• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Worn Slap Out
  • Home
  • Meet Kathryn
  • Say Hey!
  • Breakfast
  • Sides + Appetizers
  • Soups + Salads
  • Weeknight Dinners
  • Make Ahead Meals
  • Desserts
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Meet Kathryn
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Meet Kathryn
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Soups + Salads

    Strawberry Caprese Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing

    Published on May 28, 2020 · Modified on Jun 19, 2020 by Kathryn - Leave a comment · 2 Comments

    71 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    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

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you. Plus, you'll get delicious new recipes from me!

    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
    Loading

    By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Worn Slap Out

    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!

    • Spinach Salad with Mandarins and Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette
    • Copycat Chick-Fil-A Superfood Kale Salad
    • Tomato and Peach Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese
    • Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes, Mint, and Ricotta
    • Easiest Summer Peach Tart
    • Brownie Pizza Cake with Fresh Berries and Whipped Cream
    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!

    Strawberry Caprese Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing

    This strawberry caprese salad is the ultimate summer salad -- with strawberries, basil, mozzarella, quinoa, and pecans tossed with a creamy balsamic dressing.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    For the salad:

    • 6 cups arugula or spinach
    • 1 cup strawberries, sliced
    • 10 basil leaves, torn
    • ¼ cup pecans, halved
    • ½ cup quinoa, cooked
    • 1 cup bocconcini mozzarella (mozzarella balls)

    For the dressing:

    • ½ cup plain yogurt*
    • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon honey
    • juice from half a lemon
    • ¼ tsp. salt
    • ⅛ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

    Instructions

    • Place arugula (or spinach) in a bowl. Place remaining ingredients on top and gently toss.
    • In a smaller bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together except for olive oil. Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Toss dressing with salad and enjoy!

    Notes

    *Let yogurt sit out for about an hour.  It's much thinner and more easily able to be poured. 
    Make ahead: You can make this salad ahead of time, but I wouldn't definitely keep the dressing on the side to prevent wilting. Toss with dressing just before serving.  
    Tried this recipe?Mention @wornslapout or tag #wornslapout!

    More Soups + Salads

    • A large salad served on a white platter, including romaine lettuce, fried chicken tenders, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, pecans, bacon, and cornbread croutons.
      Southern Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
    • Side, up-close view of cornbread croutons after coming out of the oven.
      Easy Peasy Cornbread Croutons
    • close up white bowl of turkey and wild rice soup with a spoon in the soup.
      Leftover Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
    • Flatlay of a large bowl of apple pecan salad with two halves of an apple around the plate, all underneath a blue cloth napkin
      Apple and Candied Pecan Salad with Spiced Cider Vinaigrette

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote

      Let Me Know What You Think! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Lori Murphy

      May 28, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      5 stars
      I want to drink the dressing...is it wrong?? Love this salad!

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        June 19, 2020 at 10:40 pm

        Definitely not wrong! 🙂 It's my favorite salad dressing these days!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    picture of kathryn, owner of worn slap out food blog.

    Hi, I'm Kathryn!

    Welcome to Worn Slap Out, a Southern-inspired recipe corner for busy people on the go. As a mom of two littles who also loves food, I need meals on the table ASAP but I also want to eat well. Here, you'll find quick, easy, and reasonably healthy meals you can make in a flash. Other loves include Georgia football, cake of all kinds, and elastic waistbands.


    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • large white bowl full of kale, sweet potatoes, goat cheese, applies, wild rice, and almonds.
      Copycat Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl Recipe
    • Easy Caramel Drizzle with Sweetened Condensed Milk
    • Versatile Dutch Oven Pulled Pork
    • Fresh Baked Blueberry Donuts

    Winter Favorites

    • square image of large white plate of rose pasta with parmesan and basil leaf against light blue background.
      Easy Rose Sauce Recipe (20 Minutes!)
    • large yellow dutch oven with chicken and dumplings topped with fresh parsley.
      Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings
    • This whole roast chicken made in a cast iron skillet makes for juicy and flavorful meat with crispy crunchy skin. Potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic are roasted with the chicken making for a complete meal in one skillet.
      Easy Cast Iron Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
    • Blue Dutch oven with large chuck roast submerged in broth and carrots and potatoes.
      Classic Dutch Oven Pot Roast

    Footer

    Sign up for emails and updates!

    Sign me up!
    • Privacy Policy
    • Get in touch
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2025 - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.