Always a favourite in the summer, a spinach salad is as varied as those who make it.
Here is the way I make it - with a few options so you can choose.
The amount of each ingredient will depend on how many you are serving.
- fresh Spinach leaves
- bacon slices - I use 4-6 slices
- red onion thinly sliced
- fresh mushrooms, sliced
- red peppers, chopped or sliced
- chopped green onions (optional)
- thawed frozen green peas or bean sprouts
- boiled eggs, sliced or chopped
- shredded mozzarella or swiss cheese
- toasted almonds or pinenuts
- small cooked shrimp if desired
- 2 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar - or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard - or to taste
- 4-6 tablespoons salad oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise or sour cream
- salt and pepper
- Chop bacon into pieces and fry until crispy. Remove 2 tablespoons. of the bacon fat and set aside in a small bowl. Remove bacon to paper towel and set aside.
- Saute' red onion and mushrooms in a bit of butter only until wilted. Set aside.
- Make dressing* - You'll notice there is a lot of tasting going on here. I've listed the basic ingredients but feel free to adjust it to your liking Whisk all dressing ingredients together in pan and heat gently until warm.
- Assemble salad. Arrange spinach on a large platter and layer the other ingredients adding the shredded cheese and green onions last. Garnish as desired with egg slices, red pepper slices and a sprinkle of almonds.
- Serve salad immediately with the dressing on the side.
It is 7:00am and you have made me hungry for this....maybe lunch though... it sure does look appetizing....
ReplyDeleteYum...you are right. This would make a great summertime salad...really a whole meal to itself really. Great idea and recipe!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great dish to make in the summertime. With temps here in the south being close to a 100 or more. It's also a good way to use up any odd and end veggies you may have on hand. Good recipe!
ReplyDeletei love salads and am always happy to try one that is differant from what i usually make.....i am craving this salad RIGHT NOW!
ReplyDeleteI love trying new spinach salad recipes. I will add these ingredients to my grocery list, and this will complement my supper menu for guests today.
ReplyDeleteThere was a local restaurant where we used to live that served a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing.. I ordered it every time we ate there ... Thanks for the recipe.. the ingredients are going on my grocery list!!
ReplyDeleteWow that looks good! Spinach salad is one of our favorites, and I get requests for more salads these days. I'll try this one very soon. Kathy
ReplyDeleteI made this salad for our big fathers day bbq buffet. It was a huge success! I thought that this was geared towards the men in my life, they all like bacon, eggs and mushrooms. I put layered the salad, very much like yours, in a large, shallow serving dish. Then I drizzled the dressing over, just before we started to eat. Yum!
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