Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
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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!
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
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.
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.
When the bacon is done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel–lined plate.
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.
Add the bacon fat and shallots from the skillet to the vinegar mixture and whisk to combine.
Add the spinach and mushrooms.
Toss to coat evenly, then 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.
YOu may also like
- Cobb Salad
- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
- BLT Salad with Chicken
- Baby Kale Salad with Lemon, Parmesan and Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
- Spinach Salad with Berries, Pecans, and Goat Cheese in Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Peaches, Burrata, and Prosciutto with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
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!
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
- Place the bacon in a medium nonstick skillet and fry over medium heat, 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.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel–lined plate.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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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I grew up with my grandma making a salad that is just like this one. I made it for dinner tonight & added shrimp. The only thing I did change was lettuce selection. I like the Organic Spring mix from Aldi. Fantastic recipe!!!
I have made or eaten many classic spinach salads with Spinach, boiled egg, bacon, red onion, tomato and blue cheese dressing. Your version was the most flavorful and my wife remarked how much she liked it. She is following a Keto diet. The shallot and bacon fat vinaigrette was killer. You may have saved our marriage with this one….thank you so much.
I made the salad last night. Everyone liked it. I left out the salt completely, unnecessary. Didn’t put in mushrooms because 2 people don’t like them(imagine that!). Also, simple chopped white onion worked fine instead of shallots. I only used 6 slices bacon, was adequate for garnish and fat to put in dressing. I love salad in general; it’s the best part of a meal to me. Will make this salad again.
I made this for the 2nd time last night, and it was great again! Absolutely delicious!
I thought there wouldn’t be enough dressing, and I almost doubled it, but I’m so happy I didn’t! It would’ve been way too much! The amount of dressing is perfect as written! Thank you, Jenn!
Without a doubt, the absolute best Spinach salad I’ve ever made. A great mixture of flavors and ingredients. Thank you for this. I am a hero tonight.
We halved this recipe and used it on romaine lettuce with some cherry tomatoes to accompany a veggie quiche, and my oh my – I think the salad went over even better than the quiche! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
It turned out great!
Absolutely delicious! Bad spinach salad with warm bacon dressing is really bad, and that is all I have ever had ☹️ This recipe, however, is just plain wonderful!
Good morning Jenn – plan to make this salad tonight – question: Can I make the dressing in advance and reheat prior to adding spinach and mushroom? Thanks.
Sure, Annie, that should work. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, Jenn
This is a delicious salad! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve made it with the following additions:
– the bacon is hickory honey smoked
– 1/2 cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
– 1/4 c. white wine
– 1 Fuji or Gala apple, w/peel and cubed
– 1/2 c. candied walnut halves (OR, curried walnut halves) – easy recipe from Internet or favorite blogger.
Make the candied or curried walnuts before you make the salad dressing. Set aside.
For the salad dressing:
Saute’ apple chunks and wine with the bacon fat til it foams. But don’t overcook the apples.
Drain and set aside. The bacon fat is to be used to make the salad dressing – keep hot.
Divide spinach on individual plates. (I prefer to remove the stems).
Sprinkle over the salad with the walnut halves, apple pieces, bacon and the Gorgonzola cheese – on each plate.
Add the hot salad dressing on the salad (it will melt the cheese – yummy).
Serve.
I hope readers will make your salad, Jenn.
I’ve enjoyed this at a famous restaurant and made it for myself and friends. I also entered ‘my’ recipe (sans the hard-boiled eggs) in a winery cooking contest. I won a trip for 2 to the winery where 10 if us contestants prepared our salads for the judges.
Although I didn’t win 1st prize, it was an unforgettable experience.
That does sound like an unforgettable experience!! (And glad you enjoyed the salad) 🙂
Lisa, it sounds like a wonderful and a salad I would love to try, but this is nothing like hers. This is a whole different salad.