Spinach Salad with

Warm Bacon Dressing

March 26: National Spinach Day

Popeye loves spinach and Olive Oyl, but we love our spinach salad with bacon just as much! The healthy-green-vegetable leaves go well with a not-so-healthy-but-delicious dressing. The caramelized red onions and sauteed mushrooms lend a yummy flavor and the eggs add a bright color to this hearty and tasty salad. Prepare what Popeye would love, too, and make a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing for National Spinach Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Pioneer Woman)

For the spinach salad

• 8 ounces baby spinach, washed and dried
• 1 small red onion
• 1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 6-8 slices bacon

Directions

Prepare all the ingredients for the salad. Slice the red onion thinly and separate into rings. Slice the mushrooms. Boil, cool and shell the eggs. Slice them and set aside.

Fry the bacon until cooked and crisp. Reserve 6 tablespoons of bacon grease for sautéing the onions and mushrooms and for making the salad dressing. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.

In the another skillet, heat two tablespoons of bacon grease and slowly fry up the onions until wilted and caramelized. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, fry up the mushrooms, adding another tablespoon of bacon grease, if necessary. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Make the warm bacon dressing.

For the warm bacon dressing

• 3 tablespoons reserved bacon grease
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon dijon or honey mustard
• dash of salt

Directions

In a small pan, mix the reserved bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt. Mix well over low heat.

Assemble the salad. In 2-3 individual salad bowls, layer the spinach on the bottom. Top with the caramelized onions, mushrooms and crumbled bacon. Pour the warm bacon dressing over the salad and toss lightly to combine. Garnish with boiled egg slices. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Learn more about the comic strip sailor who loves spinach at the Popeye website.
• We bought our egg slicer at Walmart.