Quick and Easy Strawberry Summer Salad

This Quick and Easy Strawberry Summer Salad is light yet filling perfect for hot summer days.  It’s packed with nutrient-rich, heart-healthy power foods like Arugula, Strawberries, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Pecans with Balsamic Glaze drizzle.   Check out my favorite tips for creating variations and avoiding summer salad burnout.

This Easy Summer Berry Salad was inspired by a seasonal strawberry bruschetta salad I used to get at Panera last year. It had sautéed tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh strawberries and a balsamic glaze dressing.   My mom and I were so obsessed with it, we probably at there at least twice a week!

It was THAT good.

I decided to try and recreate that amazing salad, but I’m a busy mom with 2 kids at home during a pandemic. I don’t have time (or energy) to be sauteeing tomatoes and doing fancy things for my salad.

And I’m sure you don’t either.

So, this is a super simple version that you can literally through together as your kids are running in and out of the house leaving water trails from the sprinkler all over the kitchen.

Ways to keep this Summer Salad Interesting

I’ve been making this salad a LOT this summer. And my favorite part about it is that you can switch around the ingredients to keep it fresh and avoid burnout.

The basic elements are:  greens, protein (ex: canned salmon), strawberries, pecans, and buffalo mozzarella.

Greens:  You can use any type of greens that you like (ex: spring mix, arugula, spinach, romaine).

Protein:  You could use turkey, canned salmon for the protein or even white beans or tofu for the protein.

Berries:  I’ve been using strawberries, but you could use blueberries or raspberries too. In fact, I added blueberries to make a Red, White, and Blue version.

Look how festive and delicious it is:

Toppings:  I love to top my salads with something crunchy like nuts or sunflower seeds or pepitas.

For this salad, I’ve been using chopped pecans.  They’re the absolute perfect pair for the strawberries.

Having said that… you could use any kind of nut, really…walnuts are another great option.

But the pecans…..there’s just something PERFECT about pairing them with the strawberries.

Cheese:  Buffalo mozzarella is the perfect choice for this salad but it can be a little expensive.

As an alternative, I’ve been using the Buffalo Mozzarella-style cheese sticks from Trader Joes. They come in a black and white package

By the way, don’t forget to Pin this Post.  It’s great for July 4th.

Benefits to using Arugula in the Strawberry Summer Salad.

I use a bed of arugula. I love arugula because it has a nutty bite to it so it adds more flavor than regular lettuce. It also goes really well with the strawberries and pecans.

 But what I love most about arugula is that it’s a great  cancer-fighting power food that’s part of the brassica family like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. 

Here are a few other ways arugula is beneficial:

• Helps reduce inflammation
• It’s a hydrating food
• It’s great for bone healthy
• It helps cleanse and detoxify the body
• It protects the brain from cognitive decline

Related:  Be sure to check out my favorite Detox Juice Recipe.

Salad Dressings to Use

I’ve been using the Light Balsamic from Newman’s Own.

But I’ve also drizzled the Balsamic Glaze from Trader Joes, which as you can imagine, goes really well with the strawberries.

You could also us a lemon Apple Cider Vinegar dressing.  Check out my Power Salad post for my recipe.

Related:  This is one of my favorite sauce recipes that I also like to use as a salad dressing.

How to make this Easy Strawberry Summer Salad

Keep scrolling for a printable recipe card. 

Ingredients:

• Arugula (I fill my salad bowl ½-3/4 of the way with my greens)
• Canned Salmon or Tuna Or turkey
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (to mix with the canned salmon or tuna)
• ½ cup or Handful of strawberries
• 1 Stick of Trader Joe’s (Black and White label) Mozarella sticks
• Or 1 ball of Buffalo mozzarella
• Sprinkling of chopped pecans
• Optional:
• Add diced tomatoes
• Add some cut up carrots and cucumbers
• Mashed avocado

Steps

• Wash and prepare all vegetables.
• Add the arugula to your salad bowl.
• Prepare the canned salmon or tuna and add to the salad bowl.
• Slice the strawberries and add to the salad bowl.
• If you’re adding other vegetables, add them now.
• Cut the mozzarella sticks or Buffalo Mozzarella ball into smaller pieces and add to the salad.
• Finally, sprinkle some pecans on top and drizzle on a little salad dressing or Balsamic Glaze.

Enjoy!

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Looking for more great healthy recipes?

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My most popular recipe: My Go-To Weight-loss Berry Smoothie!

Quick and Easy Power Salad

Tomato Watermelon Salad

Favorite summer Red White and Blue Greek Potato Salad

Don’t forget to Pin this for Later!

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HI! I’m a Shana, self-proclaimed Media Mixologist, wife, and mom to two little girls. I love to mix up cocktails of crafts, recipes, wellness, family and business with just the right amount of sparkle to help you shine everyday. So, grab a glass, and let’s celebrate the cocktail of life!