Description
This classic spinach salad with warm bacon dressing is a perfect blend of fresh spinach, crispy bacon, and a tangy, warm dressing. It’s a great side dish or a light meal that’s both satisfying and flavorful.
Ingredients
Scale
-
For the Salad:
- 8 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds or pecans (optional)
-
For the Warm Bacon Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons bacon drippings (reserved from cooking bacon)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Cook the Bacon:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crispy.
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, reserving 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the skillet.
-
Make the Dressing:
- Add the red wine vinegar, honey or sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to the skillet with the bacon drippings.
- Whisk the mixture over medium heat until well combined and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
-
Assemble the Salad:
- In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, red onion, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, and almonds or pecans if using.
- Pour the warm bacon dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.
- Top with the crispy bacon pieces.
-
Serve:
- Serve immediately while the dressing is warm.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, substitute the bacon with mushrooms or tempeh and use olive oil instead of bacon drippings for the dressing.
- You can add other toppings such as crumbled blue cheese or avocado slices for extra flavor.
- Store any leftover salad components separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheat the dressing before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of salad
- Calories: 220g
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 150mg
Keywords: Spinach Salad, Warm Bacon Dressing, Classic Salad, Easy Salad Recipe, Fresh Salad