Super Spinach Salad

highcotton's Note:

As a rule, everyone in our family strongly prefers savory/spicy dishes over sweet ones. However, this salad is an exception. We all love the sweet poppy seed dressing combined with the saltiness of the bacon and slight tang of red onion. The original recipe, posted at the BH&G website years ago, called for 1-1/4 cups of sugar. I've cut that back drastically, but use your own best judgment based on your family's tastebuds. Number of servings is a guesstimate.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

Salad Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh spinach , cleaned and stems removed
• 1 head red leaf lettuce , cleaned and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 red onion , peeled and sliced thinly
• ½ lb bacon , chopped and fried until crisp
• 1 ½-2 cups swiss cheese , grated
• 8 ounces fresh button mushrooms , cleaned and sliced (optional)

Dressing Ingredients

• 2⁄3; cup white vinegar
• 1 cup oil
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 green onions , thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard (may substitute plain yellow mustard)

Directions:

1. Mix greens; divide among salad plates.
2. Top each serving with bacon bits, red onion, grated cheese and mushrooms, if desired. (You can combine it all in a large bowl if necessary. But the 'goodies' get distributed a lot better if you treat each serving separately.).
3. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to combine.
4. Taste and adjust amount of sugar if needed.
5. Pour a small amount of dressing over each individual salad, serving additional dressing on the side.
6. Stir dressing well before each use, as the sugar tends to sink to the bottom.

Reviews

[westtextazzy]

5 stars for the fab dressing! I added 1/3 C dried cranberries, 1 can of garbonzo beans (drained) and a small can of mandarin oranges. Delicious! Love the dressing. The poppy seeds are a must! Thanks for a keeper.