![A white plate filled with a fresh quinoa summer salad consisting of spinach, strawberry slices, avocado chunks, and pine nuts. The plate sits on a red-patterned cloth. A fork rests on the side of the plate. A large bowl containing more salad is partially visible in the top left corner.](https://www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-17-of-19.jpg)
This recipe for quinoa salad is a summer salad that is fun to eat, easy to prepare, and will leave you full of energy to enjoy your day. This perfect quinoa spinach strawberry salad with avocado chunks and a perfect balsamic vinaigrette will soon become your favorite one.
ingredients
- Spinach. Baby spinach or kale work well here.
- Strawberries. Use fresh, firm strawberries and stems and dice them before adding them to the salad.
- Avocado. It is important to use a firm avocado, as you don’t want it to get all mushy. You want the avocado pieces to hold their shape in the salad.
- Quinoa. I like to make this salad pretty often during the summer. That is why I always try to have a container of cooked quinoa in my fridge.
- Vinaigrette. This quinoa spinach salad calls for a very simple balsamic vinegar vinaigrette. This dressing will bring freshness to the salad ingredients.
- Pinenuts and fresh basil leaves. If you do not have pinenuts, you can use walnuts or pecans.
![Ensalada de verano con fresas, aguacate y quinoa.p&v](https://i2.wp.com/www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-5-of-19.jpg?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-6-of-19-1.jpeg?ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-4-of-19-1.jpeg?ssl=1)
![A close-up shot of a dark blue ceramic bowl with an abstract white pattern. The bowl is filled with uncooked white quinoa seeds, perfect for creating a refreshing quinoa summer salad. A few seeds are scattered on the white surface it rests on, while the soft-focused background emphasizes the texture and design.](https://www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-1-of-19-700x1050.jpeg)
![A ripe avocado cut in half with the pit removed. The halves are placed on a white surface; the front half has scored lines in the flesh. Perfect for a quinoa summer salad, the skin is dark green and rough, while the flesh is a light green color.](https://www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-4-of-19-2-700x1050.jpeg)
![A close-up shot of a pile of fresh spinach leaves spread on a light wooden surface. The green leaves appear crisp and vibrant, with bright light illuminating them from above, creating a fresh and appetizing look—perfect for tossing into a quinoa summer salad. The background is softly blurred, keeping the focus on the spinach.](https://www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-5-of-19-1.webp)
How to make a quinoa salad with spinach and strawberries?
First, if you don’t have cooked quinoa, start by doing that. It is better to let the quinoa cool completely before adding it to the salad. Hot quinoa will wilt the spinach and brown the avocado. And no, we don’t want that. Skip this step if you have cooked quinoa in your fridge.
While the quinoa is cooking, prep your greens, fruit, and vinaigrette. If the spinach leaves are pretty large, chop them a bit. Place the greens in a salad bowl, and add the cold or at least room-temperature quinoa and the vinaigrette.
Mix carefully so all the greens are lightly covered with the dressing. Finish the salad with the diced strawberries, avocado, pinenuts, and basil leaves.
![A close-up of a stainless steel pot containing cooked quinoa on a light-colored surface. In the background, there is a partially blurred, nearly empty glass bottle. The fluffy, well-cooked quinoa suggests the perfect base for a vibrant quinoa summer salad, with scattered grains visible throughout the pot.](https://www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-8-of-19.jpg)
Tips and tricks for the best quinoa spinach salad
- Use fresh ingredients; the better the ingredients are, the better the flavors of the salad will be.
- A good substitution for strawberries will be blueberries or even raspberries.
- A good addition to this quinoa spinach salad is sliced cucumbers. Cucumbers are always fresh and perfect for a summer day.
- I like to use really good balsamic vinegar, but raspberry vinegar or even red wine vinegar works great here.
![A white bowl filled with a fresh quinoa summer salad mixture. The salad includes chopped strawberries, avocado slices, spinach leaves, and scattered pine nuts, all garnished with a quinoa sprinkle. The bowl has a decorative, beaded rim and sits on a light-colored surface.](https://www.alecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ensalada-de-verano-con-fresas-y-aguacate-11-of-19.jpg)
Perfect strawberry Quinoa spinach Salad
Equipment
- Salad bowl
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ¾ cup water
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Salad
- 4 handfuls of chopped spinach
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- 1 avocado cubes
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 6 leaves of basil
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put the quinoa and water in a pot with a lid over low heat. When there is very little water on the edges of the pot, turn it off and leave it covered. Leave it aside.
- While there is the quinoa. In a bowl or bottle put the ingredients of the dressing, vinegar, salt and olive oil. Mix and taste, make it rich. Leave it aside.
- When the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork until it is completely loose and cold.
- Put it in a large bowl and mix with the spinach. Add dressing and mix.
- Put the strawberries, the avocado and the pine nuts and mix very carefully not to beat.
- Finish with basil leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Peach Scones: A Delicious and Easy Recipe - July 24, 2024
- Panzanella inspired Pan Fried Gnocchi Salad - July 22, 2024
- Chickpea Vegan Ceviche - July 19, 2024