This Classic Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing is a healthier update to a traditional spinach salad. The dressing adds a light, bright touch. Paleo.
When I think of a classic spinach salad, I think of tender spinach leaves crowned with crisp bacon, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and fresh white mushrooms all slathered in a creamy buttermilk-mayonnaise dressing. It’s a tasty, totally satisfying, high-calorie, high-fat meal in a bowl, but I’ve discovered something even better.
Classic spinach salad with creamy avocado dressing.
We love our classics, don’t we? Lines from old movies like The Wizard of Oz (“Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!”) and Casablanca (“Here’s looking at you, kid.”) have become part of our culture. Classic rock songs, like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Aerosmith’s Dream On, and Heart’s Crazy on You, all from the ’70’s, are still some of the most-played songs on classic rock radio stations all over the world.
But we also love remakes, and sometimes we like them just as much, or even more.
Take for example, Sarah McLachlan’s remake of Paul McCartney’s Blackbird. While it almost seems sacrilegious to say, I like her version even more. Watch it on YouTube here.
And such is the case with this classic spinach salad. With creamy avocado dressing, it delivers all our familiar favourite flavours but adds a light, bright twist to an old classic. Using fresh avocado instead of buttermilk and mayonnaise provides all the creaminess we crave, but in a healthier, dairy-free dressing. A simple remake that’s even better than the original!
Try this dairy-free avocado dressing on my Fresh Burrito Bowl, my Rainbow Detox Salad, or as a dip for fresh vegetables or tacos.
This Classic Spinach Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing is a healthier update to a traditional Spinach Salad. The dressing adds a light, bright touch. Paleo and Whole30 compliant.
- 4 cups washed spinach leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 4 strips bacon, cooked until crispy
- 2 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
- 6 - 8 Cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced thinly
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
- 1/2 large avocado
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- pinch of sea salt
- Arrange salad items in a bowl, blend avocado cream ingredients together in a food processor, drizzle on salad and serve.
Kitchen tools I used to make this recipe:
Cast iron Reversible Grill/Griddle pan (I cook bacon in the oven)
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marie says
Love the idea of avocado dressing but I am not a fan of cilantro, what could I use instead?
Flavour & Savour says
Hi Marie,
Thanks for a great question! I immediately thought of parsley as a substitute for the cilantro, but I wasn’t sure what it would taste like, so I whipped up a batch just now. I’m happy to report that I really liked it. I used flat-leaf Italian parsley and because parsley has a milder flavour than cilantro, I added a little extra lime juice and an extra pinch of salt. Success! Thanks for asking, as I know there are many people, my husband included, who have an aversion to too much cilantro.
Nene says
What would I put if the dressing is too thick, I want a bit more liquid dressing, thanks!
Flavour & Savour says
Hi Nene,
To make the dressing a little thinner, you could reduce the amount of avocado and cilantro OR you could increase the amount of olive oil, lime juice and vinegar. I hope this helps!
Angela @marathonsandmotivation.com says
I love Spinach Salad, but have not had it with Avocado Dressing. The Dressing sounds amazing & I am pinning it to make sure and try it! Have a great week!! 🙂
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks, Angela! Same to you!