Spinach Salad recipes with bacon come in so many varieties, but this is my absolute favorite. I’ve been eating it since I was a kid and I never get tired of it. Imagine a delicious spicy-sweet honey and black pepper dressing coating a hearty salad of spinach, bacon, avocado, hard-boiled egg, mushroom, shallot and tomato. Sounds amazing, right!? Promise me you’ll try it.
My mom clipped this spinach salad recipe from an electric bill in 1971. I’m not kidding. It was the year before I was born and she and my dad were living in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Growing up, this was the go-to spinach salad in our house. One of those little gems that you can wow dinner guests with or use to stoke your ego at a potluck when someone says, “Have you tried this salad? It’s amazing!”
I have a photocopy of the heirloom recipe. But I’ve made a few changes and suggest you do the same: skip the croutons, swap in olive oil for mayonnaise and, for heaven’s sake, use real bacon or pork belly.
This main-dish salad stands on its own beautifully, but makes a fantastic side dish too! I love to serve it with Roasted Lamb Chops in the fall and winter months and Carne Asada and Grilled Shrimp during the summer. The recipe serves 6 people as a main course and 10 as a side.
Spinach Salad with Honey Black Pepper Dressing
Spinach Salad recipes come in so many varieties, but this is my absolute favorite. I've been eating it since I was a kid and I never get tired of it. Imagine a delicious spicy-sweet honey and black pepper dressing coating a hearty salad of spinach, bacon, avocado, hard-boiled egg, mushroom, shallot and tomato. Sounds amazing, right!? Promise me you'll try it.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the salad
- 12 ounces baby spinach
- 2 tomatoes cut into wedges
- 2 avocados cubed
- 8 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 medium shallot thinly sliced
- 4 strips bacon cooked until crisp and coarsely chopped
- 3 hard boiled eggs cut into wedges
Instructions
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To make the dressing, add garlic, honey, vinegar, pepper and salt to a blender pitcher. Blend for a few seconds until combined and then slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Add spinach to a large serving bowl (large enough to toss salad with dressing. Drizzle dressing over spinach and toss to coat. Don't overdress, you'll be surprised how a little dressing will coat all of the spinach. Add next 4 ingredients, tomatoes through shallot, and a bit more dressing; gently toss to coat. (You'll likely have dressing left over.) Arrange hard boiled egg wedges and sprinkle bacon evenly over salad. Serve immediately.
I tried this today. I’ve never put avocado in a spinach salad, but it worked, as did the shallot. For me, though, the sweet dressing was a fail. My husband didn’t like it either. Spinach salad really needs hit of tart lemon (which adds that almost hollandaisy flavour to the eggs yolks) or red wine vinegar, and in my experience, it never has even a slightly sweet dressing. I knew the 2 tbsp of honey be way too sweet so I halved it. Alas, still a no go. I’d make a more traditional oil and vinegar dressing next time. But, I love the presentation of this salad, the addition of the black pepper, and I’ll continue adding shallots and avocado to my spinach salad from now on (the shallot is more complex than the typical red onion). I also like the story behind it. Overall, this recipe was a good find! Thanks.
Hi Lee! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’m typically not a fan of sweet dressings either, but the black pepper bite in this one makes it work for me. I’m glad that you have some alternative dressings in mind to better suit you tastes!
An oldie but a goodie Marissa! Such a deliciously hearty salad. Love that dressing. Thanks for sharing!
Well said, MaryAnn, thank you. I love oldie but goodie recipes!
I love recipes like this! Some of my favorites are totally hand-written or clipped out recipes very similar to this one. And I totally laughed at the imitation bacon bits in the recipe. *facepalm* 🙂 But this salad is indeed right up my alley (with real bacon of course). I’ve actually been craving a good salad lately, so I might need to make this one happen!
You crack me up, David! *facepalm* is the perfect response to fake bacon bits. 😉
Oh my goodness – that is so cute! You still have the recipe!! You know it HAS to be good if you still have it! So happy that you used real bacon too (that other stuff just won’t fly 😉 ). I could see myself eating this one all summer long – right up my alley!! YUM!! Have a great week, Marissa! xo
Thanks so much, my friend! You have a great week too!
Wow it’s a real classic recipe! I adore honey and black pepper dressing. It is just so versatile. This is pretty similar to mine and I love the balance of sweetness and savoury 😀
I’d love to try your version too! Your recipes are always spot on.
Hi Marissa. Yet another lovely and delicious salad. I buy honey at farmer’s markets when I can. My girlfriend in Arkansas sent me a bottle of the best raw honey I have ever had. In the summer I tend to lean towards a nice salad and a piece of grilled meat or fish. It helps to take off the extra I’ve gained eating heavier meals in the winter too. Due to a number of reasons we didn’t get the garden planted this year so I’m having to search out good fresh produce. We did, of course, have the asparagus and we have some volunteer potatoes. I do intend to get some tomato and pepper plants that I’ll put in my side herb garden.
I’m the same, Dorothy. I love simple summer meals like that. Have you ever tried Meadowfoam honey? I’ve only been able to find it at a little shop in Sebastopol, California (Beekind) – it’s incredible! Tastes like melted marshmallows.
Still jealous of your garden, even if it’s just volunteer. 🙂
I love spinach for its neutral flavor and, thus, lots of ways to use it in salads. This one, with avocado, mushrooms, and REAL bacon makes a winning combo. But wait. Electric bill? That’s really cool, Marissa!
Too bad utility companies don’t still send out stellar recipes – might soften the blow of the charges. 😉
I love a huge fresh salad anytime of year, but especially in the warmer months! Loving this dressing combo. 🙂
Me too, Lindsay! It’s fun how the ingredients evolve over the seasons.
I’m drooling over this salad (and those hard-boiled eggs!). This looks like enough for a main course, but if you were serving it as a side, what would you put with it?
Thanks Tess! You’re right, we usually have this as a main course or a hearty lunch. It’s also great served with soup (like the butternut squash and ginger on this site – one of my favorites). I could also see it served with grilled salmon or other flavorful fish. We’ve had it next to a juicy steak too. 🙂
Wow, sounds amazing! I could definitely go for some juicy steak right about now. Thank you!
OMG, just the way I like a spinach salad Marissa! Bacon, egg and a honey dressing. There’s no better way. And I’m in love with vintage recipes. Kudos to your mom!
I’ve never thought of it as a vintage recipe – what a nice way to put it!
You’ll like it Lorraine – especially with the honey. It’s a great spicy/sweet combo. I bet it would be good with a little mustard in it too. hmmm
I grew up making Christmas Cookies from the Wisconsin Power and Electric Company gift recipe book, every year. I still have one of those books, and wish I had them all…
I love it! I wonder how the recipe in the power bill thing got started? Too bad they don’t still do it…