Light and fresh food with bright flavors is the best part of Summer and warm weather- This sweet and savory Summer Salad is just the ticket! Full of fresh berries, jicama, pears, avocado, feta cheese and topped with chicken sausage all tossed up in a poppyseed dressing…this filling salad recipe says ‘Summer’ all over it!
We are experts in creating big, luscious, healthy salad recipes.
- Caesar Pasta Salad
- Best Chopped Italian Salad
- Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad
- Chickpea Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Best Strawberry Spinach Salad
This recipe yields about 4 entree sized salads. It is best served right after tossing it, so if you plan to make it ahead of time, I recommend waiting to toss with the dressing. I’d also encourage you to wait to slice the pears and avocado if making it ahead, as they are brightest and freshest just shortly after slicing.
Summer Salad Ingredients:
- Salad Base: Spinach- I love using spinach because it is fresh, crunchy and so easy, especially when you buy it pre washed! This recipe is also delicious with a head of chopped romaine added in for extra crunch.
- Raspberries: Whole and rinsed, then dried with a paper towel (they can hold onto water inside of them which will make for a soggy salad, so be sure to dry themwell).
- Strawberries: Quartered.
- Avocado: Diced. If you’ve ever wondered the proper way to dice an avocado, this is a great tutorial!
- Pears: I like the skin on, but you can leave yours off if you prefer.
- Feta Cheese: I used crumbled, but diced is delicious too. Goat cheese, or bleu cheese would work as well.
- Jicama: If you’ve never had it before, it is almost a mix of a potato and a pear. It is delicious for extra added crunch! Not a fan of jicama? Cube up an apple.
- Sausage: I use Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage and bake them on a sheet pan for about 15 minutes at 375 (or until they reach 165 degrees farenheit internally). I let them cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and adding them to the salad. Be cautious not to add it when its too warm- it will wilt the salad and toppings. Shrimp, or even grilled chicken would be great as well on this.
- Dressing- Poppyseed: You can buy store-bought (Panera sells their famous poppyseed dressing at most local grocery stores) or you can buy your own. This recipe of ours is so easy and delicious!
If you serve this salad as an entree and need something to go with it, we recommend:
Cheers to easy, healthy colorful food! – Kathi and Rachel
Summer Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups spinach
- 4 precooked chicken sausages, sliced
- 3/4 cup quatered strawberries
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 3/4 cup whole raspberries
- 1/2 cup diced jicama
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup diced fresh pear
- 1/4 cup poppyseed dressing (add more if desired)
Instructions
- Add spinach to a large salad bowl.
- Add raspberries, strawberries, avocado, jicama, feta cheese, and pears. Add 1/8th of a cup dressing and toss- add in remaning dressing tablespoon by tablespoon and toss until dressing is coated as desired (this helps make sure your salad is not overdressed).
- Serve immediately. *If making ahead of time, reserve salad dressing until ready to serve. We also recommend waiting to add toppings until close to serve time to preserve freshness.
Leave a Reply