Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta is an amazingly delicious side dish salad for everyone who loves bacon and feta! And this tasty salad is nutritious, quick and easy to make, and low in carbs.
PIN Spinach Salad with Bacon to make it later!
I think spinach salad is a wonderful thing, and of course spinach salad with bacon is especially good. Not only does this combination taste fantastic, but leafy green vegetables like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food. And this Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta has the wonderful combination of bacon + Feta cheese to make it especially delicious and it’s super low in carbs.
Years ago I made this salad for a dinner with my niece, her husband, and a friend and since then this has been one of my favorite salads to make for guests. But when I made it recently for a party at my sister Pam’s house, everyone went so crazy over the salad that I decided this recipe really needed a photo update. And when we updated the recipe we did use a bit more spinach, more bacon, and more Feta than the original recipe called for, but you are always free to use less if you prefer.
I love a spinach salad like this as a side dish salad for dinner, but I also love the idea of a big salad with leafy greens for lunch. And I think this recipe is also special enough for a side dish salad for holiday meal; enjoy!
What ingredients do you need?
- spinach
- bacon
- extra virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link) or use all bacon grease, whichever you prefer
- Balsamic Vinegar (affiliate link)
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link) or crushed fresh garlic
- Feta cheese
Why is spinach salad with bacon and Feta a favorite for me?
Spinach is such a healthy salad green and when you buy the pre-washed baby spinach there is literally no preparation for the greens! And of course I love bacon and my love for Feta Cheese is pretty well documented on the blog. I think those two favorites are a perfect combination in this salad.
What if you don’t like Feta Cheese?
If you’re not a fan of the tangy flavor of Feta cheese, you can use any crumbly white cheese like Cotija or Queso Fresco or just use grated Mozzarella if that’s what you have! Or use more bacon and make this a Spinach Salad with Bacon without any cheese if you prefer!
Love eating your Leafy Greens?
Use the index page for Leafy Greens to see all the recipes using spinach, kale, Swiss Chard, lettuce, Spring Mix Greens, collards, Power Greens, and more!
How to Make Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe including nutritional information.)
- Cut bacon into strips and cook until crisp.
- Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towel.
- Crumble Feta cheese.
- I used 8 ounces of organic baby spinach but you could increase the amount of spinach if you prefer.
- Combine 2 T bacon grease from the pan (or olive oil, whichever you prefer), balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.
- Remove additional bacon grease from pan, and wipe out pan if needed, or if you want to use olive oil.
- Add dressing and heat.
- Then toss the spinach with the hot dressing.
- Toss salad again with crumbled bacon and Feta, saving a bit of bacon and Feta for the top.
- Put salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle reserved bacon and Feta over. Serve right away.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta would be great with Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce, Very Greek Grilled Chicken, Air Fryer Fish Sticks, Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Breasts, or Paprika Chicken for a low-carb meal.
More Spinach Salads You May Like:
Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta is a delicious healthy salad thatโs perfect for lunch or as a side dish for dinner, and it's fancy enough for a holiday meal!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. baby spinach
- 6 strips bacon
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil or bacon grease, whichever you prefer
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Instructions
- Cut bacon into thick short strips and cook in a frying pan, until the fat bubbles up and bacon is crisp.
- Lift out bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the extra bacon fat.
- Crumble Feta cheese and set aside.
- I used 8 ounces of organic baby spinach to make this side-dish salad for four people but you could increase the amount of spinach even more if you prefer more greens.
- Combine 2 T bacon grease from the pan (or olive oil, whichever you prefer), balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.
- Remove any additional bacon grease from the pan, and wipe out the pan if needed, or if you want to use olive oil.
- Then add dressing and heat for a minute or so, until it's bubbling hot.
- Then toss the spinach with the hot dressing.
- Toss the salad again with the crumbled bacon and Feta Cheese, saving a bit of bacon and Feta for the top.
- Put the salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle the reserved bacon and Feta over. Serve right away.
Notes
Recipe adapted fromย this spinach saladย found on RecipeZaar.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 220Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 35mgSodium 511mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta would be perfect for low-carb or Keto eating plans, which would prefer using bacon grease in the dressing. I hope the bacon police won’t come after me if I say that with a moderate amount of bacon I would happily eat this Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. But if you’re a South Beach Diet follower who feels strongly about avoiding bacon, I advise substituting Canadian Bacon or turkey bacon in this salad, crisping it a bit in the olive oil.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalynโs Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes Iโm sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This favorite salad idea was first posted in 2007! The recipe was last updated with greatly improved photos and more information in 2022.
23 Comments on “Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta”
I added fresh strawberries and it’s delish.
Oh I love the sound of that!
I love spinach salads! My favorite is spinach with fresh strawberriesโฆwith a poppyseed dressing! Yum!!
BTW, the information in Yummly for this recipe looks like it’s pretty accurate to me. They do a good job on recipes like this where the ingredients are common ones.
Nice to know that it was good with turkey bacon as well, and I love the idea of adding arugula to this!
This salad was so amazing that I made it two meals in a row!
I used turkey bacon and it was good.
I also added ARUGULA to the spinach mix and the peppery flavor was a very nice compliment to the feta and bacon.
Thanks for such incredible eats!
Dara, so true, and thanks for the great salad bowl!
Simple, fresh and full of flavor. I could happily eat this everyday for lunch. I don't use a lot of bacon anymore either, but it's amazing how much flavor just one strip can provide to a salad like this.
Lydia, I only like the pre-cooked bacon that has to be refrigerated, but that's the only bacon I buy now. I like Costco brand, but there are probably other good ones too.
I love this salad, and I'm encouraged now to try pre-cooked bacon for the first time. I always see it in the store, but have never used it.
Kim, hope you like it as much as I do!
This is the first time I've seen this recipe, and it looks simply divine. I think a simple spinach salad is definitely my favourite salad of all time: nutritious, guilt-free and delicious, what more could I want?
Love salads! Love balsamic vinegar! Love feta cheese!
Sounds awesome!
Yum. Feta and spinach can’t go wrong. ๐
Hi Kalyn! My family loves any kind of salad so this would be a big hit as we like all the ingredients. Cheers!
yum! Great colors.!
I love salads and I love this one. Can’t wait to try it!
Paz
Tanna, you are so kind. I love the idea of pairing this with fish, just brilliant.
Maria, strawberries and spinach, what a great combination.
Lindy, the salad you’re describing sounds fantastic. Isn’t spinach salad just such a wonderful thing. Pears roasted in butter, they sound a bit decadent, but I bet they were amazing tasting too.
mmmmmmm…there’s nothing better than spinach, bacon, and feta. One of my favorite taste combos. Looks great!
Simple and delicious, what more could you want?
Yum. Sometimes I get a craving for spinach salad so strong that it seems like it must be a physiological manifestation of a need for some nutrient. (maybe iron?) It is so delicious in many forms.
Most recently, I’ve been eating a toned down version of a fantastic restaurant one I had. It’s got spinach, pears, arugula, crumbly blue and/or cheddar cheese, and a garlic buttermilk dressing.
How is this in any way “toned down?” You may well ask. In addition to the dressing and cheese, the restaurant version included pears roasted in butter. (I asked) Oi .
I love spinach salads! My favorite is spinach with fresh strawberries…with a poppyseed dressing! Yum!!
This is either lunch or dinner, with Tilapia if dinner!
Beautiful – you are so detailed, your site is so fantastic!! I don’t see how you can make it better but you always seem to be improving!