Ree Drummond amps up the flavor for her salads.
“This is a classic spinach salad at its core, but there’s such a delectable mix of cooked and raw ingredients, so every single bite is different, says the celebrity chef. “There’s the tender crispness of the spinach, the cool hard boiled eggs, the crisp bacon bits and the caramelized red onions and mushrooms,” she describes of the “gorgeous combination.” “Then to top it off, the warm, tangy dressing just pulls everything together beautifully!”
The Food Network star features this “make it your own” dish in her new cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes. “The bacon dressing is a delicious drizzle for roasted asparagus, grilled chicken or even a caprese salad, believe it or not!” says Drummond.
While she loves it for a quick lunch, Drummond explains that it is “also a magnificent salad to serve to friends with some cheesy garlic bread!” “As a dinner, I would add grilled chicken as the protein on the side with a big pile of salad on the plate,” she continues.
Ree Drummond’s Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing.
Jen Causey
Ree Drummond’s Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
6 thick-cut peppered bacon slices
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced (about 2½ cups)
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 to 2 Tbsp. hot water, if needed
8 oz. fresh baby spinach (about 8 cups), washed and dried
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp around edges but still chewy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain bacon on a paper-towel-lined plate.
2. Remove 3 tablespoons bacon grease from skillet, and set aside for dressing. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of remaining bacon grease in skillet. Add onion to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until deep golden and very soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer onion to a plate, and set aside.
3. Add mushrooms to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir; transfer mushrooms to a plate.
4. Reduce heat in skillet to low; add red wine vinegar, honey, mustard and reserved 3 tablespoons bacon grease. Cook over low, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of skillet to loosen browned bits, until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. If needed, add a tablespoon or 2 of hot water to reach desired consistency or volume.
5. Place spinach in a large bowl; drizzle vinegar mixture all over, and toss to coat. Arrange onion slices and mushrooms over top. Chop bacon; arrange bacon and egg slices over top as well, and serve.
Serves: 4
Active time: 50 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Dining and Cooking