Spinach Salad is a classic that’s great served year round. It’s so versatile and I like to load mine up with bacon, dried cranberries, homemade croutons, and the best spinach salad dressing around!
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. See the rest of Food Folks and Fun’s disclosure policy here.
I think my all-time favorite salad is a fabulously decked out Spinach Salad! Costco has one that I love, but I live 90 minutes from the nearest Costco. This has forced me to recreate my favorite salad at home, and today I’m sharing my copycat recipe with you!
For summer dinners I like to make this spinach salad the entire meal! When I serve this salad as an entree, no one ever complains that we’re just having a salad for dinner!
Spinach Salad Ideas:
- Add some chopped chicken or steak to make it into an entree salad.
- Add some sliced strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries to brighten the salad for spring and summer.
- Crumbled goat cheese and toasted almonds go well with this salad, too!
- During the fall and winter time, I like to add some blue cheese crumbles.
Spinach Salad Dressing
While some opt for a warm lemon vinaigrette, I like to toss my spinach salad with back and poppy seed dressing! My homemade poppy seed dressing recipe below is so easy to make and it comes together in just minutes in the blender!
Cook’s Note – Spinach Salad recipe:
- Dressed salads don’t make it past a few hours. If you know that you’ll have extra salad, then serve the poppy seed dressing on the side.
- This recipe is fabulous with my homemade croutons recipe.
Cook’s Tools – Spinach Salad with bacon:
ONE YEAR AGO: Mom’s Zucchini Bread
TWO YEARS AGO: Copycat Monterey Chicken
THREE YEARS AGO: Oven Tacos
- 10 ounces fresh baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry
- 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup croutons
- 3/4 cup sliced button mushrooms, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup of sliced red onions
- 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- 3 large hard boiled eggs, sliced
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon grated yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 Tablespoon poppy seeds
Place the spinach in a large salad bowl and top with the bacon, croutons, mushrooms, cheese, cranberries, onions, tomatoes, and egg.
- Place all of the dressing ingredients into a blender except for the poppy seeds. Blend on high for 30-60 seconds, or until the dressing is emulsified.
- Add the poppy seeds and pulse the blender 1-3 times or until the poppy seeds are evenly distributed.
- Toss the salad and serve with the poppy seed dressing on the side. Place leftover dressing in an airtight container or jar and chill.
The poppyseed dressing recipe will make more than is needed for this salad. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Oh this looks amazing! I love a good summer salad, and your dressing looks great as well!
This is the perfect summer lunch! So easy and looks delicious!
This looks so nutritious. I love using spinach in my salad – it has so much more flavour than regular lettuce.
I 100% agree!
I do love a good spinach salad. So summery and delicious! Love your addition of cranberries to it – genius!
Thank you!
I think I just found lunch! I just bought spinach and love the eggs in here this looks fantastic.
Enjoy! 🙂
YUM! I love this salad!