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    Home » Real Food » Salads » Spinach Bacon Salad

    Spinach Bacon Salad

    By Kristen Chidsey | 14 Comments | Published March 1, 2022 | Updated March 1, 2022 *This post may include amazon links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

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

    Bowl of spinach salad with hard boiled eggs, bacon and red onions.

    I love spinach salads of any size, shape, or variety. But my all-time favorite spinach salad is this Bacon Spinach Salad.

    It has EVERYTHING!

    From the fresh, bright 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.

    But besides being absolutely delicious, it is fairly simple to prepare. Even better--the components can be prepped several days in advance, making this Warmed Spinach Salad perfect to entertain with.

    Notes on Ingredients

    Ingredients for spinach bacon salad labeled on counter.

    There are endless varieties of Spinach Bacon Salad out there. Some add fruit, some add onions, some add mushrooms, but all varieties include spinach, salty, crispy bacon, a warm tangy dressing, and hard-boiled eggs.

    • Spinach: Spinach is the perfect base to 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 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 for directions for preparing hard boiled eggs on the stove as well.
    • Bacon: This is one recipe that you do not want to use lean turkey or chicken bacon. Pork bacon will produce the drippings needed to make 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.
    • Mushrooms (Optional): Sliced button mushrooms are often traditional on classic spinach bacon salads, however, I don't care for the texture of the mushrooms when they absorb the warm dressing. Feel free to add them if desired.

    How to Make Spinach Bacon Salad

    • Begin this recipe by prepare hard-boiled eggs using my recipe for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs or prepare them on the stove-top, by placing the eggs in a single layer in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to 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.
    Side by side picture of eggs in saucepan then in ice bath.
    • While the eggs are cooking, thinly slice the onion and place the slices in a shallow dish. Cover with water and set them aside to soak until everything else is prepared. Soaking the onions will help take away the sharp bite of the onion, but leave a mild sharpness to flavor the salad.
    • 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 paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess grease.
    Chopped Bacon fried in nonstick skillet.
    • Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease in the skillet to use for the Warm Bacon Dressing. Alternatively, you can bake the bacon and then crumble the slices into bite-size pieces, just be sure to still reserve 1 tablespoon of the drippings.
    • To the same skillet that the bacon was prepared in combine the 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 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.
    Warm Bacon Dressing being poured over spinach salad.

    Advance Preparation

    Spinach Bacon Salad is best if assembled and served immediately before serving for best results.

    However, 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.

    • Bake or pan-fry the bacon as directed, reserving some of the bacon grease for the salad dressing. Once the bacon is cooled slightly, place it into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
    • Use the bacon grease to prepare the salad dressing and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
    • Hard-boil the eggs up to 3 days in advance. Peel the hard-boiled eggs, but do not slice them. Store the cooled, peeled eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
    • Place the sliced onions in a glass jar and cover with cold water, or prepare Quick-Pickled Red Onions. Store the jar in the refrigerator.
    • When ready to prepare the salad, toss together the spinach, crumbled bacon, and sliced eggs together. Add onions if using.
    • Reheat the bacon dressing, by microwaving for 20 second-intervals until smooth and warmed through. Alternatively, you can warm the dressing in a small saucepan over low heat.

    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 served alongside a New York Strip Roast or Pan-Seared Steak.

    More Delicious Salad Recipes

    • BLT Salad
    • Mandarin Orange Salad
    • Caprese Salad
    • Quinoa Spinach Salad
    • Copycat Panera Greek Salad
    • Strawberry Spinach Salad

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

    Spinach Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and thinly sliced onions

    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 14 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 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
    • 3 hard-boiled eggs
    • 1 small red onion thinly sliced

    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 with the salad. If needed, warm slightly in the microwave. 
    Bacon: This is the time to use pork bacon, not lean turkey or chicken bacon. 
    Mushrooms: Feel free to add thinly sliced button mushrooms to the salad if desired.
    Onions: Feel free to omit the onions or use pickled onions in place of the 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
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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.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharron Diaz

      March 09, 2022 at 6:42 am

      5 stars
      My kids LOVED this salad, especially the dressing! Even my picky 12 year old! This is a win for me!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        March 09, 2022 at 7:28 am

        A win for SURE!!! So happy your family enjoyed Sharron!

        Reply
      • Anne Marie

        April 17, 2022 at 7:05 am

        Just made this for Easter dinner! Looks great with crispy bacon, eggs, onion and mushrooms but my dressing looks kinda thin. I may add a little corn starch to thicken a little? Hope it works!!

        Reply
        • Kristen Chidsey

          April 17, 2022 at 8:57 am

          Hi Anne Marie! Yes, cornstarch would work well. I would mix together 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water and whisk into the dressing. Add more as needed.

          Reply
        • Anne Marie

          April 17, 2022 at 8:28 pm

          5 stars
          Worked out great and everyone loved it! Dressing turned out perfect with the corn starch and water to thicken a bit. Thank you, great recipe!

          Reply
    2. Betsy

      March 09, 2022 at 12:39 am

      5 stars
      So simple yet so good! Love these flavors! The maple & mustard pair perfectly together. And I love those flavors with this simple, yet delicious salad! Perfect as an entree salad OR on the side!!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        March 09, 2022 at 6:23 am

        I agree, maple and mustard are a perfect pairing! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Betsy!

        Reply
    3. Jen

      March 08, 2022 at 9:56 pm

      5 stars
      So simple & delicious! Never been a huge fan of salads but I love this!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        March 09, 2022 at 6:23 am

        The bacon can change anyone's mind, Jen! Happy to hear you enjoyed this!

        Reply
    4. Titan Tyler

      July 30, 2021 at 6:08 pm

      5 stars
      This very good. I did add a little more Maple Syrup just to our liking. LOVED IT on a club salad

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        July 31, 2021 at 7:28 am

        What a fabulous idea to add to a club salad. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.

        Reply
    5. Jennifer

      July 28, 2021 at 4:28 pm

      Thank you for including how to make the dressing ahead of time.

      Reply
    6. Beth

      April 08, 2019 at 11:19 pm

      5 stars
      One of my favorite salads as a side dish or all on its own. Love the details for making the bacon dressing! Thank you.

      Reply
    7. Carrie

      April 08, 2019 at 11:15 pm

      5 stars
      Very nice salad. Love Spinach so much and this will be delightful when it gets hotter here in AZ.

      Reply

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