Easy Marinated Spinach Salad is the most delicious spinach salad! It’s made with marinated mushrooms & onions that are then used as both the toppings and the dressing. It also has cottage cheese, mozzerella cheese, bacon bits, and candied pecans! This really is the best spinach salad ever!
Marinated Spinach Salad
The cool thing about the recipe is that the marinade you prepare and let sit overnight, actually becomes the dressing for the salad!
We start by marinating some mushrooms and red onions in a vinegar base (recipe below) and store in an airtight container overnight.
Then, when you are ready to serve, you simply pour the marinade and the mushrooms and onions, which are now soft and flavorful, over the spinach and lettuce and toss to serve!
This recipe requires a bit of prep work, but other than that, it really is so easy to prepare!
What You’ll Need for This Salad
vegetable oil
granulated sugar
red wine vinegar
poppy seeds
onion salt
black pepper
fresh sliced mushrooms
red onion, sliced thin
fresh spinach
iceberg or romaine lettuce
cottage cheese
shredded mozzarella
Optional: bacon bits
Optional: candied pecans
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with @TheAlexDaynes on Instagram! I love to see what you’ve been cooking. It always makes my day!
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Easy Marinated Spinach Salad
Seriously, this is our favorite spinach salad ever! It's so easy to prepare, and everybody loves it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon onion salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- 8 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups iceberg or romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Optional: 1/3 cup bacon bits
- Optional: 2/3 cup candied pecans
Instructions
- Combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, poppy seeds, onion salt, and pepper in a large, covered bowl.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and red onion to the mix. Stir and coat well. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, in a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, lettuce, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and optional toppings.
- Top with the marinade and mix well. The marinade becomes the dressing for the salad. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
*You can use mozzarella or swiss cheese
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 438Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 529mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 10g