Spinach Pasta Salad Recipe with Strawberries

Large salad bowl filled with tossed together spinach pasta salad with strawberries, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs.

5 from 12 votes

Spinach Pasta Salad Recipe with Strawberries

This fresh and colorful Spinach Pasta Salad Recipe is filled with strawberries, tangy feta, hardboiled eggs, bacon, and drizzled with a light poppyseed vinaigrette. Ready in just 30 minutes, enjoy this delicious and easy Spinach Pasta Salad for lunch, dinner, or potlucks.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Lunch, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Spinach Pasta Salad, Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad

Servings: servings

Author: Jessica Randhawa

Ingredients

For the Poppyseed Vinaigrette

4 tablespoon olive oil
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt + pepper to taste

For the Salad

6 slices bacon chopped
6 large eggs hard boiled
16 ounces penne pasta cooked to al dente
1 pound strawberries hulled and sliced
½ cup green onions chopped
6 ounces feta cheese crumbled
⅓ cup slivered almonds
10 ounces fresh baby spinach

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Fry the bacon - Start by frying the bacon first. Add the chopped bacon to a large skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the bacon is hot and sizzling, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook low and slow, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon pieces are golden and release their grease, remove the lid and allow them to cook until the desired doneness is reached. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
Hard boil the eggs:
(stovetop) - Add eggs to a large saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs rest in the hot water for 10-12 minutes before transferring to an ice bath to cool. Remove eggs from the ice bath, peel, and chop.
(pressure cooker) - Add 1 cup water to the inner pot of your Instant Pot and insert egg or steam rack. Place eggs on the rack and securely fasten the lid. Set the cooking time for 5 minutes on high pressure. Allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes before doing a quick release. Transfer eggs to an ice water bath to stop cooling. Once cool, remove eggs from the ice bath and carefully peel and chop.
Cook the Pasta. Cook the penne according to package instructions, checking doneness often to prevent overcooking. It is better to have noodles that are slightly undercooked than overcooked and soggy. Drain and rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Prepare the poppyseed vinaigrette - Add all ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Whisk well to combine or seal and shake vigorously until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
Toss the penne with half the vinaigrette - After rinsing and draining the cooked noodles, return them to the pot. Give the poppyseed vinaigrette another few shakes and pour approximately half of the dressing over the noodles. Mix well to combine.
Assemble - Transfer the noodles to a large mixing bowl and toss with the cooked bacon bits, hard-boiled eggs, strawberries, green onions, feta cheese, and slivered almonds. Just before serving, toss with the fresh baby spinach, drizzle with additional sesame vinaigrette, and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes

Save time - prepare the vinaigrette, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs ahead of time.
Make it vegetarian and skip the bacon.
Can't get your hands on any ripe strawberries? Don't use frozen. Use a different fruit instead - blueberries, raspberries, mango, pears, persimmon, mandarin oranges, etc.

Nutrition