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Lunch

Summer Strawberry Salad

June 15, 2021 by Alexandra Daum
This vegan strawberry salad is packed with the best of the season - early summer berries, fresh greens, herbs, and flowers. It's spring in a bowl, with lentils and a sweet strawberry vinaigrette.
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Salad on a platter with vinaigrette added.

Big summer salads are a delicious option on hot days, especially if you feel like eating something with a lot of volume that won’t weigh you down. I love a giant salad packed with garden vegetables throughout summer.

This strawberry salad is a good lunch or light dinner, with lentils, some avocado, and plenty of greens. Fresh berries and a strawberry vinaigrette make it all the more interesting.

I’ve used pea shoots and edible flowers to add extra texture and flavour variations, but switch this up based on what you’re growing or have on hand. Herbs, different types of greens, snap peas – all delicious.

Ingredients

  • Lettuce: a mix of green and red if you have it – any kinds of you like. I prefer ‘salad bowl’ and that’s primarily what we grow.
  • Lentils: brown or French lentils are great, as are black.
  • Pea Shoots: or sunflower shoots, or sprouts, whatever you like.
  • Avocado: this can be omitted but it does add a nice creamy counterpoint.
  • Strawberries: the star of this salad! Fresh berries make all the difference.
  • Pepitas: for an extra bit of filling protein and added crunch.
  • Edible Flowers and Herbs: pictured are garden pansies – nasturtiums are a favourite. Here’s a helpful post on edible flowers.
  • Strawberry Vinaigrette: basic instructions are included in the recipe card – visit the post for more information.
Summer Strawberry Salad ingredients.

Notes and Substitutions

Another seed or nut can replace the pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Sunflower seeds and walnuts are both delicious.

Harvest your salad greens from the outer layers, rather than harvesting full heads, and they’ll last much longer. We have lettuce that lasts for months, even in hot weather, using this method. Salad bowl is a good bolt-resistant variety.

Leftovers, as with any salad, don’t keep well if the vinaigrette has been added. If you want to make it ahead of time (maximum 24 hours in advance), assemble everything but the avocado, and add it and the vinaigrette immediately before serving.

I don’t recommend red lentils, but any other type will be fine. Choose a variety that doesn’t break down during cooking. Chickpeas and white beans are good substitutions for lentils.

More Summery Salads

End of Summer Greek Chickpea Salad
Vegan Cucumber Salad with Dill and Chives
Mexican Lentil Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Roasted New Potato Salad
Juicy Tomato and Onion Salad

Close up of salad with vinaigrette added.

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Yield: 4

Summer Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
4.50 from 2 votes

Ingredients

Metric – American
  • 80 grams leaf lettuce, washed and dried
  • 150 grams cooked brown or black lentils
  • 1 ripe avocado quartered and sliced
  • 100 grams strawberries, halved
  • 80 grams raw pepitas
  • Small bunch pea shoots
  • Edible flowers and herbs optional

Strawberry Vinaigrette

  • 150 grams strawberries
  • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt to taste

Instructions

  • Add the lettuce, lentils, avocado, strawberries, pepitas, and pea shoots to a large bowl or platter.
  • Top with the strawberry vinaigrette and mix to combine.
  • Top with the flowers and herbs if using, and serve immediately. Once the vinaigrette is added, the salad cannot be stored.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

  • Add all of the ingredients to a mixing container or small blender. Mix on high speed until fully blended.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g Calories: 426kcal Carbohydrates: 28g Protein: 13g Fat: 18g Saturated Fat: 3g Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g Sodium: 296mg Fiber: 12g Sugar: 8g
© Alexandra Daum
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Print

This post was originally published in July 2016. It has been updated with some slight changes to the recipe as of June 2021.

Strawberry salad with edible flowers, avocado, and lentils on a large platter.

More Lunch:

A stack of several sweet potato latkes topped with yogurt and pomegranate seeds.Sweet Potato Latkes
Central plate of socca topped with lots of green vegetables and basil, surrounded by leeks, lemons, more socca, peas, and a linen towel.Roasted Spring Vegetable Socca
Salad with cucumber, corn, cherry tomatoes, and lime.Mexican Lentil Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Hummus and Veggie Wraps | occasionallyeggs.comHummus and Veggie Wraps

Previous Post: « Summer Strawberry Vinaigrette
Next Post: Rhubarb Streusel Cake »

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Comments

  1. Alexandra Daum says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:31 am

    Goodness, thank you so much! I'm working on it 🙂 I hope you can find some strawberries soon!

    Reply
  2. Alexandra Daum says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:31 am

    Haha I was starving by the end of this shoot, I demolished that salad! It's a wonderful time of year, isn't it? We have such a short growing season out here. Thanks Cassie 🙂

    Reply
  3. Alexandra Daum says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:28 am

    Thank you! I was thinking it'd be perfect for people who have a farm share, since sometimes it can be a bit tricky to figure out how to use everything.

    Reply
  4. Alexandra Daum says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:28 am

    Thanks Melissa, I hope you like it!

    Reply
  5. Backwoods Aristocrats says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:27 am

    Yours might be the best food photography I've ever seen. Can't wait to try this salad when I get my hands on some strawberries (I haven't seen them at the farmers' market this year).

    Reply
  6. Cassie | Crumb Kitchen says

    July 25, 2016 at 1:26 pm

    So lovely! That first photo is just too pretty, I couldn't bear to eat a salad that beautiful. 😉 I love how you and your friend got to pick the strawberries in this dish, and that all the ingredients are locally sourced. Right now is prime time for fruits and veggies and I'm blown away by the embarrassment of riches at the local farmer's market. Maybe I should put this salad on my weekly meal list. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Hilary says

    July 23, 2016 at 2:44 am

    This salad is absolutely breathtaking. Also, I absolutely love how your ingredients are all in season at the moment, in fact most of what you listed is included in my weekly CSA basket 🙂 Will have to try out that wonderful strawberry vinaigrette! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Melissa says

    July 22, 2016 at 7:29 pm

    This looks INCREDIBLE!!! So fresh and colourful! I cannot wait to try that vinaigrette!

    Reply

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