Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing
This spinach salad with warm bacon dressing is a great side dish for your holiday tables. It’s lighter and brighter than the heavier dishes but still has enough flavor and richness to stand up to the other sides. We’ve added a few seasonal additions to the classic salad for some added flavor and texture and I think it makes it the best spinach salad out there.
To serve this as a main meal salad – it’s certainly filling enough to serve on its own – add a protein like sliced chicken or cooked shrimp and crusty bread. I created this spinach salad recipe for Jones Dairy Farm and their Thanksgiving guide (along with sourdough sausage stuffing and ham and potatoes au gratin) and they were kind enough to let me share it here with you!
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
What You’ll Love About Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
- Light and bright, but rich and flavorful
- Great addition to holiday tables
- Nutritious and delicious
- Easy to make ahead
- Made with simple ingredients
- Just 15 minutes prep time
Ingredients
- Bacon – We’re using the best bacon – Jones Dairy Farm bacon! This thick-cut bacon has incredible flavor which we use in two ways for this salad. As a crispy and salty topping for the salad and as the fat component for our warm bacon dressing.
- Shallot – The shallot adds great flavor to salad dressing. It can be used raw, but here we’re cooking it in the bacon grease for a more mellow flavor.
- Olive oil – Use your favorite olive oil, this is for the dressing.
- Vinegar – We’re using white wine vinegar, but you could also use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar – they would all taste great.
- Mustard – Use a Dijon mustard for great flavor.
- Honey – This adds a touch of sweetness to the dressing and helps balance it out. You could also use maple syrup if you prefer.
- Spinach – Look for small and tender fresh baby spinach. If you have really big pieces of spinach, you can roughly chop so it’s a bit easier to eat.
- Mushrooms – I prefer brown baby bella mushrooms in this salad, but you could also use white mushrooms. Slice them yourself so you can get them really thin.
- Onion – Red onion is a classic in spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. If the flavor is too strong, soak sliced onion in cold water for 5-10 minutes to mellow them out a bit.
- Dried cranberries – This is not typically found in spinach salad recipes, but we’re adding them for a sweet and seasonal twist.
- Pumpkin seeds – This is another seasonal addition but adds great crunch.
- Freshly cracked pepper
How to Make Spinach Salad
This is an overview on how to make this classic spinach salad with bacon dressing, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
FAQs
Why aren’t there hard-boiled eggs on this salad?
Many classic spinach salads with bacon recipes do include sliced eggs but this particular recipe was created with a Thanksgiving spread in mind, so I left them off. You could certainly add hard boiled eggs if desired. Slice and add to the salad when you add the cooked bacon.
Can I use turkey bacon?
I would not recommend turkey bacon as we are using the bacon drippings as the fat component to make the tangy dressing. It gives great flavor and richness to the salad.
Storage Instructions
Store salad components in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
How to prep ahead and reheat
- Cook bacon and make dressing up to two days in advance.
- Store dressing in refrigerator and take out a few hours to come to room temperature. Reheat in microwave gently for 15-20 second increments until warmed through.
- Reheat bacon quickly in a hot skillet or wrapped in paper towel in the microwave for 15-30 second increments until heated through. Let crisp up and assemble salad.
What to Serve with Spinach Salad Recipe
This warm spinach salad with bacon dressing is a great side dish for your holiday tables or simply add a protein or crusty bread on the side for a main course:
More Vegetable Sides and Salads
If you like this wilted spinach salad, you might also like some of these other vegetable side dishes:
- Haricot Vert
- Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Ham and Potato Au Gratin
- Hot Honey Glazed Brussels Sprouts
- Kale Salad
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Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings (about 1 1/2 cups per serving) 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This spinach salad with warm bacon dressing has a few seasonal additions and it’s perfect on your holiday tables. Flavorful and delicious!
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Jones Dairy Farm Bacon
- 1 medium shallot (about 1/2 cup diced)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 12 oz. baby spinach
- 6 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 2 cups sliced)
- 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup sliced)
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crispy, about 5-8 minutes, flipping frequently. (Be careful to not let bacon or oil burn, turn down heat if necessary.) Transfer cooked bacon on paper towel to cool and reserve bacon grease in skillet. Lower heat to low and add minced shallot to the bacon grease in skillet and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until softened. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and transfer to blender.
- While bacon is cooking, prep salad. Thinly slice mushrooms and red onion. Soak onions in cold water for 5-10 minutes to mellow them out a bit if desired. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to let them dry. Roughly chop or crumble bacon.
- Blend dressing. To the bacon and shallot mixture in blender, add olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and honey. Blend until smooth. (Makes a little over 1 cup, may have a few small pieces left which is ok.)
- Assemble salad. Add baby spinach to a large salad bowl, and toss with 1/3 of the warm dressing. (Gently warm in microwave if necessary in 15-20 second increments, we do want it to be hot so it can wilt the spinach a bit.) Top with sliced mushrooms red onions and another ⅓ of the dressing and toss together. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Top with freshly cracked black pepper and serve the remaining dressing on the side for additional dressing as desired.
Notes
- MAKE AHEAD: Cook bacon and make dressing up to two days in advance. Store dressing in refrigerator and take out a few hours to come to room temperature. Reheat in microwave gently for 15-20 second increments until warmed through. Reheat bacon quickly in a hot skillet or wrapped in paper towel in the microwave for 15-30 second increments until heated through. Let crisp up and assemble salad.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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