This strawberry caprese salad is the ultimate summer salad -- with strawberries, basil, mozzarella, quinoa, and pecans tossed with a creamy balsamic dressing.

Bring this strawberry salad to a potluck (one day!), eat it on a patio with a glass of Rosé, add some chicken or shrimp, eat it in a box with a fox, this salad is just plain delicious. It's all the things you love about summer produce (deep, red strawberries! peppery arugula! homegrown basil!) with a tangy and creamy balsamic dressing that's good for you. I'll tell you more about the balsamic below because it's not to be missed.

You can think of this salad as a caprese salad with a twist -- a fun, hallelujah-it's-summer twist.

pour shot of creamy balsamic being poured from small pitcher onto salad that's plated on wooden plate

What's in the Strawberry Caprese Salad?

Here are the ingredients you'll need for the salad:

arugula or spinach
strawberries, sliced
basil leaves
pecans
quinoa
mozzarella balls (aka bocconcini mozzarella)

close up of strawberries and mozzarella balls on a plate of salad

The Secret to Making Your Dressing Creamy but Healthy

The secret to making this salad dressing creamy and delicious without all the unhealthy stuff is plain Greek yogurt. I prefer the 0% or 1% fat content so it's still pourable when combined with the other ingredients, but you can use whatever you have.

Do let the yogurt sit out at room temperature for about 45 minutes to an hour before using. This'll help the dressing be extra pourable.

The dressing also has zero refined sugar. There's just a teeny tiny amount of honey to balance out the tang of the balsamic.

This dressing was directly inspired by the creamy balsamic at Sweetgreen, my favorite salad place. I learned about the yogurt in the dressing the hard way when I ordered my Harvest bowl with balsamic dressing while I was breastfeeding C and keeping to a strict, dairy-free diet. Oops!

up close picture of creamy balsamic dressing in small pitcher with bowls of salad and pecans in background

Ingredients for the Creamy Balsamic Dressing

plain Greek yogurt (I prefer 0 or 1%)
balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard
honey
lemon
salt
black pepper
olive oil

Make It A Meal

Secret confession: I used to think a meal wasn't a meal without a protein. I no longer think that...but my husband sure does. We like to add chicken to this strawberry caprese salad but shrimp is also delicious.

aerial shot of bowl of strawberry caprese salad with grilled chicken breast on top

If You're Looking for Amazing Pecans...

My college friend’s family owns a pecan farm in Twin City, Georgia, and their pecans (All the Fixins’) are truly the best I’ve tasted. You can order them online and Janna will send the nutty, home-grown goodness to you in a flash. They’re inexpensive and super high quality. Plus, Janna and her family give back to the local community with every purchase.

Other Summer Favorites

Try some of these other recipes that scream summertime!

aerial view of three plates of strawberry caprese salad on granite background with pecans strewn about

xox,

kathryn

As always, if you make anything from the blog, be sure to let me know! I love hearing from you in the comments on this post below or find Worn Slap Out on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!