Picnic Jar Salad Strawberry (Print Version)

Vibrant layered salad with strawberries, goat cheese, nuts, and fresh greens, ideal for outdoor meals.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad Base

01 - 4 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, spinach, baby kale)
02 - 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
03 - 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
04 - 1/3 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
05 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
06 - 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced

→ Dressing

07 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
09 - 1 teaspoon honey
10 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
02 - Layer the salads in four large quart-sized Mason jars, starting with the dressing at the bottom (approximately 1 tablespoon per jar).
03 - Add sliced red onion, cucumber, and strawberries as the next layers in each jar.
04 - Add the crumbled goat cheese and chopped nuts to each jar.
05 - Top each jar with mixed salad greens.
06 - Seal jars and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to eat, shake the jar to distribute the dressing and enjoy straight from the jar or pour into a bowl.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They stay fresh and crisp for hours because the dressing sits at the bottom, sealed away from the greens until you're ready to eat.
  • Once you layer them in jars, you can grab breakfast or lunch without any last-minute assembly stress.
  • The strawberry-goat cheese combo tastes like something from a fancy restaurant, but takes only fifteen minutes to pull together.
02 -
  • The order of layering is everything—if you put soft greens near the wet dressing, they'll wilt no matter how fresh they started, so always put sturdy vegetables in the middle and greens on top.
  • Don't skimp on the dressing amount; a tablespoon per jar sounds small, but it's actually the perfect amount to coat everything when you shake it, and any less and your salad tastes dry.
03 -
  • Make extra dressing and store it separately so you can add more if your jars sit longer than expected—a little extra dressing never hurt anyone, and it saves you from disappointing dry salad.
  • If goat cheese is crumbly and won't stay together, let it sit out at room temperature for ten minutes before crumbling; cold cheese shatters, but slightly softened cheese crumbles in actual chunks.
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