Spinach Salad Recipe w/ Bacon and Eggs

You’ll love this recipe for spinach salad with bacon because after all…who doesn’t love bacon?!  Even though this is a year-round recipe, it is especially popular when the weather is warmer, it makes a good lunch or dinner. 

This refreshing spinach salad has been a favorite of my family for years. It is easy to make and it can be either a side dish or a complete meal. In our home, we have served it both ways. It is so fresh and is the perfect combo of veggies with bacon, eggs, and cheese. 

I love to make spinach salad as a complete meal for dinner, especially after I have worked all day….it’s quick to make, and it’s perfect Spring/Summer food when it’s hot out. A delicious dinner without turning on the oven!

What is Spinach Salad?

Think of a regular green tossed salad and replace the lettuce with spinach. Throw on top your favorite veggies for toppings including hard-boiled eggs and the all-time favorite ingredient of so many people.….BACON! Then toss it with your favorite summertime/light dressing.

Spinach Health Benefits

Spinach is a very healthy food choice….either cooked or raw it’s full of good stuff. It’s loaded with different vitamins and minerals…vitamin A, Vitamin C, and B vitamins.

It is one of those veggies that’s high in water content which in turn makes it very low in calories, 6.9 calories for 1 cup, it’s low in carbs, 1.1 also for 1 cup, 0 fat and high in fiber, calcium,  potassium, and iron…. Just ask Popeye!!!

What Ingredients are in Spinach Salad with Bacon?

Spinach – Baby spinach is the best because it’s more tender and you can buy it in a bag.

Tomatoes – Any tomatoes will do, as ripe as you can get them. I like Campari tomatoes but there are so many good ones. 

Onion – The best onions to use are red onions or Vidalia onions. They are the sweetest when using raw onions. Scallions are also good if you have them.

Eggs – Any size eggs are good for hard boiling.

Shaved Parmesan – This is the best cheese for this salad as well as others.

Bacon – The best ingredient in a lot of recipes. I like Oscar Mayer’s thick-cut bacon.

What Kind of Spinach is Best for this Salad?

The best spinach to use for your bacon and egg Salad is baby spinach for 2 reasons:

• It comes out of the bag or box very clean.
• You don’t have to cut it because it’s so tender.

If you are gonna wash it at all it just needs a little amount of washing, whereas larger, mature spinach is not only thicker but also can be sandier or dirtier, which means you need to be more thorough.

What Bacon Should I Use?

I think whatever bacon that you use for your egg and bacon spinach salad is your choice. Regular bacon, turkey bacon, thick or regular sliced, maple bacon, and applewood all make for great options. Also, you can use whatever brand is your favorite.

I will tell you my favorite bacon is Oscar Mayer, either thick-sliced or regular sliced. After years of trying so many different kinds and brands of bacon, that’s all I use in all my recipes. It has the best flavor and does not shrink like other brands of bacon because it has more meat than fat.

Some people use turkey bacon, trying to cut a few calories vs regular bacon, but even though I like turkey bacon, I love the real thing and prefer that.

How to Make a Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs

Let’s show you step by step how to make yourself this beautiful and delicious salad.

Hard-Boiling the Eggs

All these years I have tried so many different ways to get the best hard-boiled eggs possible. There may be other ways that are proven successful too but I will share with you the way that I find the best for taking off the shells.

The first thing to do is take the eggs out of the refrigerator so they can warm up just a bit. Get a saucepan of your choice and fill it halfway with water and bring to a boil. 

Next, carefully add the eggs. Once the water starts to boil again then set the timer. If they are large eggs then boil them for 10 minutes. If they are X-large eggs boil them for 11 minutes, and if they are jumbo eggs then boil them for 12 minutes.

After they are done cooking rinse for just a few seconds under cold water. Your goal is not to cool off the eggs, leave them hot.

Immediately hit the egg on all sides and place them on a paper towel on the counter. This is important so you can break the membrane which will make it a lot easier to peel them. 

Now that they are all cracked on all sides you can start to peel them, the shells should just peel off very easily. 

Once they are peeled, put the eggs in the refrigerator to cool them off. You don’t want to slice them while they are hot and you don’t want to put hot eggs on top of your salad.

Preparing the Bacon

Now for the yummy part….the bacon!

You may have your favorite way of cooking your bacon or you may not enjoy cooking the bacon because if you cook it on the stove you may not like the grease all over the stovetop or all over your clothes because it splatters. 

The best way to cook your bacon is to bake it in the oven rather than to fry it. It takes a little longer but its not as messy as frying it. 

You can bake it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, right on the paper, or you can elevate it by putting it on a baking rack on top of the paper. 

Check out our complete guide on How to Bake Bacon in the Oven which we’ve found is the best way to cook it. Try it for yourself and you will love it.

Once cooked, chop the bacon up into small pieces and set aside.

The Dressing

The type of dressing that you use on top of your Bacon/Egg Spinach Salad can vary so much, it’s up to your personal choice. But one thing that I will say is that the best type of dressing to use is something summery and light. Creamy dressing would be too heavy for this salad. 

You can use a vinegarette or Italian dressing. Just make sure if you buy the dressing look for something that is low carb. The same is true if you decide to make your own dressing. Be creative and use some spices in it like garlic or onion, parsley…etc.

Putting the Salad Together

The first thing to do is get a large bowl for a single-serve salad or a nice platter for salad enough for more people. You can put your salad together however you want to but make sure to start with the spinach first and then add your other ingredients. The spinach is your base and then you can build on that.

First wash and dry off the spinach.

Next, place your spinach on a cutting board and cut. You can keep the spinach whole if you want but I like to chop the leaves in half so they are easier to eat.

Take the hard-boiled eggs out of the refrigerator and slice them. I like to use an egg slicer which cuts them into long thin slices, perfect for putting on a salad.

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After that, you can add your other ingredients, one at a time. Make sure to grab a good knife and cutting board and cut up the tomatoes and onions. Then add the

Some of our favorite ingredients for this salad are:

• Shaved cheese
• Sliced eggs
• Onions, chopped 
• Tomatoes, chopped
• Bacon, cut into pieces
• Then top with your favorite salad dressing.

Once you add all the ingredients to your salad, toss well with the salad dressing and serve!

Best Tips for Spinach Salad

If your tomatoes are not ripe when you buy them, just leave them on your counter for a few days and they will ripen. Do not ever put tomatoes in the refrigerator because they will not ripen and in fact, they tend to lose their flavor and texture.

Campari tomatoes are my favorite for this salad but I also like good and ripe cherry tomatoes.

Use baby spinach because it’s more tender and also cleaner. When you buy full-grown spinach it tends to be sandier and tougher.

I like to make extra hard-boiled eggs when I’m making this salad. It’s just as easy to make 8 as it is to make 2…for example. 

Some people don’t like raw onions because they are too strong in flavor. In that case, if you chop the onions or slice them, to make them milder you can place them in a bowl of cold or ice water for at least 10 minutes, stirring them and drain.

Different Variations and add-Ins of Spinach Salad

Some other ingredients that are good for spinach salad are sliced mushrooms, which are an ingredient that goes so well with spinach, even when you cook it. 

Another good addition to a bacon spinach salad can be an avocado which is popular on a lot of salads. They are high in good fat and are very healthy to eat. 

You can add some fruit to your spinach salad. A few berries like strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries make a nice addition to a lot of salads, also a few slices of orange can be refreshing. 

Then there are always nuts on the salad which adds some protein, a little salty taste, and good crunch. You can use walnuts, pecans or almonds which are all tasty good choices.

You can also use some sliced steak or chicken on your salad to replace the bacon or as an add on along with the bacon….your choice.

What Dressing Goes Best with Spinach Salad?

The best option for dressing this type of salad is a light one. Do not use creamy dressing. I think it’s too heavy. Use something that’s light such as…

• Vinegarette
• Italian
• Garlic dressing (our favorite)
• Oil and vinegar
• A fruit-based light dressing, like lemon, lime or raspberry
• Cilantro Lime Dressing is one of our absolute favorites!

Diets This Recipe is Good For Ex. Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free?

Gluten-free – There is no gluten in veggies or bacon.

Sugar-free – Also no sugar in this spinach salad.

Nut-free – There are no nuts in this salad. It’s an optional ingredient for anyone who is not allergic to nuts.

What to Serve with a Spinach Salad

This yummy egg and bacon spinach salad is good on its own as a main dish and doesn’t necessarily HAVE to be served with anything else. It’s a complete and well-balanced meal but it can also be served as a side dish, like any other salad. 

In the summer I would recommend some cold shrimp cocktail…it doesn’t require cooking or much time. It’s a real quick dinner.

You could also make something on the grill, some kind of meat, chicken, steak, burger, etc.

If the weather is a little cooler then you can serve a cup or bowl of soup with your salad.

Can You Make Spinach Salad Ahead?

Yes, you can make the spinach salad ahead but not too far in advance. Maybe a couple of hours ahead but not a day in advance. Salad is always better when made fresh. 

Whatever you do only put the dressing on the salad right before eating. The longer it’s on the salad, the soggier it will get. Toss just before serving…..

Even though you cannot put the whole salad together way in advance, what you can do is to prep the ingredients ahead. For instance, you can prepare the bacon, hard boil the eggs and peel them, chop the onions, cut the tomatoes, and shave the parmesan, all of which could save you time when it’s actually time to eat your salad.

How to Store Spinach Salad 

Once you make the salad it’s best to serve it. If you have some leftover, as long as it’s not dressed, then you can store it in a tight-fitting plastic container in the refrigerator and it may be ok to eat the next day. 

But any longer than a day and it will for sure be wilted and not as fresh.

Can You Freeze Spinach Salad?

Salad veggies do not freeze well, so I would not advise it at all. 

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