Warm Spinach Salad

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In this warm spinach salad, the combination of cooked mushrooms, red onion and garlic mixed with the spinach creates satisfying and delicious flavor. Add crumbled bacon and a touch of balsamic vinegar and you have an awesome and pretty salad.

A shallow bowl with a portion of the warm salad in it with the glass bowl with the rest of the salad in the backgroundPinPin

There is so much to love about this spinach salad. First off – bacon. Second off – sautéed onion and mushrooms warm the spinach, which makes the spinach nutrients more readily available. Here’s a great article explaining it.

Top with a little balsamic vinegar and you have a whole lot of yum going on.

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Helpful tips

  • I use purple onion but if you prefer, you can use either a yellow or Vidalia onion
  • I recommend nitrate free and uncured bacon because I feel it is better for you than typical bacon. But use what you like.
  • To save time, cook the bacon and veggies at the same time in separate pans. I use a sauté pan for the bacon and a wok for the vegetables.
  • I like to serve the finished salad in a serving bowl that’s different from the bowl I’ve used to mix the veggies with the spinach.
  • I only crumble as much bacon onto the salad as we can eat because it will soften if it sits in the refrigerator in the leftover salad. Save the rest of the bacon for the next time you heat up the salad.

How to make warm spinach salad

Pre-step

Get a sauté pan or wok and a large mixing bowl.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – spinach, mushrooms, purple onion, bacon and garlic paste.

Spinach, mushrooms, bacon, red onion and garlic paste on a wooden tablePin

Step two

Heat a sauté pan on medium heat. Place the bacon in the pan and sauté 4 minutes on each side or until the bacon has finished cooking. I find it takes around 8 minutes.

Step three

Lay the bacon on some paper towels and blot the grease off of the slices.

Cooked bacon strips on a blue plate. The grease has been blotted offPin

Step four

While the bacon is frying, heat another sauté pan or wok on medium and when it comes to temperature, add olive oil.

Step five

Add onions and salt and sauté for 10 minutes or until translucent.

Red onion sautéed in a wokPin

Step six

Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. (A)

Step seven

Place spinach in a big mixing bowl, add 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar and as soon as the veggies are done cooking, transfer them onto the spinach.

Use a spatula to gently mix the vegetables with the spinach for a minute or two. This will cause the spinach to wilt. (B)

Mushrooms, red onion and garlic paste sautéed in the wokPin

Step eight

Transfer the spinach and veggies to a serving bowl and crumble as much bacon as you like on it.

Clear bowl filled with the spinach salad with bacon crumbled on top. There is a white bowl in the backgroundPin

Time to serve it up.

A shallow bowl with a portion of the warm salad in it with the glass bowl with the rest of the salad in the backgroundPinPin

I really hope you enjoyed this warm spinach salad recipe! It’s super delicious and a fun addition to your salad rotation.

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

Square photo of the salad in a shallow bowl and on a grey napkinPin

Warm Spinach Salad

Cooked vegetables help wilt the spinach so you have a flavorful and delicious salad that is easy to make and beautiful to serve. And crumble bacon on it and it's a party going on in your mouth.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Salad
Keyword: spinach salad, warm spinach salad
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 21 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 205kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncured bacon (fried and cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium purple onion (sliced into rings)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces sliced portobello mushrooms
  • 2 teaspoons garlic paste (or 2 cloves of garlic, minced)
  • 8 ounces baby spinach (I use pre-packaged)
  • 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • Fry the bacon on medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with some paper towels and blot the grease off with another paper towel and set aside. Once the bacon has cooled, cut in bit sized pieces
    8 ounces uncured bacon
  • Heat a wok or sauté pan on medium and once that has heated up, add olive oil and once that has heated up, add the onion and salt and sauté for 10 minutes
    2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium purple onion, 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Add mushrooms and garlic and continue sautéing for 3 minutes
    8 ounces sliced portobello mushrooms, 2 teaspoons garlic paste
  • Put the spinach in a large mixing bowl
    8 ounces baby spinach
  • Add the hot onion mixture and balsamic vinegar to the spinach and mix with a spatula until combined
    1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
  • Transfer the spinach to a serving bowl and top with bacon
  • Eat
  • Smile
  • Enjoy

Equipment

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Notes

Helpful tips
  • I use purple onion but if you prefer, you can use either a yellow or Vidalia onion
  • I recommend nitrate free and uncured bacon because I feel it is better for you than typical bacon. But use what you like.
  • To save time, cook the bacon and veggies at the same time in separate pans. I use a sauté pan for the bacon and a wok for the vegetables.
  • I like to serve the finished salad in serving bowl, different from the bowl I’ve used to mix the veggies with the spinach.
  • I only crumble as much bacon onto the salad as we can eat because it will soften if it sits in the refrigerator in the leftover salad. Save the rest of the bacon for the next time you heat up the salad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 430mg | Potassium: 693mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5338IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg
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Originally published August 2016.

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14 Comments

  1. Going to make this. We eat spinach salads every day. Enjoy finding different ways to make it. Looks delicious!

  2. Love the idea of a warm spinach salad. Mushrooms, red onion and garlic should make this salad very flavorful. I think I’ll go with red onion like you 🙂

  3. I love warm salads like this (I mean, it’s flavored with BACON) and I love that salads like this don’t even need dressing!

    1. Thanks Shashi! I love this salad and another great thing is it’s awesome left over and you don’t have the heat it if you don’t want.

  4. Such a flavoursome salad! Love the addition of the bacon – adds great flavour, of course! (Love bacon!)

    1. I’m all about the bacon and it goes so well with this salad (and of course everything) 🙂 Thank you for your comment Alexandra!

  5. Bacon should be a required ingredient in all salads!! And the rest sound amazing as well so yep this is going on my table tonight. Thanks Elaine!