How to Make Spinach Salad Recipes

I learned how to make a spinach salad recipe only in the last half of my life making it a part of my diet. Dad did not grow spinach in our garden; I guess it didn’t grow in our soil as well as the different lettuces. Because Dad had so many of us to feed, he always grew a lot of each vegetable that adapted to our soil well; corn, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, etc. We had to have lots of these because Mom and Dad would can them to last all year.


The extent of spinach in my diet came from cans in the school lunchroom; they did not know how to make spinach salad recipes. This leafy green is a good source for vitamins and minerals like Vitamins A, C, E, K, magnesium, foliate, iron and others. Although this dark green vegetable is obviously very healthy, for years in commercials it has been over exaggerated by “Popeye the Sailor Man”.

For this reason, canned spinach became a regular ingredient in the school lunchrooms. Believe me, it tasted nothing like our delicious flavorful fresh spinach as when I learned how to make spinach salad recipes. The small bowls were more like bland tasting mushy weeds; a far cry even from my delicious cooked spinach.

I looked through my old German recipes and found a few with the title of “spinach salads” but none are fresh spinach. Instead they use fresh spinach but wilt it in a pan usually with hot bacon drippings. This is how Mom always did the leaf lettuce which Dad grew in the garden. She called it “wilted lettuce”; the dressing had beaten eggs, milk, bacon and bacon drippings in it. It was so good!  If had grown spinach, I know this is how Mom would have prepared it.

About thirty years ago, I started mixing fresh spinach in my salad bowls to add color to the mix. I did this to add to the presentation not realizing how great a salad could be when using only spinach in the bowl. I ordered  a spinach salad recipe in one of the restaurants with hot bacon dressing and thought that was the best salad I ever ate; I began making my own at home. The love for this salad spread rapidly across the United States; almost every restaurant created their unique spinach salads.


A spinach salad recipe could include many different ingredients. The following is a list of ingredients that go well in making up a spinach salad so try in creating your own.

How to Make Spinach Salad RecipeHow to Make Spinach Salad Recipe with Hot Bacon Dressing

POSSIBLE INGREDIENTS FOR SPINACH SALAD

  • 1 Bag of cleaned well drained spinach
  • 1 Bunch of chopped green onions or 1 small chopped onion
  • 1 Can drained sliced water chestnuts
  • 1 Pound bacon cooked crisp and chopped
  • 2 Hard boiled eggs chopped or sliced
  • ½ Package dry herb dressing
  • ½ Cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 Cup diced fresh apple
  • 1 Cup sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 Pound cubed cooked chicken or turkey breast
  • ¼ Cup chopped nuts

SPINACH SALAD RECIPE with French dressing recipe

  • 3 Cups fresh clean dry spinach
  • 4 Stalks chopped celery
  • ½ Chopped green pepper
  • 1 Chopped cucumber
  • ½ Head lettuce washed, dried and cut into pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped chives
  • ½ Cup French dressing recipe
  • 6 Stuffed green olives
  • 1 Small avocado
  • 1 Pound fresh cooked shrimp

Line six chilled salad bowls with part of the spinach.

Combine the remaining spinach, lettuce, celery, cucumber, chives and green pepper and toss.

Add French dressing and toss lightly to coat.

Divide mixture evenly among the six salad bowls.

Divide shrimp and Top each salad.

Remove pit from avocado and add slice to each salad.

Garnish with sliced olives.


FRENCH DRESSING RECIPE

  • ¾ Cup salad oil
  • ¼ Cup lemon juice or cider vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ Teaspoon salt
  • ¼ Teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ Teaspoon dry mustard
  • ¼ Teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a screw on lid; Shake well to blend and store in refrigerator.

Below you can choose a spinach salad dressing to go on your spinach salad.

POPPY SEED DRESSING RECIPE

  • 2 Cups sugar
  • 1 ¼ Cups white vinegar
  • 3 1/3 Cups oil
  • 2 Teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 Teaspoon onion powder
  • Combine all ingredients and blend.

BARBEQUE SALAD DRESSING

  • ½ Cup oil
  • ¼ Cup vinegar
  • ¼ Cup ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients and blend well.


HORSERADISH DRESSING to make a crab salad recipe

  • 3 Cups mayonnaise
  • 3/4 Cup chili sauce
  • 6 Tablespoons horseradish
  • 1 Small finely chopped onion
  • 2 Cups flaked crabmeat

Blend together the mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish and onion. Fold in the crabmeat and serve over spinach salad.

HOT BACON SALAD DRESSING FOR SPINACH SALAD RECIPE

Hot Bacon Salad Dressing for SpinachHot Bacon Salad Dressing for Spinach
  • 3 Slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
  • 1 Small onion thinly sliced and rings separated
  • ¼ Cup vinegar
  • ¼ Cup bacon drippings (If not enough drippings, add enough cooking oil to it to make ¼ cup)
  • ¼ Cup sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon salt
  • Dash pepper
  • Spinach
  • 2 Hard boiled eggs chopped

Wash spinach and drain well; add onion rings.
Fry bacon in skillet, remove from skillet and crumble; measure bacon drippings and return to skillet.
Add vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to skillet; bring mixture to a boil.
Spoon hot mixture over spinach; sprinkle with crumbled bacon and chopped boiled eggs.