Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon-Pecan Dressing

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon-Pecan Dressing is a perfect intersection of healthy and delicious, wow factor and easy to make!

I love the sweetness of the crisp apples in contrast to the smokey bacon, nutty pecans and earthy spinach in this salad. Thinly sliced shallot also provides a nice mellowed bite after steaming in the warm vinegar base. Typically warm bacon dressing is prepared just before tossing and serving a spinach salad. That’s because the warm dressing is essential for softening or “wilting” the spinach.

Make Ahead Option for Spinach Salad with Bacon-Pecan Dressing

I experimented to see if this dressing could be made in advance. That’s because I wanted an easy side dish to serve for an upcoming Gourmet Group dinner (stay tuned for a series of new posts!) This Thanksgiving-themed meal will include a variety of delectable sides. But that’s also a recipe for kitchen chaos. If you’ve ever played hosted on Thanksgiving, you know exactly what I mean! Great news, the dressing worked perfectly when made ahead. With that done, just slice the apples and rewarm the dressing when you are ready to serve. Toss until just slightly wilted, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Perfection!

Stirring the chopped bacon and pecans frequently while cooking ensures that the bacon will crisp up uniformly. I increased the amount of bacon and pecans from the initial recipe. That’s because I felt a little more bacon fat was needed for the dressing. As for the extra nuts, I simply love pecans, so why not?

I selected Honeycrisp apples because they’re a personal favorite and I had them on hand. Here’s my little kitchen hack for easily removing the apple core before slicing. With the apple standing upright, slice off each of the four sides leaving the core in the middle. Then thinly slice apple quarters.

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Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon-Pecan Dressing

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon-Pecan Dressing puts a light and modern spin on a classic by adding thin sliced apples and pecans.

3.86 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Adapted from Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon-Pecan Vinaigrette by America’s Test Kitchen as featured in Vegetable Illustrated Cookbook

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 shallot halved through root end and sliced thin crosswise
• 8 slices bacon cut into 1/2‑inch pieces
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped
• 12 ounces baby spinach
• 1 Fuji or Honeycrisp apple cored, halved, and sliced thin
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Whisk vinegar, mustard, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in small bowl. Add shallot, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave until steaming, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir briefly to submerge shallot. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
• Cook bacon and pecans in 12‑inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until bacon is crisp and pecans are toasted and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in shallot mixture and let sit until heated through, about 30 seconds.
• Gently toss spinach with warm vinaigrette in large bowl until evenly coated and wilted slightly. Add apple and toss to combine. ­Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Notes

Dressing can be made in advance and refrigerated covered. Bring to room temperature and warm in microwave for about 1 minute on medium power before tossing with spinach and adding apples.