Spinach and Mushroom Salad Recipe

This is a delicious recipe we have had for dinner several times. It's great for the warm summer evenings and it's an easy, but impressive salad for entertaining year round. It's very similar to the mushroom and spinach salad at one of our favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot. This recipe will make 4-6 side salads or a couple of generous entre salads. Adjust the seasonings to your taste, but this is the combination we've found to be the best for our family. The key is to use really excellent olive oil and vinegar. But, if you want, you can just use half a cup of your favorite oil and vinegar dressing instead. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 4-6 side salads

Ingredients

• 9  ounces spinach (baby leaves best)
• 1⁄4 lb white mushroom, sliced
• 1⁄2 red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1⁄2 cup crisp bacon, crumbled (optional)

• salad dressing

• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1⁄2 tablespoon  balsamic vinegar
• 1  teaspoon garlic, minced
•  salt and pepper
• 1⁄2-1  teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  minced parsley

Directions

1. Clean the mushrooms by wiping off with a damp kitchen towel or paper towels and then slice them
2. Marinate the mushrooms in the oil and vinegar (or dressing) for one hour or until you are ready to serve the salad. If they are going to marinate for longer than an hour, I reserve some of the dressing back to toss with the spinach just before serving (mushrooms tend to soak up the dressing).
3. To serve, toss the ingredients in a salad bowl and serve on salad plates.