The combination of mushrooms, bacon, avocado, and salty hard-boiled egg is perfect when combined with a vinegar Dijon dressing made right in the skillet! This warm spinach salad is a delicious, easy, and hearty meal sure to fill you up and satisfy your taste buds.

It’s hard to decide what to make for dinner sometimes. Your taste buds are conflicted — you want something crunchy, salty, and savory, yet you also want a big bowl of vegetables. This warm spinach salad is the perfect solution! The dressing is made right in the pan with the bacon grease, plenty of vinegar and Dijon, and poured over spinach which wilts just slightly, but still has a great crunch to it.

What you’ll need to make warm spinach salad

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How to make warm spinach salad

Boil your eggs

Add the eggs to a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. You’ll want to have a bowl of ice water ready to place the eggs in immediately so they cool down and stop cooking!

Fry your bacon

I like to chop the bacon into small pieces before adding it to the pot. They cook faster and get more crispy this way! I use my Lodge cast iron (link above) for frying bacon. The cast iron coating helps the bacon get really crispy, and leaves a nice crust on the bottom of the pot for whisking into the dressing later.

Make your dressing

The reason I recommend the cast iron dutch oven, is because it leaves a nice crust of bacon browned bits in the bottom, perfect for whisking into the dressing. You’ll add the vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, and Dijon directly to the pot and whisk until smooth and thick. The dressing will be warm, which will slightly wilt the spinach when you toss everything together. Yum!

Here’s the recipe for Warm Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Avocado & Bacon Mustard Dressing:

Warm Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Avocado & Bacon Mustard Dressing

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Emily Weeks, RDN, LD
Yield: Serves 4 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Scale

Ingredients

4 eggs

8 slices bacon

1 medium red onion

1 lb white mushrooms

½ tsp salt

⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

2 avocados

2 (5 oz) pkgs baby spinach

Instructions

Place eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Drain hot water and add ice or run under cold water to cool.
Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon to the skillet and cook until crispy, 3-5 minutes per side.
Peel and thinly slice the onion. Slice the mushrooms.
Once the bacon is cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towels; pat to remove excess oil. Crumble or chop into small pieces.
Return skillet (with bacon fat) to the stove over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 5-6 minutes. Leaving bacon fat in the skillet, transfer the vegetables to a plate; set aside.
Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, oil, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously, scraping the bottom of the skillet to incorporate any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat, whisking occasionally, until dressing thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Halve and pit the avocados; slice crosswise while still in the skin and scoop out with a spoon.
Peel and slice the eggs.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, bacon, onion, mushrooms, avocado, and dressing from the skillet. Toss to combine.
Top with the sliced egg and enjoy!

Warm Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Avocado & Bacon Mustard Dressing

What you’ll need to make warm spinach salad