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Our Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing combines baby spinach, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, and red onion, all tossed in a warm bacon dressing.
The Most Delicious Spinach Salad Recipe!
Today we’re sharing a recipe for one of my all-time favorite salads – Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing.
Fresh baby spinach is combined with slices of hard-boiled eggs, sliced fresh mushrooms, slivers of red onion, and crumbled bacon.
But the dressing – oh the hot bacon dressing! – is really the best part of this fabulous salad! It’s warm, rich, sweet, tart and salty all at the same time and is the perfect complement to the fresh spinach and other ingredients. We’ve used a maple-flavored bacon in the warm bacon dressing which adds an extra boost of sweetness and maple flavor.
Reader Review
“I have been looking for a spinach salad with bacon dressing. We lived in California for a short time and while we were there we found a place that had the best Spinach Salad we had ever had. After we moved to Oregon we longed for the Spinach Salad but nothing was the same UNTIL we found you (yeah) we LOVE it so much. Thank you Thank You so much for your posting….happy face:)” -Diane
Why You’ll Love Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
- There is a wonderful combination of flavors, temperatures, and textures in every bite.
- The sweet and tangy dressing complements the fresh spinach, smokey bacon, and creamy eggs so perfectly. The mushrooms add an earthy flavor and the red onion adds brightness.
- This salad (and dressing) can be made in advance. Just warm the dressing before serving.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Various Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Saucepan – To hard-boil the eggs.
- Kitchen Timer
- Skillet – To cook the bacon and make the dressing.
- Paper Towels
- Serving Bowl
- Small Pitcher or Bottle – To serve the warm bacon dressing.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Baby Spinach – We think fresh baby spinach is the best option for this salad as the leaves are tender and sweeter than full-grown spinach leaves.
- Maple-Flavored Bacon
- Eggs
- White Button Mushrooms
- Red Onion – This is used in both the warm bacon dressing as well as sliced on the salad.
- White Balsamic Vinegar – White balsamic is milder than the dark balsamic vinegar. Red or white wine vinegar can also be used for a slightly different flavor.
- Granulated Sugar
- Dijon Mustard
- Water
How do I make Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing?
- Cook the eggs following this recipe. Cool, peel, and slice into 4 to 5 slices per egg.
- Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then rough chop.
- Reserve some of the bacon fat. Use that to sauté chopped red onion until translucent. Add vinegar and de-glaze the skillet. Then add sugar, mustard, and water. Mix to combine.
- Layer salad ingredients in serving bowls or on a platter.
- Spoon warm bacon dressing over the salad and toss to coat the spinach.
- Serve immediately while the bacon dressing is still warm.
Serving Suggestions
This spinach salad with warm bacon dressing is very versatile. It can be served many different ways:
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- It’s impressive served on a large platter – then let everyone help themselves as you pass the platter around the dinner table.
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- You can also make individual salads – layering each bowl with fresh spinach and each of the toppings.
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- This spinach salad can also be served as a layered spinach salad in a clear, deep-sided bowl (such as a trifle bowl). Layer the various toppings along the outer edge of the glass bowl so your guests can see the different ingredients in the salad.
Regardless of how you serve this Spinach Salad, just make sure the bacon dressing is nice and hot (it will cool fairly quickly) and well-mixed when served.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing ahead of time? Yes – you can boil the eggs, prepare the dressing, and chop the other ingredients. When ready to eat, slice the eggs, heat the dressing, and assemble the salad.
- How long can I keep any extra bacon dressing? It should be fine for up to a week in the refrigerator.
- How do I reheat the dressing? We reheat in small saucepan, whisking to recombine the ingredients.
This Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in July 2013. We’ve updated the post and photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same.
You might like these other Spinach Recipes
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Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Our Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing combines baby spinach, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, and red onion, all tossed in a warm bacon dressing.
Ingredients
6 uncooked eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 pound maple-flavored bacon
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
8 ounce package of button mushrooms, sliced very thin
1 small red onion (half chopped and half thinly sliced, divided)
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
Instructions
- In a medium to large saucepan, fill ¾ full with water and add the one tablespoon of white vinegar. Bring to a boil and gently spoon in the six room temperature raw eggs in shells, being careful not to break the shells. When the water comes back to a boil, time five minutes and shut off burner. Leave the eggs in the hot water for 15 more minutes. Pour off water, shake pan to crack shells and under cool running water, peel the shells from eggs. Slice cooled eggs into about 4-5 slices per egg.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels and crumble or rough chop and set aside. Reserve two tablespoons of the bacon fat and discard the rest.
- Heat the bacon fat over medium heat and sauté the chopped red onion until translucent, about five minutes. Add the white balsamic vinegar and scrape down pan of any brown bits. Add sugar, mustard and water and stir to combine. Remove from heat until ready to serve.
- In one large bowl layer all ingredients or in six individual serving bowls, dividing the ingredients between each. (Spinach, sliced red onion, sliced mushroom, sliced cooked eggs and crisp crumpled bacon)
- To serve, heat dressing to hot and serve over salad or on the side.
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Cooked mushrooms with bacon and grease. Used apple cider vinegar and added honey. Awesome!
So glad you enjoyed the salad Kim!
Would this salad work well with the addition of dried cherries? I have some I’m trying to use up.
I’m not sure Melanie – I’d probably swap the dried cherries in a salad that has dried cranberries in the ingredients list. Here are a few:
https://www.afamilyfeast.com/broccoli-carrot-salad/
https://www.afamilyfeast.com/mixed-greens-with-pears-goat-cheese-dried-cranberries-and-spiced-pecans/
We also have a granola recipe you might like: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/cherry-granola/
Hope this helps!
Love love love this recipe! How long do you think the dressing will keep if we have extra?
Hi Kate – The dressing should last a few days – up to a week in the refrigerator. Glad you liked the salad!
This was a tasty treat!I added fried mushrooms and it was delicious. I really loved the dressing.
Thanks LaKisha – so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you so much for this hot bacon dressing. I have been looking a long time for a great one and now I found it. Love all your recipes.
You’re very welcome Carol! So glad you found us! 🙂
I have been looking for a Spinach Salad with bacon dressing. We lived in Indio California for a short time and while we were there we found a place that had the best Spinach Salad we had ever had. After we moved to Oregon we longed for the Spinach Salad but nothing was the same UNTIL we found you (yea) we LOVE it so much. Thank you Thank You so much for your posting….happy face:)
Aww…so glad you enjoyed the recipe Diane! And that it is a close substitute for the salad you’ve been missing! Thanks for taking the time to write to us!
This dressing has seriously changed my view of salads! I always hated eating salads but, had never thought about why until I tried this dressing. I realized that I had never found a dressing that I was over the moon for. Im not a fan of ranch or italian. Balsamics were always too tart as were most other dressings but, this dressing while still having a hint of tart, has a nice sweetness to it as well that I ABSOLUTELY CRAVE! I eat a salad daily now just to taste this dressing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as it is truly a life changer! 😉
WOW Catherine! Thank you for writing to us and we’re so glad we’ve helped you find a way to enjoy salads! 🙂
Do you think I can’t make the dressing ahead of time and refridgerate, and reheat prior to serving? Thank you!!!
Hi Cara – Yes – you can definitely make this dressing ahead of time and reheat. Enjoy!
Wow – this was exceptional – everyone loved it! Thank you so much.
Thanks Laura!!
I made this today! OH.MY.GOODNESS! Yum and YUM! I couldn’t find UNCURED maple bacon, so I used honey bacon, I also cooked the mushrooms a bit, as I’m not a fan of raw ones. Then instead of sugar I used real maple syrup, lastly I added chopped tomatoes and added some feta cheese sprinkles. My husband almost licked the bowl & his comment was “you can definitely make this again!” You can bet I will! Thank you.
WOW – We’re so glad you both enjoyed the salad!! Thanks so much for writing to us!! Have a great evening! Martha