Sometimes simple is just the best and this simple spinach salad with mushrooms is no exception. This spinach and mushroom salad has very few ingredients (spinach, mushrooms, dijon mustard and lemon), but they all work so well together. This easy spinach salad makes the perfect side to so many meals or as a base to add your favorite toppings. We love serving this alongside cheesy polenta , veggie meat sauce or garlic and olive oil pasta for a quick complete meal.
About this Spinach and Mushroom Salad
This spinach and mushroom salad is as easy as it gets. It really makes the perfect side salad to any meal.
With store bought bagged baby spinach and pre-sliced mushrooms, this easy spinach salad is going to be mostly just assembling.
To me, spinach and mushrooms are a perfect match which is why I love this salad so much. The mushrooms in this recipe are soaked for a short bit in lemon water to take that raw flavor away and the dijon dressing just really brings it all together.
This mushroom salad not only makes a great side dish but a great base to your favorite proteins. I have listed out some of my favorite additions to this spinach salad below.
If you are still not sure if you should make this, just know that I am not a huge fan of salads because I find they can be a bit boring. I will usually gravitate to salad recipes like my chopped kale salad, roasted radicchio salad , chickpea salad or my kale and Parmesan salad that are not as traditional and not boring.
This spinach salad is actually one I really like despite its simplistic ingredients.
Spinach Salad Ingredients
- Baby spinach (washed).
- Button mushrooms
- Lemon
- Water
- Dijon
- Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
These are all very easy ingredients. I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand and will just need to pick up the veggies from the store.
How to make this easy spinach salad
- Soak mushrooms in water and lemon.
- Make dressing.
- Add Spinach to a large bowl.
- Drain and add mushrooms
- Toss with dressing and enjoy!
Soaking mushrooms
This spinach and mushroom salad is a classic Italian way to make a spinach salad. My favorite part about this spinach salad is the soaking of the mushrooms in lemon water to soften them up and take away that raw flavor.
The mushrooms almost cook a little bit in the lemon water. You only need about five minutes to soak them making this a great quick side salad to add to so many meals. If you ever wondered how to get that raw flavor out of mushrooms, this is it.
This really makes all the difference in the World so don't skip this step.
The Dressing
This easy spinach salad has a really simple dijon dressing and it really compliments the spinach and mushrooms. I think this is the best dressing for spinach salad.
You only need a little dijon, olive oil and lemon to make this.
This dressing is so good on so many things. I even use this same combination of flavors as a marinade for my dijon steak skewers.
If you want a slightly more robust dressing, I like to sometimes use my kale salad dressing which goes so well with the spinach.
This easy Italian salad makes the perfect side to so many dishes. It can also be made as a light lunch or a quick iron boosting salad to increase energy.
I will often make this salad and my iron boosting green juice when I am feeling sluggish.
Salad toppings
Now I do love this salad as is but it also makes a really delicious base salad that you can add so many great things to if you want to make this into a meal. Here are my favorite ways to do that.
- Grilled chicken. I love making my Mediterranean chicken kabobs , blackened chicken or lemon butter chicken to go with this salad. Adding chicken to this spinach salad is so good. You can season the chicken anyway you prefer for this one and it will be amazing. Just slice up the chicken after it is done cooking and add it over the top of the salad.
- Steak. A perfect grilled T-bone steak is a great match for this salad. I love dijon and steak and this spinach salad with it's dijon dressing is a perfect match for steak. Just slice up the steak thin after cooking and place right o top of the salad. This combo is also a really big powerhouse of iron!
- Fruit. Adding sliced fruit like pears or apples is really delicious with this salad. The sweet fro the fruit and the tangy flavor from the dijon are great together.
- Nuts and cheese. Walnuts, pecans or any nut always makes a great addition to this salad. If you want to be more decadent, adding crumbled blue cheese with (or without) the nuts would be amazing.
More ideas of what to serve with this simple spinach salad
- Dijon Steak skewers. This is the dish I mentioned earlier in the post that uses the same combination of flavors in the marinade (dijon, lemon and olive oil).
- Broken Noodles with Sausage
- Chicken Tarragon
- Baked Greek Chicken
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (spaghetti with garlic and olive oil)
- Beef Brisket
- Italian Meatballs
- French Beef Stew
- Dutch Oven Beef Stew
This spinach salad will take only 5 minutes to prepare and will definitely be a hit with everyone!
Spinach and Mushroom Salad
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
- 1 bag of pre-washed baby spinach about 8 ounces or 5 big handfuls
- 2 small lemons
- 1 tablespoon dijon
- 1 small container of white mushrooms (cleaned) about 5 ounces
- 4 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a medium bowl with 3 cups of water and squeeze 1 lemon into the water.
- Slice your mushrooms and add them into the lemon water bowl and lightly mix and set aside.
- In a large salad bowl, add your olive oil, dijon, salt and juice of 1 lemon and pepper to taste then whisk until it all comes together.
- Drain your mushrooms and add them to the bowl along with your baby spinach.
- Toss the dressing and your salad together and serve immediately
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Billie says
So simple but the step where you marinate the mushrooms in lemon juice really makes this salad