This spinach salad is one of my favorite family recipes. Fresh greens, mushrooms, warm crumbled bacon, cottage cheese and Swiss cheese come together for a flavorful and unique salad that’s sure to impress! The poppyseed dressing is the perfect sweet addition to make this a crowd favorite.
 
This salad is DEAR to my heart. It accompanied us to every pot luck, family party or special event I can remember. It was a staple at family dinner too. I’ve put off sharing it on the blog because I can never seem to take a decent picture to share with you guys.
The photos just can’t do justice what an awesome, unique and delicious salad this is! It’s definitely in my top 3 favorites salads to serve with dinner.
The combination of mushrooms, Swiss cheese, bacon and cottage cheese is unique and delicious. The homemade dressing is easy and uses simple ingredients you probably already have.
This is also a great salad to prepare in advance. The dressing can be made and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I then place the other ingredients in individual ziplock bags, in the fridge, and toss everything together right before serving.
Consider trying these popular salad recipes:
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Healthy Chicken Pasta Salad
- Creamy Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
- Waldorf Salad
- Thai Quinoa Salad
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Recipe
Mushroom Bacon Swiss Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 2 cups leafy green lettuce , chopped romaine or red leaf
- 8 ounces button mushrooms , sliced
- 1/2 cup Swiss cheese , grated
- 5 slices bacon , cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese , rinsed, and drained well
- 1/4 cup red onion , thinly sliced
For the poppyseed dressing:
- 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar , or tarragon vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons red onions , chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
For the dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients, to taste: more vinegar if you want it tangier, more sugar if you'd like it sweeter.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before serving on salad.
- Add the spinach and lettuce to a large salad bowl. Top with remaining salad ingredients and toss lightly to combine.
- Drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Do you think you could use avocado oil for the dressing instead of vegetable oil?
Yes, yum!
So I had most of the ingredients and thought why not. For the salad, I had no regular lettuce (only spinach) and I substituted fresh parmesan for the cottage cheese and swiss cheese. For the dressing I used a mix of aged balsamic and strawberry balsamic instead of red wine vinegar. And I added some crispy shallots as I’m loving those lately. I served this as the side to your Instant Pot Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya to my partner and his mid 20’s son. They liked them both but both voted the salad as the “clear winner” (their words). That is how good and easy this salad is. We all cleaned our plates. I will definitely make it again and try it your way. On to the next one. (Christmas Salmon and Crispy Brussel sprouts next).
Sincere thanks as I continue my Quarantine Homemaking journey.
Silly question but I’ve never rinsed cottage cheese before. Do you just dump it in a strainer and run it under water? Seems like it would go mushy. Is there a brand of cottage cheese you like?
Yes, that’s exactly what you do! You’ll just be left with the “Curd’ pieces. I usually just buy whatever brand is on sale at the time :-). Enjoy!
I’ve never made a salad with cottage cheese before. This was delicious, and a definite keeper.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting!
This salad is delicious!
Fun, yummy salad!