Food and Recipes Veggies Greens Spinach Spinach Salad With Warm Bacon Dressing Be the first to rate & review! Because bacon makes just about everything better, including salads. By Elizabeth Brownfield Elizabeth Brownfield Instagram Website Elizabeth Brownfield is a writer and editor specializing in food and cooking with over 20 years of experience in the print and digital publishing industry. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 19, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 6 This classic spinach salad is loaded with texture and flavor: delicate spinach, earthy mushrooms, juicy tomatoes, rich hard-boiled eggs, and crispy bacon. It all gets tossed in a warm dressing made with the bacon drippings for a crowd-pleasing side salad, but it’s also hearty enough to be a main dish as-is or topped with grilled chicken. If you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers, keep the eggs for another use and sauté the remaining ingredients until most of the moisture has evaporated. Add some beaten eggs and shredded mozzarella or Swiss for an oven-ready frittata that comes together in no time flat. Ingredients 6 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced crosswise into strips 1 package (6 oz.) spinach leaves, rinsed, dried, and rough stems trimmed 1/2 package (4 oz.) white or baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1 cup grape, cherry, or teardrop tomatoes Olive oil 1 small shallot, thinly sliced 1 1/2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 1/2 tsp. honey 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 3 hard- or soft-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise Directions Gather your ingredients: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Cook bacon: Cook the sliced bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Assemble salad ingredients: While the bacon cooks, place the spinach, sliced mushrooms, and tomatoes in a large salad bowl. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Using a slotted spoon, and reserving as much grease as possible, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the remaining bacon grease into a heatproof bowl. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Start making bacon dressing: Measure 3 tablespoons of bacon grease back into the skillet. If there’s less than 3 tablespoons left, use olive oil for the remaining amount. Discard any remaining bacon grease, or reserve it for another use. Add the shallots to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Turn the heat off and add the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper to the skillet and stir thoroughly to combine. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Finish salad: Pour the dressing over the spinach mixture and toss to evenly coat the leaves. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if needed. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Top with the eggs and reserved bacon; serve immediately. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Rate it Print