This Spinach & Mushroom Salad is hearty, delicious and incredibly nutritious. A healthy option for dinner or as a BBQ side as it is packed full of iron and B Vitamins.
We have combined white button mushrooms with salty bacon, and pine nuts which have all been sautéed until golden, then tossed in a our zingy lemon balsamic dressing with dried tomatoes.
Some Serving Ideas
This salad is substantial enough to have as a main meal but it partners beautifully with grilled meats and would make a great BBQ side. Try it with pepper steak or lemony chicken fillets.
Let's Talk Ingredients & Substitutions
- Baby Spinach - used as a base because it is hearty and partners well with mushrooms. Raw silverbeet, chard or kale would also work well here.
- White Button Mushrooms - added as an additional vegetable and to boost the satiety in this salad, they also add a power boost of B vitamins. You could also try some eggplant, zucchini or chickpeas (garbanzo beans) instead.
- Bacon - added for its wonderful smoky, salty flavour, you can easily swap for diced ham, pancetta or prosciutto.
- Dried Tomatoes - used for a pop of bright colour and their intense tomatoey flavour. If you are unable to find dry-packed tomatoes you can use sun-dried tomatoes in oil but rinse and dry them thoroughly before adding to your salad.
As a replacement jarred red peppers or halved cherry tomatoes would also work well here. - Pine Nuts - added for crunch and for their buttery piney flavour, try some seeds such as pepitas or sunflower seeds, pecans or peanuts instead.
- Lemon Balsamic Dressing - adds a tangy refreshing flavour to this salad. If you are in a hurry try some balsamic glaze instead. But the lemon really adds something special in this dressing.
You Will Need
How to make this salad
1PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS
Wash baby spinach, remove any wilted or damaged leaves and either pat or spin dry in a salad spinner.
Cut off the rind from your bacon, then dice into half-inch (1.5cm) pieces. Separate the pieces so that they cook evenly.
If your mushrooms are full of dirt submerge them in a water bath, drain and pat dry. Cut off the stems and then quarter them.
WASH BABY SPINACH EITHER PAT OR SPIN DRY SPINACH CUT OFF THE RIND FROM BACON DICE BACON RASHERS CUT OFF STEMS FROM MUSHROOMS QUARTER YOUR MUSHROOMS
2SAUTÉ YOUR INGREDIENTS
Add your bacon to a hot pan and cook until golden (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Add they pine-nuts and cook until golden. (approximately 1-2 minutes).
Add the quartered mushrooms, if you find that there is not enough fat from the bacon then add two tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté your mushrooms until slightly soft (approximately 3-4 minutes).
ADD DICED BACON TO HOT PAN FRY UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN ADD PINE NUTS FRY PINE NUTS WITH BACON UNTIL GOLDEN ADD QUARTERED MUSHROOMS COOK UNTIL SLIGHTLY SOFT
3PREPARE TOMATOES & PARMESAN
Cut your dried-tomatoes into strips, if you are using tomatoes in oil make sure that you rinse the oil off the tomatoes and pat them dry before cutting.
Using a vegetable peeler to shave your parmesan into flakes.
CUT DRIED TOMATOES INTO STRIPS USE A PEELER TO CUT PARMESAN FLAKES
4SHAKE UP YOUR DRESSING
Add your dressing ingredients in a glass jar, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper and shake well to combine.
DD LEMON BALSAMIC INGREDIENTS TO JAR SHAKE LEMON BALSAMIC TO COMBINE
5ASSEMBLE YOUR SALAD
Add all your salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked pepper, pour over the dressing and toss well to combine. Garnish with parmesan flakes and serve.
ADD INGREDIENTS TO BOWL POUR OVER DRESSING MIX TO COMBINE 
TOP WITH PARMESAN FLAKES & SERVE
Can I make this salad ahead?
- You can make this salad several hours in advance and just add the dressing just before serving.
- Prepare the bacon, mushroom mix the day before, then allow to come to room temperature before adding the spinach, dried-tomatoes and dressing to your salad.
- Make the dressing up to a week in advance and store in an air-tight container in your fridge.
What About the Leftovers?
- The leftovers make a sensational addition to some pasta the following day. I like to boost the mushroomy flavour by rehydrating some dried porcini mushrooms in hot water and adding the liquid and chopped up porcini mushrooms to the pasta.
- You can also transform the leftovers into a filling for a tart, quiche, frittata or omelette.
Try some more of our mushroom salads:
Equipment
- Non-stick frypan
- Salad Spinner
- Vegetable Peeler
Ingredients
- 100 grams Baby Spinach (4 cups, 3.53 ounces )
- 240 grams Bacon (6 rashers, 8.47 ounces)
- 500 grams Mushrooms (17.64 ounces)
- ½ cup Sun dried toms
- ½ cup Pine nuts
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsps lemon juice fresh (juice from 1 large lemon)
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest zest from 1 large lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Shaved Parmesan
Instructions
- Wash baby spinach, remove any wilted or damaged leaves and either pat or spin dry in a salad spinner.
- Cut off the rind from your bacon, then dice into half-inch (1.5cm) pieces. Separate the pieces so that they cook evenly.
- If your mushrooms are full of dirt submerge them in a water bath, drain and pat dry. Cut off the stems and then quarter them.
- Add your bacon to a hot pan and cook until golden (approximately 3-4 minutes).
- Add the pine-nuts and cook until golden. (approximately 1-2 minutes).
- Add the quartered mushrooms, if you find that there is not enough fat from the bacon then add two tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté your mushrooms until slightly soft (approximately 3-4 minutes).
- Cut your dried-tomatoes into strips, if you are using tomatoes in oil make sure that you rinse the oil off the tomatoes and pat them dry before cutting.
- Using a vegetable peeler shave your parmesan into flakes.Cut your dried-tomatoes into strips, if you are using tomatoes in oil make sure that you rinse the oil off the tomatoes and pat them dry before cutting.
- Using a vegetable peeler shave your parmesan into flakes.
- Add your dressing ingredients in a glass jar, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper and shake well to combine.
- Add all your salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked pepper, pour over the dressing and toss well to combine. Garnish with parmesan flakes and serve.
Video
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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