This simple spinach salad with bacon is a throwback classic with a sweet-and-tangy ketchup vinaigrette. It’s easy to make, easy to love, and perfect for summer meals or potlucks.
Customize it with hard-boiled eggs, sprouts, or whatever toppings you have on hand—it’s the flexible salad that never goes out of style.
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Featured Comment by Pat :
"I've been making this for decades. Originally saw the recipe as a winner of a contest. It was called Sedona Spinach Salad. It is delicious."
😊 Why You’ll Love This Spinach Salad
- Simple and quick – Ready in 15 minutes with common ingredients.
- Classic flavor – That sweet-and-tangy ketchup vinaigrette brings the nostalgia.
- Customizable – Use bacon, eggs, sprouts, or your own favorite toppings.
- Meal or side – Light enough for a side, hearty enough for lunch.
- Pantry-friendly dressing – Just ketchup, vinegar, and a few basics.
🥣 Ingredients
Basic Ingredients
- Baby spinach – Fresh, cleaned, and dried
- Bacon – Cooked, chopped, and drained
- Spinach salad dressing – A sweet-and-tangy homemade vinaigrette made with ketchup, sugar, vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and kosher salt.
Recommended Toppings (Use What You Like)
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Bean sprouts – Canned or fresh
- Water chestnuts – Sliced, canned
- Red onion – Chopped
- Fresh mushrooms – Optional (we skip them due to allergies)
Optional Add-Ins
- Veggies – Avocado, cucumber, bell pepper, shredded carrots, or celery
- Fruits – Apple chunks, strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries
- Protein – Cooked chicken, shrimp, or tofu
- Cheese – Blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese
- Nuts – Pecans, almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts
Dressing Swaps (If You Must)
The sweet-and-tangy ketchup vinaigrette is the star, but you can use Italian, balsamic, or poppy seed dressing if preferred.
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👨🍳Quick Overview: Making Simple Spinach Salad
1. Mix dressing
Mix spinach salad dressing of ketchup, sugar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and kosher salt.
2. Prepare the ingredients
Wash, trim, and dry spinach. Prepare any toppings, like chopping the red onion, cooking bacon, draining cans of bean sprouts, and water chestnuts. Slice hard-boiled eggs.
3. Tossing the salad
Add all non-dressing ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine.
4. Serving
Serve with the dressing on the side.
👇For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving ideas.
🛒 How to Choose the Best Fresh Spinach
- Look for dark green leaves with a crisp texture and fresh aroma.
- Avoid wilted, slimy, or discolored spinach—fresh is key for salads.
- Choose baby spinach when possible—it’s tender, sweet, and has thin stems.
- Check the sell-by date on bagged spinach and pick the freshest one available.
- Don’t overbuy—spinach can last up to 10 days, but it's best within 3 to 4 days.
🍽️ How to Serve Fresh Spinach Salad
- Keep the dressing on the side so the spinach stays crisp and leftovers store better.
- Make it a meal by adding protein—bacon, hard-boiled eggs, grilled chicken, or shrimp turn this into a full lunch.
- Serve it as a side with your favorite grilled dishes, like Grilled Chicken Thighs, Whole Grilled Chicken, Grilled Porterhouse Steaks, or Seared and Baked Strip Steaks.
❄️ How to Store Leftover Spinach Salad
- Don’t freeze it – Spinach, eggs, and other toppings lose texture when frozen.
- Store without dressing – The salad stays crisp longer if you keep the dressing separate.
- Use an airtight container – Refrigerate immediately to keep everything fresh.
- Best within 1 day – Still okay on day 2, but by day 3 it should be eaten or tossed.
- Dressing lasts longer – The homemade dressing will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
❓FAQs
Yes—as long as it’s washed properly, just like any other raw vegetable. Pre-washed bagged spinach is usually ready to use, but you can always rinse it again if you prefer.
Baby spinach is tender, sweet, and naturally bite-sized. Older spinach has larger, tougher leaves and thicker stems, not as pleasant for a fresh salad.
Wrap it in paper towels and store in an airtight container or bag in the fridge’s crisper drawer. Keep it dry and wash only what you need. Moisture shortens its life.
A vinaigrette is a mix of oil and vinegar—usually in a 3:1 ratio. This version adds ketchup, which brings sweetness and a little extra acidity. It’s not traditional, but it works—and tastes like summer.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Simple Spinach Salad with Bacon and Ketchup Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby spinach - cleaned and dried
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 3 to 4 strips bacon - chopped, fried, and drained
- 14 oz bean sprouts - drained
- 8 oz sliced water chestnuts - drained
- 1 medium chopped red onion - optional
- ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms - optional
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup olive oil - or other vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons red vinegar - or other vinegar
- ½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Step-by-Step Instructions
Mix dressing
- Combine all dressing components in a shaker, small jar, or bowl. Shake or whisk to mix well.
Prepare the ingredients
- Wash, trim, and dry the spinach. Prepare toppings: cook and chop the bacon, chop red onion, drain the bean sprouts and water chestnuts, and slice the hard-boiled eggs.
Toss the salad
- Serve with the dressing on the side to drizzle when ready to eat.
Serve
- Serve with the dressing on the side, for drizzling it when ready to eat.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- The water chestnuts and bean sprouts are the limiting factors in the size of this recipe. You can cut the size if you are okay with wasting the extra.
- Use fresh baby spinach with deep green leaves and thin stems for the best texture.
- Water chestnuts and bean sprouts are the limiting ingredients—halve the recipe if needed to avoid waste.
- More topping and dressing variations are suggested in the full recipe post.
- Serve the dressing on the side—the salad will store better and stay crisp longer.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Day 1 is best.
- The ketchup and Worcestershire-based dressing has bold flavor—adjust vinegar or oil to suit your taste.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor note: This is a republishing of a recipe originally published on May 24, 2010. That was the first year of the blog, and I just took a few pictures and tossed up the recipe so my kids would stop calling mom for it. It was updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Peggy M. says
I haven’t had this since the 80’s! Such a good salad. Thanks for posting.
Sherry says
Thank you Dr Dan
I had no idea your response would be so quick - greatly appreciate it. Salad coming to my kitchen soon!
Sherry says
Love the variety of veggies in this recipe. One question; can you use fresh bean sprouts instead of canned? I find the canned ones have an off-putting smell that just doesn't make me want to eat them even after rinsing. Thank you.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Sherry,
Welcome to the blog.
Sure, fresh bean sprouts are fine.
Dan
Deborah Lein says
Dr. Dan, I have Swiss Chard in the garden which I usually cook / wilt to use with pastas. I find it pretty tough to eat without a little cooking. Can Swiss Chard be substituted for fresh spinach?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Deborah,
The spinach is soft, tender, and a bit sweet if you get nice baby spinach. Not at all like the chard I have had so I would not substitute for it.
Dan
Leslie says
Since I cook for one, my slow cooker is only a 1 quart size. However, I think it runs a lot hotter than the larger cookers, 2 qt.+, and it's difficult to time recipes correctly. Is this generally true of all small slow cookers or does mine need to be replaced?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Leslie,
I have a hard time recommending the very small crockpots. The last time I looked at them, none had thermostats but used reostats. The longer the were turned on, the higher the temp. And high is way uncontrollable.
Cuisinart generally wins reviews of small crockpots and Kitchaid usually wins full-size reviews. But honest reviews that are not just click-bate to sell a product are hard to find anymore. Mostly behind a paywall at Cooks Illustrated.
So I would look at 3-4 quart Kitchenaid or Cuisinart. More expensive is the All-clad. I have had their pots for years with good results but they are generally not included in the roundups due to price.
Remember when you are shopping, You want a timmer, digital control. You will have it for yeqrs so don't skimp too much.
Dan
Leslie says
Thanks so much for the advice on small slow cookers but due to your answer, I have another question...I’ve read that slow cookers must be at least half full to operate as the manufacturer intended. If this is true, it doesn’t make sense for me to even use this cooking method for small amounts. And please don’t suggest I freeze leftovers...I have a freezer full now and I’m not crazy about them. I find cooking for one difficult when preparing soups, stews, casseroles, etc.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
The 50% has been around some but is wrong. The best results are between 25% and 66%. I stretch that some and will go up to 75% on the high end. On the low end, underfilled will cook faster but still can be used. Decide on the endpoint of your cooking (say chicken at 165 degrees or tender potatoes) and check a few times like at half and 3/4 time. Also, if underfilled, don't use high.
Dan
Kathleen says
Dr. Dan, you are my " go to guy" for alot of my meals. The pork tenderloin with potatoes and carrots, the crock pot ribs, baked chicken thighs - - delicious! And my husband agrees! Thank you!
Pat Thompson says
I've been making this for decades. Originally saw the recipe as a winner of a contest. It was called Sedona Spinach Salad. It is delicious.
anne says
I love seeing the old recipe card
Going to make this tomorrow, Looks yummy !
You always have the best recipes
I look forward to your posting them
Thank you Dr. Dan
DrDan says
Hi Anne,
I think the card is classic. You can't even read part of it due to the food stains. I still have it but now I look on the blog when I need it.
Thanks for the note
Dan
Joan says
I used to make this or a version of it some years ago. I liked the flavors, but disliked chewing the spinach leaves which, to me, have an odd texture. I wonder how the salad would do with romaine lettuce instead of the spinach?
DrDan says
Hi Joan,
Try "baby" spinach. The smaller the leaves, the more tender. You can try it with romaine. Most of the flavor does come from the other ingredients.
Thanks for the note
Dan
adriana says
Quick ?, for the dressing it asks for vinegar... is it apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or regular distilled vinegar?
Thank you,
Adriana
DrDan says
I like apple cider but white will do. By regular distilled I believe is the same thing as white.
DrDan
Martha (MM) says
Yummy! Sounds totally delicious! Thanks so much for linking this up at this month's salad round up! It's still open if you have others :-)
Christine says
No, no. He meant the only copy on a card. I pulled it out of the recipe box and the thing felt like it was going to fall apart in my hands!
Greg says
It wasn't the only copy, I had mom e-mail that to me years ago and I still have it printed out in my kitchen. But yes rescue missions are good here.