Thank-you to Iowa Egg Council for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions are entirely my own. #putaneggonit
Can we talk about some of my all-time flavor combinations for a minute? Warm, sweet bacon salad dressing, gooey goat cheese, and the magic of a poached egg. Uh yeah, I would say that pretty much tops it.
I love serving salads at get-togethers this time of year. I love showing off this season’s prettiest produce, plus I do think that people are hoping to see a few salads when they go to a picnics or barbecues. I know I am.
I have been dreaming about warm spinach salad since my husband took me out to dinner for my birthday the first year we were married. ( I was turning 24, I am now 35. So yeah, it’s been a while.) I always thought that something so delicious must be too difficult to tackle at home. But actually, some of the best tasting food is simpler to make than you might think.
Take eggs for example. They are one of the primary food items that appear on my family’s shopping list every week, but there are endless possibilities in which they can be prepared. You can scramble them up and serve them on toast, which I often do. Or you can perfectly poach them and put them on this fantastic salad.
As a proud Iowan, I am happy to inform you that Iowa is that number one Egg producing State in the country, producing more than 16 billion eggs per year. This is so important because eggs are such an excellent, inexpensive way for families to eat well.
Plus I love the fact that in 2018 egg farmers are producing eggs more efficiently than ever before. Hens are living much longer nowadays due to better living conditions, better health, and better nutrition.
I must admit that for a while, I found poaching eggs a little intimidating. But after a little practice, it becomes pretty easy. There are many small egg-poaching gadgets out there that make it easy, but poaching eggs the old-fashioned way is easy too, and worth learning.
When you #putaneggonit Any dish, all of a sudden, it becomes a protein-packed meal.
This salad is a complete meal that will leave you feeling full. It is so comforting and full of flavor that you will forget you have a salad for dinner. Promise.
Warm spinach salad with bacon dressing and poached eggs
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fresh spinach 1 bag
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
- 1/3 cup chopped carrots
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 4-5 poached eggs
- 1 dash pepper
Warm Bacon Dressing
- 2 slices bacon
- 1/2 caramelized onion
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
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Arrange spinach in a bowl or a platter. Add tomatoes, carrots and goat cheese.
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Steam asparagus. Cut asparagus into pieces and arrange them on the salad.
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Cook all four pieces of bacon. crumble two pieces on the salad. save the bacon grease and 2 slices of bacon for the dressing.
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Poach eggs.
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Make bacon dressing.
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Add bacon, poached eggs and warm bacon dressing to the salad. Top the eggs with a little pepper and serve.
Warm bacon dressing
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In the pan that has the leftover bacon grease, add chopped onion and caramelize.
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add sugar, two slices of crumbled bacon, cider vinegar, dijon mustard, water, and cornstarch.
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heat until the dressing is nicely blended and drizzle onto the salad still warm.
Poach Eggs
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Crack eggs into individual bowls or saucers.
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bring a pan of water to a simmer.
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tip eggs into the pan individually.
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Cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.
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Leave in the pan for another 6-7 minutes.
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Remove from pan and serve.
I can’t tell you how delightful this salad was. I added asparagus because I love eating as many seasonal vegetables as possible to my salads. If you’re reading this post during the winter, you can always add your favorite winter veggies!
There are so many ways to enjoy eggs! Eggs are an excellent way for families to eat well. They are inexpensive, they will keep in your fridge for 3-5 weeks, and there are so many ways to prepare them!
7 comments
[…] Warm Spinach Salad […]
Oh my, this salad looks so delicious and so easy! Perfect for a light dinner!
You had me at ‘bacon dressing’ ? this salad looks devine!!
Spinach salad is one of my all time favorites.. love that you’ve poached your eggs, too! save some for me!
Poached Eggs with salad sounds interesting. My husband will love it.
I love the various ingredients you have used in this salad especially the eggs. I would have to find a substitute for bacon. What do you think would work?
I have never tried a poached egg in a salad before but now I’m thinking I’m going to have to try!