Baby Spinach Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
This Baby Spinach Salad with Strawberries & Feta is a simple chopped salad that is quick enough for lunch but can also be doubled or tripled to serve for guests as an entree salad. With the saltiness of feta cheese, the crunch of roasted sunflower seeds, and the sweetness of fresh strawberries and sugar-free Maple Balsamic Dressing it is sure to please.
Most days for lunch I eat leftovers from dinner the night before. I never feel like cooking for myself just for lunch but if we already have cooked chicken I’ll make a quick salad to liven it up and get in some more veggies.
My favorite variety of salad is a chopped salad which I eat with a big spoon. No joke. I learned this trick when my 4th child was a newborn. It was much easier to eat salad when it was cut up small and with a spoon while holding her. My fallback type of salad is this one: spinach, chicken, nuts or seeds, a few berries, and some crumbled cheese. Sprinkle with a little homemade sugar-free balsamic and I’ve got a pretty nice lunch in less than 5 minutes.
After this recipe, make sure to try my Basil Chicken Salad.
How to make a chopped Baby Spinach Salad
As mentioned above I prefer my salad chopped than to have big pieces to deal with. I simply throw the ingredients in a large bowl and go to town with kitchen scissors. For this salad, I chopped the spinach and chicken together with this method. I sliced the strawberries by hand and just sprinkled on the other ingredients.
How to make Maple Balsamic Dressing
I love sweet vinaigrettes. My friend Daria makes the best salad dressing ever but uses honey. I haven’t found a decent sugar-free honey substitute so I turn to low carb maple syrup when making my own sweet balsamic dressing. Just a little goes a long way.
To make maple balsamic dressing you simply combine a mild flavored oil with a little balsamic vinegar, sugar-free maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Either shake in a mason jar or blend in a small blender to emulsify the dressing.
Don’t have sugar-free maple syrup? Use a teaspoon of your favorite powdered sweetener instead. If you’d like you can add a drop of maple extract for a maple flavor. Literally, one drop. If you use more than that the flavor will be overpowering.
Common Substitutions
Feel free to sub in another fresh berry instead of the strawberries. You can use gorgonzola, blue cheese, or fried goat cheese instead of the feta. You may also sub in any roasted salted nuts for the sunflower seeds. Pecans are my favorite.
Other Low Carb Salads & Dressings
Bacon Ranch Keto Chicken Salad
Cucumber Tomato Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Caprese Salad Lettuce Wraps
Zucchini Salad with Lemon & Feta
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Baby Spinach Salad with Strawberries & Feta
Ingredients
Sugar-Free Maple Balsamic Dressing:
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil (or other mild flavored oil)
- .5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- .5 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
- pinch salt
Spinach Salad:
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1.5 cups cooked chicken (about 4 oz)
- 2 strawberries (chopped)
- 2 tbsp feta cheese
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small blender or mason jar. Mix thoroughly until it is smooth and creamy.
- Put the baby spinach and chicken in a large bowl. Chop with kitchen scissors. Drizzle the dressing over the chopped spinach and chicken and toss well. Transfer to a serving platter.
- Top the tossed salad with the strawberries, feta cheese, and sunflower seeds. Toss gently if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This can serve 2 people as a side dish or 1 person for the main course.
- You can substitute 1 tsp of your preferred powdered sweetener for the sugar-free maple syrup if you prefer.
Nutrition
My family and I totally enjoyed this recipe. We will make it a regular dinner going forward. Thank you JFE 🥰
Can you use maple extract in place of the unsweetened maple syrup?
Yes, but only use a couple of drops. And you may want to add a little sweetener.
Hello and thanks for the spinach salad recipe, I just wanted to clarify that the 1.5 cup pertains to the chicken?
Yes
That dressing was really good!
We loved all of the flavors in this salad!