Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

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Spinach Salad with Bacon

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This spinach salad combines crispy thick-cut bacon, mushrooms, and soft-boiled eggs with a warm bacon vinaigrette. Pair with a rotisserie chicken and dinner is done!

spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

If there’s one thing that gets everyone in my family circling the kitchen like sharks at dinnertime, asking “Whatcha makin’?” it’s the smell of bacon sizzling on the stovetop. This spinach salad with crispy thick-cut bacon, boiled eggs, mushrooms, and warm bacon vinaigrette pairs well with a store-bought rotisserie chicken or pan-seared salmon. It’s also wonderful with potato leek soup. To save time, use pre-washed baby spinach, pre-sliced mushrooms, and even pre-cooked boiled eggs, if you like — and pick up a fresh baguette to round out the meal.

What you’ll need to Make Spinach Salad with warm Bacon dressing

Salad ingredients including eggs, honey, and apple cider vinegar.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Before making the salad, you’ll need to boil the eggs. I especially love runny soft-boiled eggs for this salad, but hard-boiled eggs are also delicious.

how to make spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

Begin by frying the bacon in a nonstick skillet, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. While the bacon cooks, start the dressing: in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Whisk in a bowl with a vinegar and honey mixture.

When the bacon is done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel–lined plate.

how to make spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

Pour the bacon fat into a heatproof bowl, then return 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat to the skillet. Add the shallots to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown.

Shallots cooking in bacon fat.

Add the bacon fat and shallots from the skillet to the vinegar mixture and whisk to combine.

how to make spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

Add the spinach and mushrooms.

Bowl of spinach and mushrooms.

Toss to coat evenly, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Spinach and mushrooms being tossed with a warm bacon dressing.

Divide the salad between 4 plates or bowls; evenly divide the egg and cooked bacon among them. Serve immediately.

spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

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Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

This spinach salad combines crispy thick-cut bacon, mushrooms, and soft-boiled eggs with a warm bacon vinaigrette. Pair with a rotisserie chicken and dinner is done!

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup finely chopped shallots, from 1 to 2 shallots
  • 2½ tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1½ tablespoons honey
  • 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Several grinds fresh black pepper
  • 6 oz (about 8 cups) baby spinach
  • 8 oz white button or baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
  • 3 hard or soft boiled eggs, thinly sliced or cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. Place the bacon in a medium nonstick skillet and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. While the bacon cooks, start the dressing: in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel–lined plate.
  4. Pour the bacon fat into a heatproof bowl, then return 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat to the skillet. (You can discard the remaining bacon fat or save it if you'd like it for cooking.) Add the shallots to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown.
  5. Add the bacon fat and shallots from the skillet to the vinegar mixture and whisk to combine. Add the spinach and mushrooms and toss to coat evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Divide the salad between 4 plates or bowls; evenly divide the egg and cooked bacon among them. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 338
  • Fat: 26 g
  • Saturated fat: 9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Sugar: 9 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 14 g
  • Sodium: 505 mg
  • Cholesterol: 157 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • This is delicious! I swapped the honey for brown sugar and used full size fresh spinach, which gives me more control over stems. This salad tastes like the one my mother made, sooo good and it is a meal in itself

    • — Cyndi on October 29, 2024
    • Reply
  • What a wonderful way to create a balanced meal around the spinach we just picked from our garden! Loaded with veggies, healthy fats (for the most part), quality protein, and minimal carbs made for a great dinner for 2. It was a little sweet for my other half, so next time I’ll cut down on the honey, but I thought it was perfect as is. We’ll definitely be making this at least a couple times a year from now on. Thank you!

    • — Greg on October 2, 2024
    • Reply
  • I made this exactly to the recipe. My only complaint is that I can’t give it 10 stars! My wife and I absolutely loved it.I will be making it again soon!

    • — Miles Gilmore on October 1, 2024
    • Reply
  • This is absolutely the best warm spinach salad recipe. I like to add shrimp, asparagus, and goat cheese to make it a full meal

    • — Charity from maui on June 27, 2024
    • Reply
  • My Mother use to make this when I was growing up. She didn’t use mushrooms probably because we lived on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere, and didn’t have access. I absolutely loved it! I haven’t made it in a long time but since seeing the recipe again, I will! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

    • — Pam on June 20, 2024
    • Reply
    • Thank you for your comment Pam. In the 1980’s I enjoyed making a popular spinach salad recipe that sounds just like this one. I’m looking forward to making it! And thank you Jen for sharing the recipe!
      Nancy

      • — Nancy on September 1, 2024
      • Reply
  • I’m not a fan of apple cider vinegar and was so reluctant to try because of this. I didn’t realize it can be cooked down and become less apple cider “vinegary”.

    Anyways, long and short of this….was DELICIOUS!!!! So glad I took a chance. Making it again this week.

    Note – I also added other veggies recommended in other recipes but make sure to make this dressing!

    Thank you!

    • — Lora on June 10, 2024
    • Reply

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