Avocado, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Salad

This avocado, bacon, and sun-dried tomato spinach salad couldn’t be easier to make, but it’s bursting with flavors and textures. 

This humble and delicious avocado, bacon, and sun-dried tomato spinach salad recipe is one I adapted from a recipe I found in the cookbook Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard. The salad had a wonderful combination of flavors and textures, and the sun-dried tomato dressing, using a touch of bacon fat, was fantastic! We all thought this easy spinach salad was delicious, especially my daughter, and it paired nicely with a spicy roasted chicken and some roasted potatoes and shallots.

Avocado, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Salad

Vinaigrette:

• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 large clove of garlic, smashed
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomato oil, from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, to taste
• ½-1 tbsp honey, to taste
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 5 cups baby spinach
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, to taste
• 3 tbsp feta cheese crumbles
• 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

How to Make an Avocado, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Salad

Make the vinaigrette by cooking the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it is cooked through, crisp, and golden brown. Remove the bacon and place a paper towel to drain. Crumble into small pieces and set aside to use as a salad topping.

Remove and discard (or use for another recipe) all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the large skillet and place it back on the stove over medium heat.

Add the smashed garlic clove, sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste; whisk until very well-combined. Remove from the stove and discard the smashed garlic clove.

Serve the salad by placing the baby spinach in a large bowl and drizzling some of the well-whisked warm vinaigrette over the top; toss until evenly coated.

Place the salad on a serving plate and top with avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles, toasted pine nuts, bacon crumbles, and fresh dill. Season with freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

Drizzle the remaining dressing evenly over the salad and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Avocado, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Salad

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Large skillet

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 large clove of garlic smashed
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomato oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar to taste
• ½-1 tbsp honey to taste
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Salad:

• 5 cups baby spinach
• 1 avocado peeled and sliced
• 3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes chopped, to taste
• 3 tbsp feta cheese crumbles
• 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped
• Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Make the vinaigrette by cooking the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it is cooked through, crisp, and golden brown. Remove the bacon and place a paper towel to drain. Crumble into small pieces and set aside to use as a salad topping.
• Remove and discard (or use for another recipe) all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the large skillet and place it back on the stove over medium heat.
• Add the smashed garlic clove, sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste; whisk until very well-combined. Remove from the stove and discard the smashed garlic clove.
• Serve the salad by placing the baby spinach in a large bowl and drizzling some of the well-whisked warm vinaigrette over the top; toss until evenly coated.
• Place the salad on a serving plate and top with avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles, toasted pine nuts, bacon crumbles, and fresh dill. Season with freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.
• Drizzle the remaining dressing evenly over the salad and serve immediately. Enjoy.

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