Fresh baby spinach, hard boiled eggs, crispy bacon bits, juicy tomatoes & red onion all tossed in a tangy red wine vinaigrette! This is one salad you have to try!
I’m about to make a bold move and say this is THE BEST SPINACH SALAD! There…I’ve said it. Save it, write it down, send it to all your family and friends because this spinach salad with bacon and hard boiled eggs is where it’s at! Crispy salty bacon bits, creamy hard boiled eggs, juicy plump tomatoes and a zesty homemade dressing to tie is all together. Ohhhh it doesn’t get any better than that!
Ingredients For Your Spinach Salad
- Baby spinach: You should only need one bag of fresh baby spinach for this salad recipe.
- Hard boiled eggs: You can hard boil your eggs a few days in advance to make this salad even easier!
- Bacon: Use real bacon for the best results! (Store bought bacon bits can be used as a replacement but they won’t have the same crunchy tecture.)
- Tomatoes: Use cherry or grape tomatoes for the best results. (They have the best flavor!)
- Onion: Red onion works the best for this recipe. It’s a little sweeter than white or yellow onion and doesn’t have a harsh “onion” flavor.
- Avocado: You’ll need one large avocado for this recipe!
- Red wine vinaigrette: Made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, dried dill & a splash of water!
How To Make A Spinach Bacon & Egg Salad
- Cook & cool your bacon. Cut your bacon into bite sized pieces and heat it in a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it’s browned and bubbling then transfer it to a plate lined with a paper towel. Discard the leftover bacon grease and let your bacon cool completely.
- Hard boil your eggs. Cook your eggs using your favorite hard boiling technique then place them in the fridge to cool completely.
- Make your dressing. Whisk all your dressing ingredients together or add them to a salad dressing bottle and shake.
- Prepare the rest of your ingredients. Thinly slice your onion, slice your tomatoes in half and dice your avocado.
- Toss it all together! Place your spinach in a bowl then add your tomatoes, red onion, chopped hard boiled egg and bacon bits. Drizzle your desired amount of dressing over the top and toss until your salad is fully coated. Serve immediately!
My Favorite Method For Hard Boiling Eggs
I’ve been hard boiling my eggs with this 10 minute method for as long as I can remember. It’s quick and easy and your eggs come out perfectly hard boiled every single time!
- Place the eggs in a pot and fill it with enough water to cover your eggs.
- Then heat the pot over high heat until the water starts to boil. Once boiling, set a timer for 3 minutes. When the timer goes off, pull the pot off the stove and cover it with lid. Let the pot sit for 10 minutes. Then immediately remove your eggs and run them under cold water. (You can also transfer them to an ice bath instead. This helps to stop the cooking process and keeps your eggs soft and tender.)
- Store your eggs in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Expert Tip: The older your eggs are, the easier they’ll be to peel once they’ve been cooked. We’ll usually buy our eggs 1 week before hard boiling them.
What other ingredients can I add to my salad?
This spinach salad is pretty simple so we always love adding a few extra goodies to the mix. Here are our favorites:
- Sliced mushrooms
- Bean sprouts
- Chopped mini sweet peppers
FAQ’s
- Do you cut up spinach for a salad? You shouldn’t need to for this salad. We’re using baby spinach leaves which are usually small enough to eat left as they are.
- How long will hard boiled eggs stay good in the fridge? Your eggs should stay good for up to 7 days.
- Can I use bacon bits instead of making my own bacon? Yes but they won’t be as crunchy as real bacon.
- Can I keep my leftover spinach bacon & egg salad? I wouldn’t suggest it. The bacon can become soggy after sitting in the dressing.
- Can I prep any ingredients beforehand? Yes! You can easily prep all your ingredients one day in advance. Keep them stored in separate containers in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Why you’ll love this spinach salad recipe!
- Flavor on flavor! Crispy salty bacon, creamy hard boiled eggs, lots of avocado, juicy tomatoes & a bold zesty dressing! What more could you want in a salad recipe?!
- The perfect side dish! This salad pairs so well with beef/steak, chicken, shrimp and so many other entrees! (Plus it’d be a great option for dinner parties too!)
- Great for for non-spinach lovers! I swear bacon makes everything taste better… And this salad is no exception! (It’s been known to turn a few spinach haters into spinach lovers.)
Need it gluten free? Replace the soy sauce in the dressing with coconut aminos or tamari!
Need it dairy free? Great news, it already is!
More salad recipes you might like:
- Loaded Italian Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Mexican Street Corn Kale Salad
- Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Taco Salad with Zesty Taco Dressing
[Made one of my recipes? Make sure to tag my Instagram @kalefornia_kravings & leave a review in the comments. I love seeing what you create!]
Spinach Salad with Bacon & Hard Boiled Eggs
A classic spinach salad made with crispy bacon bits, hard boiled eggs, lots of avocado and fresh veggies all tossed in a zesty red wine vinaigrette! This spinach salad is so simple to make and perfect as a side dish or entree!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced or diced
- 6 strips of bacon
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ of a small red onion, sliced thin
- 1 avocado, diced (optional)
For the red wine vinaigrette:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil*
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp water
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp dried dill
Instructions
To make the vinaigrette:
- Whisk your vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl or shake them in a jar. Then keep it stored in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of your salad.
To make the salad:
- Heat a pan over medium heat and cut your bacon into bite-size pieces.
- Once the pan is hot, add your bacon and cook until it's brown and crispy (about 14-16 minutes), stirring occasionally. Then transfer it to a plate lined with a paper towel to cool completely. Discard the bacon grease.
- Next add your spinach, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, onion and avocado to a bowl and pour your desired amount of dressing over the top.
- Toss the salad until it's fully coated then serve with your bacon bits sprinkled over the top.
Notes
*We use extra light tasting olive oil for all of our dressings. (It’s a lighter and more mild in flavor than regular olive oil.)
