Picnic Jar Salad Strawberry (Printer-friendly)

Layered jars with strawberries, goat cheese, nuts, and fresh greens for a light, portable meal.

# Required Ingredients:

→ 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 Steps:

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 over the dressing.
04 - Layer the crumbled goat cheese and chopped nuts on top of the vegetables and fruit.
05 - Top each jar with mixed salad greens to finish layering.
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 Suggestions:

01 -
  • You get to eat salad that doesn't wilt or get soggy, which sounds simple but changes everything about picnic food.
  • The jar itself becomes your plate, so there's less to carry and honestly less to clean afterward.
  • Strawberries and goat cheese together hit a sweetness and creaminess your regular salads are probably missing.
02 -
  • The order of layers matters more than you'd think—dressing on bottom, vegetables next, then cheese and nuts, then greens on top keeps everything from turning into mush.
  • Shake the jar vigorously when you're ready to eat, because that's what distributes everything beautifully and makes it way better than just pouring it into a bowl.
03 -
  • Make the dressing the night before and keep it separate—it actually gets better as flavors meld, and you can adjust seasoning right before serving.
  • Don't slice your strawberries until the morning of assembly, because they'll weep into the jar and you'll end up with pink dressing everywhere by lunchtime.
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