handles –INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, FACEBOOK PAGE AND PINTEREST.
Strawberry Feta Salad with Arugula
Ingredients
- 200 grams Strawberries Sliced
- 3 cups Lettuce (A mix of romaine and iceberg)
- 200 grams Arugula or Rocket Leaves
- 120 grams Feta Cheese
- 20 Black Olives pitted olives, sliced
- 1 Capsicum or Green Bell Pepper thinly Sliced lengthwise
- ½ cup Pomegranate Pearls
FOR THE SALAD DRESSING
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
- 2 tablespoon Palm Jaggery substitute with honey, agave, maple syrup or use coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt
- 2 Juice of 2 limes
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Wash, pat dry the salad greens thoroughly. Use a salad spinner, if required / available. Roughly tear the greens and add to a bowl.
- Next add the olives, thinly sliced bell peppers, black olives, pomegranate pearls and strawberries. Mix gently using a salad spoon.
- Crumble 120 grams of feta cheese and add to the bowl. Note - Reserve some crumbled feta for garnish.
- Prepare the salad dressing using ingredients listed above. Mix and pour the dressing over the salad. Gently toss.
- Serve the salad topped with some crumbled feta.
Notes
- This salad can easily feed 4 people as side or appetizer with mains like bread, pasta or soup.
- This makes a filling lunch for 2, which is how we consume it.
- Use any variety of lettuce or salad leaves that are locally available. You can also use baby spinach leaves instead of lettuce.
- The salad leaves should be dry. Use a salad spinner or if you don't have the same, wash, rinse and pat dry the leaves thoroughly before using. Pre-washed bag of mixed greens from supermarket can be used. This will cut down the prep time.
- For a dairy free version, skip feta cheese. Feta Cheese used for this recipe is Vegetarian and does not contain animal rennet.
- The salad is nut-free. If not allergic to nuts, feel free to add toasted pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachio or dried berries like cranberries etc.
- You can prep this salad a day ahead and keep all the ingredients under refrigeration (with cling wrap). Store the salad dressing in a bottle and mix the two when ready to eat / serve guests.
- Salad dressing quantity depends on individual tastes and preferences. Feel free to double the ingredients, if you like extra dressing.
Please subscribe to our website to receive all the delicious recipes in your mail box.
We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan