Sometimes I come up with a recipe idea and I think about it so long and try to picture in my head how it will look and taste. On some occasions it tastes and looks nothing like I thought it would and I either scratch the idea or start all over. But other times I get lucky and the recipe not only tastes great but also looks exactly how it imagined it to look. This is one of those recipes for me!
Now, if you know me you know how much I love salads and I also have a very special soft spot for appetizers, so this dish is pretty much the best of both worlds! These Goat Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Strawberries with Candied Walnuts & Balsamic Glaze are inspired from a popular salad combination that includes all of these ingredients, but don’t they just look cuter stuffed into these delicious strawberries?!
If I were on a cooking competition I might even refer to these as a deconstructed spinach, strawberry, and goat cheese salad 🙂 But thankfully that is not the case because I’m not sure how well I would do with Gordon Ramsey yelling at me that my scallops are raw or having to cook an entree using marshmallows, carrots, leftover mac n’ cheese, and liver. But, oh how I love to watch those shows and see other people get yelled at!
These stuffed strawberries might look kinda fancy but they are actually really easy to make! All you have to do is cut the top off of the strawberries, scoop out the middle, stick a small piece of baby spinach in and pipe in some goat cheese. Then sprinkle on some candied walnuts and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Because everything needs a little drizzle of balsamic glaze 🙂
Goat Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Strawberries with Candied Walnuts & Balsamic Glaze
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2–3 16 oz packages of strawberries
- 1– 8 oz package of goat cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/2 bag of baby spinach
- 1/4 cup balsamic glaze
- 1/3 cup chopped candied walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and cut the green tops off. Take a small pairing knife and carefully cut the center out of each strawberry. If you want the strawberries to stand up on a plate you will also need to cut a small slice off the bottom of them.
- Place the softened goat cheese into a plastic piping bag fitted with a #10 size tip. Place one small spinach leaf in the strawberry and then pipe a small amount of goat cheese in. Repeat until all strawberries are filled with 1 leaf of spinach and goat cheese. Then sprinkle strawberries with the chopped nuts and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Notes
*To quickly soften goat cheese, fill a bowl with warm water and place goat cheese package into water for 5 minutes.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Category: Appetizer, Gluten Free
I absolutely love these stuffed strawberries, Izzy! So creative and your pictures are just gorgeous. Makes me want to reach right through my screen and grab one! I love that you used goat cheese and spinach, sounds like such a delicious combination. So perfect for spring, too!
Thank you so much, Gayle!! Haha, I will send you some because I have way too many now! Although I’m sure I will eat them all by myself and still want more 🙂
LOL – how seeing something in your head doesn’t always translate to the camera, eye or recipe for that matter…. oh! I can so relate! Love this delicious, simple recipe Izzy. And look at the color! These are like little savory petite fours.. I’m afraid I’d eat too many because they are small and I’d lose track! Theres so many textures and flavors going on… a party for the mouth for sure!
I’m glad you can relate too, Traci! I’ve been having to do so many re-shoots lately because I’m not happy with how things look, but glad it finally worked out! Haha, I might have lost track a few times… They are just so easy to pop them in your mouth 🙂
haha oh gosh – I know what you mean. Sometimes I think a dish is going to be gorgeous … and then not so much!
But these … these are like literally all my favorites rolled into one pop-able little thing! Love it!
Yeah, I’ve been having that issue lately so I’m extra happy that these came out how I was hoping they would! Thanks Ashley 🙂
Don’t worry, I’m sure Gordon R. wouldn’t yell at you over these little beauties.
And I think ‘deconstructed salad’ is actually a perfect description. The best thing is being able to pop these in your mouth whole with all those lovely flavours in one bite!
Haha, I hope not! I love one bite appetizers just for the reason that you get all the flavors in one bite! And also because I feel like it is ok to eat tons of them 🙂
These are just genius! I love strawberries and goat cheese, especially when they’re combined together. So pretty and perfect for spring too!
★★★★★
haha, thank you, Danielle!! Me too! They are one of the best food pairings out there 🙂
I cannot get over how gorgeous this salad is and I love your creative approach! I’m a major fan of goat cheese and love it alongside strawberries and spinach in a salad…so basically this thing is simply perfect for me, and I bet it’s great to enjoy with friends!
Thank you so much, Julia! Me too! I might have piped some of the goat cheese straight into my mouth 🙂
These look amazing!! do you buy or make balsamic glaze?
Thank you!! I bought the balsamic glaze for these. Last time I tried to make it Eric wanted to evacuate the house with Cheeto because the aroma was very strong!
These are so wickedly creative, Izzy — you’re a genius! Deconstructing a salad into one amazing bite (or 6+ bites) is such a great idea. This would be such an amazing appetizer/bite for almost any kind of spring/summer function! Pinned.
Thank you so much, Marcie!! or 7 or 8 bites?! haha!
Such a smart idea Izzy! Live these strawberries!!! Pinned and shared 🙂
Thank you, Mira!!
These are the BEST idea EVER! You are so creative, Izzy! Strawberries and goat cheese are two of my very favorite things and I just love these cute appetizers!
A spring salad inside a strawberry! How cute! And such a great ideas for a buffet appetizer
Truly Izzy, you take the best photo’s ever. Maybe get an e-book going? Some of those ginormous bloggers who are ranked like 1 and 2 in the US have nothing on you. It has never occurred to me to stuff a strawberry before, what a novel idea. But I love it. For me, I think I’d put pecans in =) Happy Friday.
I know exactly what you mean about planning and executing recipes! You just can’t always account for everything in your head, but sometimes it all comes together 🙂
As a huge strawberry lover, I love these little bites! Stuffed with good stuff and so pretty. I can’t wait to try them!
I totally love this savory version of stuffed strawberries! Yum! Will definitely be making them soon.
These are seriously SO stunning, Izzy! I adore stuffed strawberries, but I’ve only ever had them the sweet way! LOVE the goat cheese in this and those candied nuts and balsamic drizzle just take them over the top!
These strawberries look so yummy! Love the goat’s cheese and balsamic – tasty! 😀
It’s just like a strawberry goat cheese salad but in a different constructed form that is elegant and perfect for snacking. You’ve done an amazing job making these!
Thank you so much, Kelsey!! That is exactly what I had in mind when I made these 🙂
I love these little strawberry bites, Izzy! Stuffing them with all those goodies is such a great idea! They look absolutely gorgeous!
I pretty much want to run to the store right now and get the ingredients to make this asap! I’m loving all the flavors in this, especially the sweet/savory combo.
What a great flavor combo! These are gorgeous and I think they’d be perfect for a baby shower or a bridal shower this spring~ I know I love when things turn out like I had envisioned…these are awesome!
These strawberries are stunning! I love the balsamic glaze and the goat cheese. I think these might be on my appetizer menu for Easter brunch. Pinned!
Oooh yummy, I love these! I hit up our local strawberry stand today for the first time this year… but we totally ate them all before I could even think of using any in a recipe. So good. I need to go back for more, because I need these stuffed ones in my life!!
I mean, I think I might be in love with these.
I can relate to imagining something in my head yet looking very different as the end product. These strawberries look amazing. Great job
Obsessed with this idea, so gorgeous!
Everything everyone commented..I second them. What a marvelous stunning idea! I can’t wait to make & share! Thanks for sharing your time & recipes with us!!!
Thank you so much, Sandra!! Your comment just made my day! I hope you enjoy them! <3