Picnic Jar Salad Strawberry Goat (Print)

A fresh layered salad featuring strawberries, creamy goat cheese, nuts, and crisp greens in portable jars.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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

# Directions:

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 using approximately 1 tablespoon per jar.
03 - Add sliced red onion, cucumber, and strawberries as the next layers over the dressing.
04 - Add the crumbled goat cheese and chopped pecans or walnuts over the vegetable and fruit layers.
05 - Top each jar with mixed salad greens, distributing evenly across all four jars.
06 - Seal the jars with lids and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to eat, shake the jar vigorously to distribute the dressing and enjoy directly from the jar or pour into a bowl.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The jar does all the heavy lifting—layer it once and you've got four separate meals ready to grab and go.
  • Sweet strawberries against tangy goat cheese and the slight bitterness of greens creates a flavor combination that somehow tastes more interesting the next day.
  • Everything stays crisp because the dressing sits at the bottom, not soaking into your greens until you shake and eat.
  • It looks beautiful enough to impress but requires zero cooking skills.
02 -
  • Always place dressing at the bottom or your greens will wilt into sadness—the oil and vinegar need to sit beneath everything, acting as a protective barrier that hydrates without drowning.
  • Slice your strawberries no more than four hours before layering, or they'll release too much juice and turn the whole thing into strawberry soup.
03 -
  • Toast your own nuts in a dry skillet for five minutes if they're raw—you'll taste the difference and suddenly everything gets more interesting.
  • If you're making these ahead for travel, keep the jars horizontal in your cooler and they'll stay perfectly sealed even if things get bumpy on the way.
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