Warm Spinach Salad

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.

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.

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.

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.

Step six

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

Step seven

Place spinach in a big mixing bowl, add ⅛ 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)

Step eight

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

Time to serve it up.

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

Other popular salads

• Scallop salad
• Cucumber
• Black bean

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 FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

Originally published August 2016.