Spinach Salad with Burrata
on Jul 05, 2021, Updated Jul 08, 2025
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Burrata is one of the world's best cheeses, like mozzarella with a creamy inside — it's perfect on top of a lightly dressed spinach salad.
For this simple spinach salad recipe, a pillow of soft and creamy burrata cheese is plunked on top of very lightly dressed greens, and when it is cut open, my oh my. The almost molten cream inside spills out over the piles of tender baby spinach, and it’s one of the best simple salads ever. Some thinly sliced onion and some roasted peppers (try grilled peppers, too) are all you need to make this feel like a voluptuous appetizer or light lunch.
For this salad, a very simple vinaigrette dresses piles of tender baby spinach. I usually like my vinaigrettes quite tangy, but in this case, I went much softer, because I didn’t want anything to mask the delicate flavor of the cheese. Serve the salad before an Italian meal of Porchetta or Creamy Tuscan Salmon, or serve alongside a simple piece of poached salmon.
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What's In This Post?
If you ever need to be reminded of the power of a perfect simple food, then this spinach salad recipe is a great way to recenter yourself. And then keep going: enjoy a perfect ripe tomato, sliced and sprinkled with salt. Add a bit of olive oil and pepper if you like. Eat an ear of very fresh late summer corn, steamed for a tiny handful of minutes, no longer. A rub with some good butter (or not) and a few pinches of salt. Or bite into a piece of any fruit when it’s ripe enough to fall from the tree when you barely touch it. That’s perfection to me.
Burrata is one of the world’s greatest cheese, like mozzarella with a creamy inside—and it’s perfect on top of a vinaigrette dressed spinach salad.
What is Burrata Cheese?
Burrata is a semisoft white Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. I think of it as the cheese cousin to a molten chocolate cake. It’s a semisoft white Italian cheese originating in the Puglia region of Italy made from cow’s milk, rennet, and cream.
Burrata is typically made from an outer layer of mozzarella, filled with a rich mixture of cream and curds that oozes out when the burrata is cut. Mozzarella is tangier and firmer than burrata.
It’s available at cheese shops and well-stocked supermarkets. If you can’t find burrata, you can use another soft cheese, such as fresh ricotta or fresh mozzarella, as an alternative. However, to truly experience the full flavor, you will need to use burrata. It’s really not all that hard to find these days.
Burrata should ideally be eaten within 24 hours of being made and never refrigerated, though that’s not always possible. Make sure to bring the burrata to room temperature before serving.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Do you know who said that? Confucious. Smart guy. Also, burrata is really simple, and we should make sure we don’t make it complicated. Do you know who said that? Me. I know, I know, Confucius’s line was better.
You can find burrata at cheese shops and well-stocked supermarkets. Also, do check out Grilled Peaches with Burrata, which is another ode to this wonderful cheese.
Spinach Salad with Burrata Ingredients
- Spinach – Baby spinach is a great option for this simple salad because it’s a bit sweeter and more tender than regular spinach. You could also add a bit of arugula.
- Burrata – In this recipe, each salad plate gets a ball of burrata so everyone gets the joy of discovering its delicious interior for themselves.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – Use the best olive oil you can find; it’s good to have on hand for any homemade vinaigrette recipe.
- Rice vinegar – Completes the vinaigrette’s delicate taste.
- Sweet onion – Thin slices add a nice contrast to the spinach and burrata; Vidalia onions are a good choice.
- Roasted red peppers – While optional, these give the salad a nice pop of flavor and color. You can use homemade roasted red peppers or jarred.
Variations
- Think about adding some cherry tomatoes to this salad. Roasted tomatoes would be even better.
- Try grilling the peppers instead of roasting them in the oven.
- Try balsamic vinegar instead of rice vinegar for a more potent sweet-tart flavor.
How to Make Spinach Salad with Burrata
- Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Toss the salad: Add the spinach and onions and toss to combine.
- Plate and serve: Divide the salad between 4 plates. Place a ball of burrata on top of each portion of salad. Distribute the red pepper slices over each salad, if desired. Let each person slice into their ball of burrata.
What to Serve With Spinach Salad and Burrata
Also, think about a lovely cocktail: Maybe a Cosmo or a Boulevardier.
More Great Salad Recipes
- Kale, Cabbage, and Mint Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Millet and Greens Salad
- Chopped Winter Salad
- Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad
- Caesar Salad with Garlicky Croutons
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Spinach Salad with Burrata
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 8 cups baby spinach
- ½ sweet onion (such as Vidalia; very thinly sliced)
- 4 (8-ounce) balls burrata cheese (at room temperature)
- 1 roasted red pepper (sliced; optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the spinach and onions and toss to combine. Divide the salad between 4 plates.
- Place a ball of burrata on top each portion of salad. Distribute the red pepper slices over each salad if desired. Let each person slice into their ball of burrata.
