By Becky Hardin
Published Nov 3, 2020
This delicious spinach salad recipe is loaded with texture and flavor and finished with a sweet and tangy dressing. Hearty enough to serve as a main, it’s easy and quick to make.
Spinach Salad
I know that you guys are going to love this tasty spinach salad! Loaded with fresh veggies, boiled eggs, crispy bacon and croutons it’s a delicious way to get some goodness in!
This isn’t your normal boring salad , it’s got a lot of texture and the vinaigrette dressing has just the right amount of sweetness to make this irresistible!
Be sure to check out my Zesty Panzanella Salad and Peruvian Chopped Salad recipes too!
Why you’ll love this Spinach Salad recipe:
- Quick: It takes no more than 15 minutes to make this salad and dressing and you just need a few simple ingredients.
- Make ahead: You can easily make the salad and dressing ahead of time for an easy to serve meal.
- Versatile: I like to serve this as an easy main dish as it’s well balanced and hearty, but you can easily serve smaller portions for a side or appetizer .
How to make spinach salad and dressing
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Add the dressing and toss to serve.
Can you make it ahead of time?
Yes, this is a great make ahead dish! The salad dressing can be made 4 to 5 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge and the spinach salad can be prepared a day ahead and kept covered.
Add the dressing just before serving so that nothing gets soft.
What do you serve it with?
I like to serve this salad by itself, but you can also pair smaller portions with mains. It works especially well with seafood and chicken dishes. try it with:
Serving Ideas:
- Juicy Pan Seared Chicken Breasts
- Cheesy Bacon Crusted Chicken
- Blackened Salmon
- Skillet Chipotle Shrimp
Recipe Variations
This spinach salad is pretty good as it is, but you can easily add other veggies and salad ingredients to it. To make it extra special, try topping it with:
- Crumbled or shredded cheese
- Honey Roasted Pecans
- Chopped celery
- Frozen baby peas
This dish is also easy to adapt to fit with dietary needs:
- Make it vegetarian: Omit the bacon.
- Make it vegan: Omit the bacon and eggs.
- Make it gluten-free: Omit the croutons.
Tips!
- Alternate instructions for the dressing: Add all to a blender and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
- To make the spinach salad 1 day ahead: Prepare and refrigerate all salad ingredients and dressing separately. When ready to serve, place ingredients in a large serving bowl and add just enough dressing. Toss gently and serve.
- Salad Dressing yield: about ¾ cup dressing
This spinach and bacon salad is just so delicious! It’s a great dinner salad for summer (or any season), and it’s a good side dish too. Healthy, filling, and and flavorful!
More Salad Recipes
We love a great salad! Try these favorites:
- Greek Salad
- Spinach Berry Salad
- Cucumber Onion Salad
- Confetti Corn Salad
- Cobb Salad
- Chopped Caprese Salad
- Best Caesar Salad
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy!
Ingredients1x2x3x
- ▢ 1 pound thin-sliced bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- ▢ 8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves trimmed of stems
- ▢ 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
- ▢ ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- ▢ 4-6 hard boiled eggs peeled & thinly sliced
- ▢ Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- ▢ 1-2 cups croutons homemade or store bought (see link for homemade)
- ▢ 1½ cups sliced fresh tomatoes
Optional Ingredients:
- ▢ Crumbled or shredded cheese
- ▢ Honey Roasted Pecans
- ▢ Chopped celery
- ▢ Frozen baby peas
For the Spinach Salad Dressing:
- ▢ ½ cup canola oil
- ▢ 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- ▢ 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ▢ ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ▢ ½ teaspoon granulated toasted onion
- ▢ 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- ▢ 4 teaspoons mild molasses
- ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ▢ 2 teaspoons dried parsley or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (except croutons tomatoes) in a large serving bowl and keep refrigerated.
- When ready to serve, add croutons and tomatoes, and toss gently with just enough dressing to very lightly coat the salad ingredients. (If making 1 day ahead, see *Note below.)
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
For the Spinach Salad Dressing:
- Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate, in an airtight container, at least 2 hours before serving. (The dressing tastes even better if allowed to refrigerate overnight.)
- Whisk well before using.
Becky’s Tips
- Alternate instructions for the dressing: Add all to a blender and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
- To make the salad 1 day ahead: Prepare and refrigerate all salad ingredients and dressing separately. When ready to serve, place ingredients in a large serving bowl and add just enough dressing. Toss gently and serve.
- Salad Dressing yield: about ¾ cup dressing
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Spinach Salad with Spinach Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin-sliced bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- 8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves trimmed of stems
- 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- 4-6 hard boiled eggs peeled & thinly sliced
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 cups croutons homemade or store bought (see link for homemade)
- 1½ cups sliced fresh tomatoes
Optional Ingredients:
- Crumbled or shredded cheese
- Honey Roasted Pecans
- Chopped celery
- Frozen baby peas
For the Spinach Salad Dressing:
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon granulated toasted onion
- 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons mild molasses
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (except croutons tomatoes) in a large serving bowl and keep refrigerated.
- When ready to serve, add croutons and tomatoes, and toss gently with just enough dressing to very lightly coat the salad ingredients. (If making 1 day ahead, see *Note below.)
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
For the Spinach Salad Dressing:
- Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate, in an airtight container, at least 2 hours before serving. (The dressing tastes even better if allowed to refrigerate overnight.)
- Whisk well before using.
Notes
- Alternate instructions for the dressing: Add all to a blender and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
- To make the salad 1 day ahead: Prepare and refrigerate all salad ingredients and dressing separately. When ready to serve, place ingredients in a large serving bowl and add just enough dressing. Toss gently and serve.
- Salad Dressing yield: about ¾ cup dressing
Nutrition
By Becky Hardin
Published Jul 12, 2017
This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.
Essential Grocery List
It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!
It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.
However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.
In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.
I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List
What to Buy at the Grocery Store
This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.
When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.
So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Fresh Produce
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Lemons/Limes
- Onion
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
GRAINS
- Breadcrumbs
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sandwich Bread
- Tortillas
MEAT/PROTEIN
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Ground Beef
- Sliced Turkey
- Lunch Meat
DAIRY
- Butter
- Sliced Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Milk
- Sour Cream
- Greek Yogurt
BAKING GOODS
- Baking powder
- Baking Soda
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
- Dry Yeast
- Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
FREEZER
- Fruit and Berries
- Frozen Veggies (Corn, Peas, Broccoli, etc)
- Juice Concentrate
- Pizza or Other Convenience Meals
- Pie Crust
- Cookie Dough
CANNED/DRIED GOODS
- Chicken stock/broth
- Salsa
- Diced Tomatoes
- Jam/Jelly
- Peanut Butter
- Pasta Sauce
- Beans (Black Beans, Chickpeas, Baked Beans, etc)
- Soups
- Tuna
- Green Chiles
- Canned Veggies
- Coffee or Tea
Get more details on the best non-perishable and pantry foods
CONDIMENTS/SPICES
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Salt (Course Sea Salt and Kosher Salt)
- Soy Sauce
- Steak Sauce
- Hot Sauce/ Buffalo Sauce
- Salad Dressings
OILS/VINEGARS
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Vegetable/Canola Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Cooking Wine
- White Wine Vinegar
SNACKS
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Quick Oats
- Popcorn
- Tortilla Chips
- Cereal
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Click ☝🏻 for my FREE Grocery List Printable!
I hope this essential grocery list can help you buy what you need and make your home cooking so much easier!
Stock Your Kitchen
Find more ideas for your grocery list, stock up your kitchen, and print more cooking guides and charts to keep handy!
Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On
Frozen Vegetables to Stock Up On (and Recipes to Make)
Ultimate List of Cooking Herbs for Your Kitchen
Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for Your Kitchen
Cooking Oil 101: Types of Cooking Oils to Use
26 Types of Pasta and When to Use Them
What Fruits and Vegetables are in Season?
Meat Temperature Chart (Free Printable)
How to Meal Prep (Guide for Beginners)
Basic Cooking Measurements & Kitchen Conversion Chart
