This Warm Mushroom Bacon Spinach Salad is the perfect beginning for your dinner OR serve it as a light lunch or dinner by itself. You can even do much of the prep ahead of time!
If you're planning a dinner for two or a twenty, this salad is a Gr8 beginning.
Even though the dressing starts with bacon, it's a fairly light salad, with just the right amount of flavor to begin a delicious meal.
This is a warm dressing, which, of course, requires "cooking," however, it's quick to put together. Bonus: the dressing can be made ahead of time, then reheated when ready to make the salad.
Many warm spinach salad recipes add a hard-boiled egg on top. I don't add egg to this salad because it's the beginning of your meal, not the meal itself.
The egg can certainly be added, but I want to be able to eat the main course and still have room for dessert!
When to Serve this Salad
Make this Warm Mushroom Bacon Spinach Salad the first course of an elegant dinner of Lobster Tails, Green Beans, and Twice Baked Potatoes. Or add the egg and serve it all alone as a light dinner!
This salad is also beautiful at the holidays. Serve it at a holiday brunch.
When choosing balsamic vinegar, be sure to choose the original and best for the height of flavor, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. You don't need to use much, so you may as well use the best!
Warm Mushroom Bacon Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh spinach, at room temperature
- 6 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 Tablespoons minced shallot
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 hard boiled eggs cut in quarters, optional
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a 12" frying pan on top of the stove until crispy.
- Put the spinach in a serving bowl and set aside.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Leave 2 Tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan and add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- With the burner on medium, heat the oil, then add the mushrooms and shallots. Stir to coat, and cook until the mushrooms are tender and cooked through.
- Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Pour the warm dressing over the spinach, crumble the bacon into the salad, then toss. Add the black pepper to your taste. Salt should not be needed because of the saltiness the bacon and bacon fat lend to the dish.
- If using, lay the egg quarters on top of the salad.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Another reason to choose a Spinach Salad for your meal? Spinach is very high in many vitamins and minerals.
Be a Gr8 Friend and tell us what you think!