Killer Spinach Salads with Hot Bacon Dressing.
I’m about to convince you that this salad is dessert.
I mean, I guess it could totally be dinner. But do you see the words up there? KIL-LER. Not just because it’s delicious but it’s kind of… loaded with wonderful things that your heart may not love.
Please sit back while I serve you a lovely plate of cholesterol. TOTALLY WORTH IT.
Here’s the deal. This was Mother Lovett’s favorite salad of all time. Okay – minus the avocado (I don’t know if she ever got into it) – and maybe add a few mushrooms. But this was HER salad. It was the salad that she’d order every single time it was on the menu and also one that she’d ask us to pick up for her as a treat.
And you know it’s not even about the salad. This post, these photos? They have nothing to do with this pile of spinach that I threw cheese and egg and avocado on top of. Oh no.
It’s allllll about the dressing.
The bad news is that hot bacon dressing is quite possibly one of the least photogenic foods in the universe, right up there with meatloaf, gravy and all that jazz.
Apparently all things that taste fabulous look like garbage to the human eye.
It’s also one of my mom’s favorite salads, if not her very favorite. If it’s on the menu, sometimes she will order a different salad and request the hot bacon dressing. And if I’m being real, even though I might have said back in the day that the first salad I learned to love was a Caesar, THIS was most likely the first salad I ever forked into my mouth and actually enjoyed. It’s ridiculously decadent and wonderful.
sidebar: if you don’t have a jar of bacon grease in your fridge, change that now. It can be used for all the things. I even had a weak moment on Friday when I wondered if it could be used in brownies. Fear not. I did not go there.
Yet.
While this isn’t a salad you can eat every day or, heck, even every week, it’s definitely one of those salads that can double as comfort food and impress friends at the same time. You can add whatever you like – and remove some of the heart attack worthy elements so you feel better about your life and don’t mind eating this salad on Monday night. I’m thinking honey roasted chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes and the dressing. Maybe even some roasted garlic cloves on top. See! We can make this doable.
The key though… is that the dressing is WARM – just as the title suggests, so keep it hot until serving. I actually love when the eggs are semi freshly boiled as well and still a little warm (or better yet – do soft boiled eggs! We can be BFFs for life.), so you have cold spinach, hot bacon and warm dressing. It’s a freaking hug on a plate.
You look like you need a hug.
Killer Spinach Salads with Hot Bacon Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
- 8 cups of fresh baby spinach, I don’t mind stems, if you do, remove them
- 2 ounces gorgonzola cheese
- 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
hot bacon dressing
- 1/4 cup bacon fat
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar!
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 slices bacon, crumbled
Instructions
- I like to begin by boiling the eggs so they are finished by the time the dressing is ready. I do that by adding the eggs to cold water, heating them over medium heat and gradually increasing it to high heat. Once boiling, I boil the eggs for 2 minutes, then I remove them from the heat, cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. I then run the eggs under cold water for a few minutes and let them soak in the cold water until ready to peel.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. I think bacon is best when cooked over medium-low heat, as it crisps up evenly. Cook the bacon until all the fat is rendered and then turn off the heat. Place the bacon on a paper towel to slightly drain and cool. Gently pour the bacon fat into a bowl or cup.
- To assemble the salads, pile your spinach on a plate and cover with the sliced hard boiled eggs, avocado and gorgonzola. Crumble on two slices of bacon and season with a bit of pepper if you’d like. I find that this salad doesn’t need a lot of salt since the components are so salty.
hot bacon dressing
- Add the bacon grease, , minced garlic, vinegar, sugar and mustard to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the dressing slightly emulsifies. Season with the salt and pepper. Before serving, add in the crumbled bacon. You can keep this over low heat while stirring occasionally until ready to serve. I suggest reheating it in a saucepan like so. This is the combo I’ve come to love over the years, but you can experiment with different vinegars, more bacon fat and other spices too!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
pretty much to die for.
113 Comments on “Killer Spinach Salads with Hot Bacon Dressing.”
Pingback: WEEKEND WONDERS: EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT | salt & pepper
Wow! This reminds me of a salad my dad made for me, except instead of bacon fat in the dressing, there were egg yolks! Sooooo good
Warm spinach salad rocks! It wasserved at my house often…but, never have I seen such a flavor-packed dressing. I must try this combo.
Pingback: 6月に料理する30のうまいもの | アメリカ最新美味しい~食事!こんな新しいメニュー見たことない!
Pingback: 6月に料理する30のうまいもの | アメリカ最新美味しい~食事!こんな新しいメニュー見たことない!
Pingback: 6月に料理する30のうまいもの | アメリカ最新美味しい~食事!こんな新しいメニュー見たことない!
Pingback: 28 Delicious Ways To Cook With Bacon Fat | Sharing Interesting Stuff, Updates News & Free Tips
Pingback: 残ったベーコン脂肪を使う28のうまい方法 | アメリカ最新美味しい~食事!こんな新しいメニュー見たことない!
Pingback: 残ったベーコン脂肪を使う28のうまい方法 | アメリカ最新美味しい~食事!こんな新しいメニュー見たことない!
Pingback: Todd’s Birthday: Food | sevenlayercharlotte
Pingback: Football Food! [200 Recipes For Football Season.] | Support Paula Deen
Pingback: Warm Spinach Mushroom Salad with Bacon Honey Dressing
Pingback: 14 things I learned in 2014 - the Pike Place Kitchen
I had every intention of making this last night but I ate the precious, precious bacon right out of the microwave. A few crumbles made it to the top of my dry spinach, but mostly went in my mouf.
Pingback: 30 Delicious Things To Cook In June | Celebrity Gossip
I love the way you express yourself. very entertaining. LOL also, going to make this today
That was the most amazing salad I have ever had! I used “all spice traditional balsamic vinegar” (out of Des Moines IA). Thank you!
http://allspiceonline.com/shop/vinegars
To put everyone at ease, eating lots of saturated fat and cholesterol is actually not a bad thing. The problem with clogged arteries and heart attacks comes from conventional table salt and trans fat. Google it, sat fat was demonized by trans fat producers decades ago. Go with sea salt / Himalayan pink salt and natural fats, and you can not only have the tastiest things on the planet, but be healthy too.
Also, google ketogenic diet.
Thanks for noting that. I have absolutely NO guilt over eating this salad, which I have once a week, btw. We grow our own organic spinach, I use uncured bacon, organic eggs and mushrooms. Sometimes avacado. HEAVEN.
My Grandparents lived to be over 100 and my grandmother ALWAYS had a jar of bacon grease on her stove and it went into everything. Runny oils at room temps will kill you and your heart. My folks are still alive with lots of bacon. 98 and 95. ENJOY THOSE ANIMAL FATS!
Are you still alive?
Steve..are you still alive?
Pingback: 50 Ways to Use Bacon > Start Cooking
Pingback: Hot Bacon Cherry Pepper Hummus with Pizza Pita Chips. | How Sweet It Is
My wife HATES blue cheese… Nay other cheese ideas?
I hate the moldiness of blue cheese, too.
Gorgonzola is a lighter “mold”, especially if you get the “east of the Mississippi” version, and I can handle this in small amounts on burgers and in salads.
If that is still too much for her, then the next level down is feta, which has much of the same texture, comes sometimes in seasoned versions (garden, black pepper, etc), and also tastes DELICIOUS on salads. <3
In Milwaukee we have been eating this bacon dressing for many many years on spinach with hard boiled egg. It’s a old Milwaukee classic!!! Those Germans know what they are doing.
Pingback: Irish Ale Potato Cheddar Soup with Beer Battered Leeks. | How Sweet It Is
Pingback: All I Do is Walk, Eat, and Read. | She Won't Stop Talking
Pingback: Killer Spinach Salads with Hot Bacon Dressing | How Sweet It Is – Delectable Salads
Pingback: 30 Delicious Things To Cook In June – FUNknee
I grew up seeing bacon fat grease on top of the stove. My aunt always used it too. They would make this salad dressing, fry eggs in it, make German Potato Salad and use it with other food. They both lived well into their 90s and I am close to 80 and still kicking. Good memories.
This is a perfect keto meal! It isn’t a “killer” salad. It is, actually, perfectly good for you and heart healthy! Just replace the brown sugar with Sukrin brown sugar and omg, I’m going to eat this right now!
Pingback: Weightloss4longerlife» » So THAT’S Why Spinach Makes Your Teeth Feel Weird
Pingback: What To Do With Bacon Grease: 34 Uses And Ways To Dispose – My WordPress Website
Pingback: Here’s Why You Should Never, Ever Throw Out Bacon Grease | CrowdLucky
Pingback: 28 Delicious Ways To Use Leftover Bacon Fat | Your Moms Pants
Pingback: 8 Clever Uses For Bacon Grease You Probably Haven’t Tried Yet - Vizoch.top
Pingback: 19 Bacon Hacks That Are Guaranteed To Change Your Life For The Better - yowBuzz
Pingback: 19 Bacon Hacks That Are Guaranteed To Change Your Life For The Better » FBQuizzy
Pingback: 19 Bacon Hacks That Are Guaranteed To Change Your Life For The Better | World Food Links
Pingback: 19 Bacon Hacks That Are Guaranteed To Change Your Life For The Better | TrendyTechToday
Pingback: 50 Ways to Use Bacon | Cook Mexican
I made this dressing for the first time and it seems so thick! Haven’t served it yet because I’m a little concerned. The taste is good!
I made this recipe tonight, and enjoyed it! I didn’t do the cheese. I used a mango flavored white balsamic! Yum!
Always start with a cold skillet when frying bacon.
Pingback: Friday Finds #92 - The Freckled Fox
I keep bacon grease on my stove, as my Mother did. I made this salad/dressing last night and it was as good as the restaurant served me, some time ago. I didn’t have balsamic vinegar, so I used apple cider vinegar. I didn’t have Dijon mustard, so I added a bit of horseradish and regular mustard. For brown sugar, I used Xylitol. I also added mozarella cheese instead of gargonzola. It was so good that I had it again tonight for dinner. I can see that you can make a lot of substitutions to fit your tastes. I just started a Keto Diet, so I will be eating this a lot.
Years ago, I lost the recipe that I had gotten from a 5-star restaurant for hot bacon dressing. After searching the internet, I decided to try this recipe. Initially, I was a little afraid to use balsamic vinegar, but went ahead with it anyhow ( I didn’t’t get the golden balsamic vinegar because I already had the regular balsamic in my cupboard). My Spinach salad was amazing, to say the least! It may have even surpassed the recipe from the 5-star restaurant! Give it a try….I believe you will love it as much as I do.
Pingback: 55 Greatest Spinach Salad Recipes Ever – The Salad Website
I made the dressing according to the directions, with red wine vinegar. Next time I would add less vinegar or more brown sugar to counteract the vinegar, but overall very tasty for my first attempt at hot bacon dressing!
Plus thinly sliced red onion. I prefer bleu chz over gorgonzola. Butter croutons nice too
Pingback: 5 Greatest Spinach Salad Recipes Ever – My Blog
Very good! I used a clementine in my salad in place of the eggs to cut the richness and add a spark of citrus.
Pingback: Spinach Salads (and more) with Easy Dressing | Keto, Gluten-free by mor kitchen