Warm Spinach Salad

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

This warm spinach salad is a flavorful blend of sautéed mushrooms, red onion, and garlic, tossed with fresh spinach for a perfectly balanced bite. Crispy bacon and a splash of balsamic vinegar add the perfect finishing touch, making this dish both satisfying and visually stunning.

Course Salad

Cuisine Salad

Keyword spinach salad, warm spinach salad

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 21

Total Time 26

Servings servings

Calories 205kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

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, and enjoy.

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 and set aside for the next time you enjoy the salad.

Nutrition