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    Spinach Bacon Salad

    Salads Dairy-Free Recipes Low Carb Paleo March 20, 2023 | By Kristen Chidsey | 28 Comments | *This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe
    Made with tender spinach, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, and a warm bacon dressing, this Spinach Bacon Salad is an easy, yet impressive salad recipe. This salad comes together for less than 15 minutes of hands-on prep and can be prepped in advance, making it a perfect salad for holiday meals or entertaining.

    Made with tender spinach, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, and a warm bacon dressing, this Spinach Bacon Salad is an easy, yet impressive salad recipe.

    Bowl of spinach salad topped with warm bacon dressing, hard-boiled eggs, and bacon.


    Nothing gets people excited over eating salad as much as the addition of bacon. Whether serving a BLT Salad or Spinach Bacon Salad, adding crispy, salty bacon to greens has a way of making salads irresistible--even to people who don't classically care for salad!

    While I personally love salad of any shape, size, or variety, I must admit, Bacon Spinach Salad is one of my personal favorites as well. 

    From the fresh, vibrant spinach to the creamy, rich eggs, to the sharp pickled onions, to the sweet tangy, warm dressing, this Spinach Bacon Salad is full of flavor, texture, and temperatures.

    Why You Will Love Spinach Bacon Salad

    • Crazy Good Flavor. Salty, creamy, fresh, and tangy, this Bacon Spinach Salad has it all!
    • Simple Ingredients. Even though this salad is nuanced in flavors and textures, it is made with just a handful of everyday ingredients. 
    • Easy to Prepare. This salad comes together for less than 15 minutes of hands-on prep.
    • Can Be Made in Advance. The components can be prepped several days in advance, making this Bacon Spinach Salad perfect to entertain with.

    Notes on Ingredients

    Ingredients for spinach salad labeled on counter.
    • Spinach: Spinach is the perfect base for this hearty, flavorful salad as it can stand up to other ingredients in the salad. Baby spinach is best, as it is already bite size, however, you can use regular spinach, just be sure to remove the stems if large and woody, and give the spinach a rough chop.
    • Hard-Boiled Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs are a key component for a Bacon Spinach Salad, as the richness and creaminess of the eggs will balance out the salad. I rely on my Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs to make perfect hard-boiled eggs every time. If you don't have an Instant Pot, I have included directions for preparing hard-boiled eggs on the stove as well.
    • Bacon: This is one recipe that it is best to use pork bacon, not turkey or chicken bacon, as traditional bacon will render the fat needed to prepare the warm bacon dressing. You can bake bacon and reserve the grease, or pan-fry the bacon if desired.
    • Warm Bacon Dressing: Instead of oil, this dressing uses bacon drippings. The drippings add saltiness and richness to the dressing. It is paired with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard to make a balanced dressing.
    • Red Onions: To add sharpness that helps cut through the richness of the salad, I love adding slices of red onions or pickled red onions. Feel free to omit them if desired. 
    • Mushrooms: Bacon Spinach Salad also features sliced button mushrooms which add texture and an earthy flavor to the salad. Feel free to omit the mushrooms if you don't personally care for them. 

    How to Make Spinach Bacon Salad

    While there are many components to creating the perfect spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, everything comes together with minimal effort. Even a beginner cook can easily prepare this impressive salad. 

    Step One: Prepare Hard Boiled Eggs

    Begin this recipe by preparing hard-boiled eggs. You can opt to use my recipe for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs or prepare the eggs on the stovetop using the instructions below. 

    • Place the eggs in a single layer in a medium saucepan and cover with water. 
    • Bring the water to a rapid boil over high heat. 
    • Once boiling, cover the pan, turn the heat down to low, and cook for 1 minute. 
    • After 1 minute, remove the saucepan from the heat and leave covered for 14 minutes. 
    • After 14 minutes, transfer the eggs to an ice bath to chill completely.
    Side by side picture of eggs in saucepan then in ice bath.

    Step Two: Prepare Onions

    While the eggs are cooking, use that time to soak the onions. This will help take away the sharp bite of the onions, ensuring their flavor doesn't overpower the salad. 

    • Thinly slice the onion and place the slices in a shallow dish.
    • Cover the onions with water and set them aside to soak while you prepare the dressing.  
    sliced red onions soaking in water in small bowl.

    Step Three: Prepare Warm Bacon Dressing

    What makes this salad stand out is the bacon dressing. While you can opt to bake the bacon and then use those drippings to prepare the salad, this is one instance where I find it much more efficient (in terms of time and dishes) to prepare the bacon in a skillet. 

    • Pan-fry chopped bacon in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until it is nice and crispy. 
    • Once the bacon is crispy, remove it from the frying pan and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess grease.
    • Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease in the skillet to use for the Warm Bacon Dressing. 
    • In the same skillet that the bacon was prepared in combine the drippings with the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and pepper. Whisk together until slightly thickened and creamy. Remove from the heat and taste to see if you need to add a pinch of salt, which will depend on how salty your bacon is.
    Side by side saute pan showing browning bacon and making warm bacon dressing.

    Step Four: Assemble Salad

    At this point, every component of the salad is ready to go and you can opt to toss everything together now and serve immediately or store the prepared components in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in advance.

    • To assemble the salad, drain the onions and peel and slice the eggs. 
    • Arrange both the sliced eggs and onions over a shallow serving dish filled with spinach. 
    • Top the salad with the crumbled bacon.
    • Drizzle the salad with the Warm Bacon Dressing and toss to coat.
    • Serve immediately.
    Spinach, red onions, hard boiled eggs, mushrooms, and bacon in large clear serving bowl.

    Advance Preparation

    Spinach Bacon Salad is best if assembled and served immediately before serving for best results. However, as I already stated, you can prepare the components up to 3 days in advance to get a jump start on this salad, making it a perfect salad for entertaining or busy weeknights. Follow my tips below to pull this salad together effortlessly. 

    • Prepare the hard-boiled eggs. Once cooled, peel the eggs, discarding the shell, but do not slice them until right before assembling the salad. Store the peeled eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
    •  Panfry the bacon as directed. Allow the bacon to cool and then store the crumbled bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
    • Use the bacon drippings to prepare the dressing as directed. Let cool slightly and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
    • Place the sliced onions in a glass jar and cover with cold water. Store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, until ready to serve the salad.
    • When ready to serve the salad, slice the hard-boiled eggs, drain the onions, and warm the bacon dressing by microwaving it in a heat-safe container in 20 second-intervals until smooth and warmed through.
    • Toss the spinach, bacon, eggs, onions, and mushrooms together.
    • Add the dressing, toss to coat, and serve immediately.

    Serving Suggestions

    Warm Bacon Spinach Salad is so rich in flavor, making it a great dish to serve with dishes that can stand up to bold flavor, or when you want to really make an impression. It is a classic at steakhouses and it is absolutely delicious when served alongside a New York Strip Roast, Pan-Seared Steak, or Marry Me Chicken.

    Spinach salad topped with bacon, mushrooms, red onions, and hard-boiled eggs.

    More Delicious Salad Recipes

    • BLT Salad
    • Homemade Caesar Salad
    • Caprese Salad
    • Copycat Panera Greek Salad
    • Strawberry Spinach Salad
    • Spinach Avocado Salad

    If you enjoyed this recipe for Spinach Bacon Salad, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

    Spinach salad topped with bacon, mushrooms, red onions, and hard-boiled eggs.

    Spinach Bacon Salad

    This Spinach Bacon Salad is made with tender spinach, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, and a warm bacon dressing for an easy, yet impressive, salad recipe.
    4.93 from 26 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 164kcal
    Author: Kristen Chidsey

    Ingredients

    Spinach Salad

    • 8 ounces spinach washed and dried
    • 5 slices thick-sliced bacon diced into bite-size pieces
    • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
    • 3 hard-boiled eggs
    • 6 ounces button mushrooms, sliced optional

    Warm Bacon Dressing

    • 1 tablespoon warm bacon grease reserved from cooked bacon
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    Prevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

    Instructions

    • Prepare hard-boiled eggs according to the directions below. While the eggs are cooking, place the thinly sliced red onion in a small bowl and cover it with cold water. Set aside to soak while the remainder of the salad is being prepared.
    • Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Place the chopped bacon in the pan and pan-fry for 3-4 minutes per side, or until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon from the frying pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon grease for the dressing.
    • To the same skillet that the bacon was prepared in combine the drippings with the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and pepper. Whisk together until slightly thickened and creamy. Remove from the heat and taste to see if you need to add a pinch of salt--that will depend upon how salty your bacon is.
    • To prepare the salad, drain off water from red onions and peel and slice the hard-boiled eggs. Toss the spinach with the cooked bacon, onions, and eggs. Toss with the warm dressing and serve immediately.

    Stove-Top Hard-Boiled Eggs

    • Place 3 eggs into a saucepan and cover with water. Turn the heat to high and allow the water to come to a rapid boil. Once the water has reached a rapid boil, cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes. After 14 minutes, transfer the eggs to an ice bath to chill completely.

    Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs

    • Pour 1 cup of cold water into the inner pot of a 6-quart Instant Pot, or 1.5 cups of cold water into the inner pot of an 8-quart Instant Pot. Place a trivet or egg rack into the inner pot and add the eggs to the rack. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release of any remaining pressure. Place the eggs into an ice bath for 5 minutes, or until chilled.

    Notes

    Dressing: Be sure your dressing is slightly warm when tossing it with the salad. If needed, warm slightly in the microwave. And if you like a lot of dressing DOUBLE the recipe! This salad is lightly dressed. 
    Bacon: This is the time to use pork bacon, not lean turkey or chicken bacon. 
    Onions: Feel free to omit the onions or use pickled onions in place of sliced onions. 
    Storage/Preparing in Advance: This salad is best served assembled immediately before serving, however, you can prepare the components up to 3 days in advance. Pan-fry the bacon and prepare the dressing. Allow them to cool, and store them separately in airtight containers. Wash and dry the spinach and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Hard-boil and peel the eggs, and store them unsliced in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Slice the onion and place the slices into a deep container, cover with water, and store it in the refrigerator. To serve, warm the dressing slightly, slice the eggs, drain the onions, and then toss the components together and serve immediately.  

    Nutrition

    Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 312mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3675IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1.5mg
    Liked this Recipe? Tag me Today!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram - I would love to see!
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    About Kristen Chidsey

    Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.

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    1. Maggee Mae

      October 05, 2023 at 5:37 pm

      4 stars
      Made one batch using honey mustard. I'm not a big fan of dijon. A little too vinegary for us. Made 2nd batch, mixed in with first batch. Only used 1 Tablespoon of vinegar. Much better for our taste. Had this dressing growing up for special occasions.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        October 05, 2023 at 6:39 pm

        Thanks for sharing your feedback and modifications, Maggee!

        Reply
    2. Kris

      April 21, 2023 at 9:21 pm

      5 stars
      This was PERFECT! Took me right back to my childhood. My stepmother would make it but she called it Wilted Lettuce. This is much lighter than hers. I made air fryer chicken breast with it and it was delicious!

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        April 23, 2023 at 7:37 am

        Fabulous! I love hearing this recipe brought back great memories for you! Thanks for sharing.

        Reply
    3. Brenda R

      April 11, 2023 at 7:25 am

      5 stars
      My new favorite salad! I have to tell you, the dressing is amazing! Thank you.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        April 11, 2023 at 7:52 am

        You are so welcome! The dressing is pretty amazing.

        Reply
    4. Olivia

      April 04, 2023 at 10:56 pm

      5 stars
      This salad has such a delicious combination of flavors, my family really enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        April 05, 2023 at 6:53 am

        So happy you enjoyed the salad!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

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    Made with tender spinach, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, and a warm bacon dressing, this Spinach Bacon Salad is an easy, yet impressive salad recipe. This salad comes together for less than 15 minutes of hands-on prep and can be prepped in advance, making it a perfect salad for holiday meals or entertaining.

    Meet Kristen

    Kristen Chidsey with apron on in front of vegetables in kitchen.

    Hi! I'm Kristen. It is my honor and passion to share easy, wholesome recipes with you to in turn share your loved ones. These tried and true recipes will help you make delicious, family-friendly meals without stress! Read more

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    Made with tender spinach, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, and a warm bacon dressing, this Spinach Bacon Salad is an easy, yet impressive salad recipe. This salad comes together for less than 15 minutes of hands-on prep and can be prepped in advance, making it a perfect salad for holiday meals or entertaining.

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