It’s hard to think of a fruit that more beloved than strawberries. They’re sweet, sometimes a little tart, and bursting with fresh flavor. This Strawberry Avocado Salad combines this favorite fruit with creamy avocado. The mixture of sweet and savory salad toppings makes for a flavorful dish that will have you looking forward to salad for lunch or dinner. The flavors are vibrant and the mix of textures means it’s never boring.

While strawberries and avocado provide the lighter notes of this salad, the toasted pecans add a deepness to the overall flavor, as well as providing some protein. Toasting them yourself only takes a few minutes and is best done in a dry skillet (cast iron if you have it).

You can customize this salad however you like, but the pecans really “make” this dish so if you can have nuts the toasted pecans are a must for this salad in my view.

For the dressing we’re making it from scratch, but it only takes a minute or two whisk together. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and some orange juice make this a delightful and slightly sweet dressing that compliments the fruit so well. For extra zing use fresh squeezed or the bottled mango-orange variety.

After that it’s time to assemble the salad. Some sliced shallots and feta cheese add even more flavor to this yummy salad. And, it’s naturally gluten-free as well.

There’s a little of everything here: sweet, savory, tangy, creamy, crunchy, rich, and zesty. This is not your average salad by any means!