Spinach Salad
I cannot emphasize enough how much this Spinach Salad with Bacon and Poppy Seed Dressing is our favorite family recipe. It’s certainly a dish to reserve for special occasions as it's indulgent and always a crowd favorite! Whether you’re serving it at a holiday dinner or bringing it to a gathering, don’t be surprised if everyone asks you for the recipe!
Print
Pin
Servings: 8
Calories: 528kcal
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
Poppyseed Dressing Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 very small sweet yellow onion, quartered
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp poppyseeds
Salad Ingredient
- 1 (10 oz) bag spinach
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup bacon, fried and crumbled (about 12 oz)
Instructions
- Put all of the dressing ingredients (¾ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp ground mustard, 1 very small sweet yellow onion, and 1 tsp salt) except for the poppy seeds in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour 3 tbsp poppyseeds into the dressing and mix with a spoon to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients (1 (10 oz) bag spinach, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 cup bacon) and pour the desired amount of dressing on top (I used about 1½ cups of dressing for the full salad). Toss the salad and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes for the dressing to soak into the spinach. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recipe copyright The Domestic Spoon. For educational or personal use only.
- Fresh Spinach: A pre-washed bag of baby spinach works perfectly and saves time.
- Bacon: Make your bacon in the air fryer for easy prep and use any leftovers for this! Pre-cooked bacon can work if you’re short on time, but freshly cooked bacon typically has better flavor and crispiness for this salad.
- Cheddar Cheese: I use pre-shredded for this salad and it works great.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: You can substitute for red wine vinegar in a pinch, but try to stick with apple cider if you can.
- Granulated Sugar: Feel free to cut down the amount of sugar or try out a sugar substitute if you desire a less-sweet option, but keep in mind that the sugar ratio to the other ingredients helps the texture of the dressing, so don’t play with it too much.
- Sweet Onion: White onions or large onions will give an undesirable onion-y aftertaste to the dressing. Try to find the smallest onion that the grocery store has, and if they only have huge ones, cut it into quarters and use a half or a quarter instead.
- Cook the bacon in full strips first, then chop it. This makes it much easier to cut into small pieces after cooking.
- Let the blender do the work for the onion. There’s no need to finely chop it beforehand. Just peel it and add the pieces to the blender.
- Dress the salad shortly before serving to give the dressing time to sink into the leaves. This enhances the flavor.
- It’s definitely possible to make the dressing without a blender but getting your onion blended up well will be a challenge. You can finely mince the onion or grate it instead.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 584mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheDomesticSpoon or tag #TheDomesticSpoon!