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This Strawberry Bacon Salad with Honey Lime Balsamic Vinaigrette is utterly delicious and so flavorful; the perfect combination of salty and sweet, and you won’t believe how the mint flavor pops. Featuring fresh strawberries, bits of bacon, feta cheese crumbles, and more, I’ve finished it all with a drizzle of homemade honey lime vinaigrette dressing.
Easy Strawberry Bacon Salad Recipe
This Strawberry Bacon Salad has it all…it’s fruity, salty, sweet, fresh, the list goes on. Topped with dried cranberries, honey pecans, feta, and mint, the combo is out of this world! And, of course, the honey lime balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing takes it to the next level.
It’s hard to decide which salad I’ve posted this week that I love best; this Strawberry Bacon Salad or the Peach Tomato Corn Salad from the other day. Both scream summer, have bright and fresh summer flavors, and are topped with easy and flavorful salad dressings you can make at home.
Tips for Beginners
- Fresh juice is best. I much prefer the fresh tart flavor of freshly squeezed lime juice, so if you have the time, use fresh juice over bottled.
- Don’t cut the strawberries too thin. Otherwise, they’ll get soggy pretty quickly.
- Double the dressing. I absolutely love this salad dressing and always double the recipe so I can have a batch on hand in the fridge to use on other salads.
Strawberry Bacon Salad with Lime Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Balsamic-Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp juice of 1 lime
- zest of ½ lime
- 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 pint strawberries hulled & sliced
- ¼ cup goat or feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 4 slices bacon crisped & crumbled
- ¼ cup pecans honey roasted or toasted
- 1-2 tbsp mint leaves roughly chopped
Instructions
For the Vinaigrette
- Place all vinaigrette ingredients EXCEPT the olive oil in a medium bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Then, while whisking vigorously, drizzle in the olive oil. Whisk until the oil and vinegar mixture has emulsified. (If preferred, whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together and then whisk or shake it immediately before using.) Refrigerate until ready to serve.2 tbsp juice of 1 lime, zest of ½ lime, 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp honey, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- Arrange the sliced strawberries on a small serving plate or platter. Sprinkle the strawberries with the feta cheese, cranberries, bacon and pecans. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and sprinkle the pecans on top and garnish with small mint leaves.1 pint strawberries, ¼ cup goat or feta cheese, ½ cup dried cranberries, 4 slices bacon, ¼ cup pecans, 1-2 tbsp mint leaves
- Enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Strawberry Bacon Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Step by Step
Make the dressing: Combine 2 tbsp juice of 1 lime, zest of ½ lime, 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp honey, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
Then, while whisking vigorously, drizzle in the ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and whisk until the oil and vinegar mixture has emulsified. Or, if you prefer, whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together and then whisk or shake it immediately before using. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the salad: Arrange 1 pint of sliced strawberries on a serving plate or platter and sprinkle them with ¼ cup goat or feta cheese, ½ cup dried cranberries, and 4 slices of bacon. and ¼ cup pecans.
Dress the salad and serve: Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and sprinkle with ¼ cup of pecans and garnish with small mint leaves. Enjoy!
How to Store
If you want to get a head start, make the vinaigrette, cook and crumble the bacon, wash and dry the strawberries, then keep these ingredients (along with the cheese) refrigerated until ready to plate the salad.
You can store this balsamic dressing in an airtight container for a couple of weeks, so make extra and try it on some other salads too. Just be sure to shake before using.
Dressed salad leftovers will keep for a day or two, but the strawberries will be softer the longer the salad sits in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
This refreshing summer salad goes hand in hand with juicy grilled burgers, flavorful Mexican grilled corn, and a classic dessert like sweet and tart key lime pie.
More Summer Salad Recipes To Try
- This Cucumber Onion Salad features fresh cucumber and red onion slices that I’ve dressed in a simple homemade vinegar salad dressing.
- I’ve loaded this Strawberry Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing with all kinds of goodies, like lettuce, almonds, feta cheese, homemade croutons, and fresh strawberries.
- This Peruvian Chopped Salad features lima beans, corn, and vibrant fresh veggies that come together with a fresh and flavorful dressing.
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Love this salad! I did add Romaine lettuce to make it more of a “salad” to me. The only modification I’d make is it seems like too much EVOO and not enough balsamic vinegar or lime juice to make it taste right. It was too oily tasting the first time so I just adjusted it a bit!
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you, Kristy!
Hm… STRAWBERRY i like it