Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle
This strawberry salad recipe is simple enough to make on weeknights. It’s also the perfect salad to bring to all of your summer parties! Recipe yields 4 side servings; it is easily doubled.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, diced
- Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, to taste
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese (about ½ cup)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus a few small basil leaves for garnish
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon thick balsamic vinegar*
- ½ teaspoon Maldon flaky sea salt or a scant ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Spread the diced strawberries across a medium serving platter or shallow serving bowl. If the strawberries aren’t sweet enough to your liking, toss them with a bit of honey or maple syrup.
- Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese over the strawberries, followed by the chopped basil. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top.
- Finish off the salad with the salt, a few twists of freshly ground black pepper, and the reserved basil leaves. For the most beautiful presentation, serve the salad promptly. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator, though, for about 3 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: You could potentially omit the goat cheese altogether, or substitute a few dollops of vegan sour cream. For a vegan salad, use maple syrup instead of honey, if using at all.
*Balsamic vinegar note: For a beautiful drizzle, use high-quality, thick balsamic vinegar (I love Napa Valley Naturals’ Grand Reserve Vinegar—it’s about $10 at Natural Grocers or other well-stocked grocery stores—make sure you get the bottle with “25 stars” on it) or store-bought balsamic glaze/reduction (DeLallo and Alessi make them). You can use regular runny balsamic for less beautiful results, or make your own balsamic reduction.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
