Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta is an amazingly delicious side dish salad for everyone who loves bacon and feta! And this tasty salad is nutritious, quick and easy to make, and low in carbs.

PIN Spinach Salad with Bacon to make it later!

I think spinach salad is a wonderful thing, and of course spinach salad with bacon is especially good. Not only does this combination taste fantastic, but leafy green vegetables like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food. And this Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta has the wonderful combination of bacon + Feta cheese to make it especially delicious and it’s super low in carbs.

Years ago I made this salad for a dinner with my niece, her husband, and a friend and since then this has been one of my favorite salads to make for guests. But when I made it recently for a party at my sister Pam’s house, everyone went so crazy over the salad that I decided this recipe really needed a photo update. And when we updated the recipe we did use a bit more spinach, more bacon, and more Feta than the original recipe called for, but you are always free to use less if you prefer.

I love a spinach salad like this as a side dish salad for dinner, but I also love the idea of a big salad with leafy greens for lunch. And I think this recipe is also special enough for a side dish salad for holiday meal; enjoy!

What ingredients do you need?

  • spinach
  • bacon
  • extra virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link) or use all bacon grease, whichever you prefer
  • Balsamic Vinegar (affiliate link)
  • Minced Garlic (affiliate link) or crushed fresh garlic
  • Feta cheese

Why is spinach salad with bacon and Feta a favorite for me?

Spinach is such a healthy salad green and when you buy the pre-washed baby spinach there is literally no preparation for the greens! And of course I love bacon and my love for Feta Cheese is pretty well documented on the blog. I think those two favorites are a perfect combination in this salad.

What if you don’t like Feta Cheese?

If you’re not a fan of the tangy flavor of Feta cheese, you can use any crumbly white cheese like Cotija or Queso Fresco or just use grated Mozzarella if that’s what you have! Or use more bacon and make this a Spinach Salad with Bacon without any cheese if you prefer!

Love eating your Leafy Greens?

Use the index page for Leafy Greens to see all the recipes using spinach, kale, Swiss Chard, lettuce, Spring Mix Greens, collards, Power Greens, and more!

How to Make Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe including nutritional information.)

  1. Cut bacon into strips and cook until crisp.
  2. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towel.
  3. Crumble Feta cheese.
  4. I used 8 ounces of organic baby spinach but you could increase the amount of spinach if you prefer.
  5. Combine 2 T bacon grease from the pan (or olive oil, whichever you prefer), balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.
  6. Remove additional bacon grease from pan, and wipe out pan if needed, or if you want to use olive oil.
  7. Add dressing and heat.
  8. Then toss the spinach with the hot dressing.
  9. Toss salad again with crumbled bacon and Feta, saving a bit of bacon and Feta for the top. 
  10. Put salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle reserved bacon and Feta over. Serve right away.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta would be great with Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce, Very Greek Grilled Chicken, Air Fryer Fish Sticks, Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Breasts, or Paprika Chicken for a low-carb meal.

More Spinach Salads You May Like:

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Spinach Salad with Chicken

Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. baby spinach
  • 6 strips bacon
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil or bacon grease, whichever you prefer
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

Instructions

  1. Cut bacon into thick short strips and cook in a frying pan, until the fat bubbles up and bacon is crisp.
  2. Lift out bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the extra bacon fat.
  3. Crumble Feta cheese and set aside.
  4. I used 8 ounces of organic baby spinach to make this side-dish salad for four people but you could increase the amount of spinach even more if you prefer more greens.
  5. Combine 2 T bacon grease from the pan (or olive oil, whichever you prefer), balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.
  6. Remove any additional bacon grease from the pan, and wipe out the pan if needed, or if you want to use olive oil.
  7. Then add dressing and heat for a minute or so, until it’s bubbling hot.
  8. Then toss the spinach with the hot dressing.
  9. Toss the salad again with the crumbled bacon and Feta Cheese, saving a bit of bacon and Feta for the top. 
  10. Put the salad in a serving bowl and sprinkle the reserved bacon and Feta over. Serve right away.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 220Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 511mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta would be perfect for low-carb or Keto eating plans, which would prefer using bacon grease in the dressing. I hope the bacon police won’t come after me if I say that with a moderate amount of bacon I would happily eat this Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. But if you’re a South Beach Diet follower who feels strongly about avoiding bacon, I advise substituting Canadian Bacon or turkey bacon in this salad, crisping it a bit in the olive oil.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This favorite salad idea was first posted in 2007! The recipe was last updated with greatly improved photos and more information in 2022.

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Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame

I love summer salads like this Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame that has an amazing cumin-lime vinaigrette! And did you know that edamame is low in net carbs and high in protein!

PIN Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame to try it later!

This tasty Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame is something I’d love to make over and over in the summer when fresh tomatoes are so good. And both edamame and avocado are healthy foods that always feel like a treat!

I first made this recipe years ago when frozen edamame was only available in the shell, at least at the stores where I shopped. But now I can get shelled edamame at Kroger near me, and they make it much easier to get this on the table. And recently I came across this recipe back in the archives and got inspired to make it again, and I think the new photos really show off the deliciousness of this combination!

If you’ve enjoyed edamame as an appetizer in a sushi restaurant, I bet you’ll enjoy them in this salad. And if you’re lucky enough to have fresh garden tomatoes, that will only make the salad better!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What is Edamame?

Edamame is the name for immature soybeans that are shelled out of the pod and then eaten, and they’re a favorite appetizer with Asian food. You can probably find shelled edamame, which I do highly recommend, and they are often sold frozen, near the frozen vegetables.

Is Edamame high in carbs?

Edamame does have some carbs, but it’s also very high in fiber. One cup of shelled edamame has about 13.8 carbs, but 8 grams of fiber, and edamame is also high in protein. Check out the nutritional information for edamame and you might be surprised.

How to store avocado so it stays good longer:

I used to look longingly at those big bags of avocados at Costco but never buy them because I couldn’t use that many avocados before they went bad. Then I learned that once avocados are ripe, if you keep them in the fridge they last for days and days without getting any softer. I wish I remembered who told me about this, because that bit of avocado storage information has changed my life.

How to Make Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Dice the avocados, put in a bowl, then add fresh lime juice and stir until avocado pieces are all coated with lime.
  2. Drain thawed edamame into a colander placed in the sink. Pat dry with paper towels if needed.
  3. I took a photo of the edamame in a measuring cup to show you that a 12 oz. bag of frozen shelled edamame made almost exactly two cups of shelled edamame.
  4. Cut tomatoes in half so you have 2 cups of tomatoes.
  5. Slice green onions, more or less to taste.
  6. For an easy dressing I whisked together lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, Spike Seasoning, and Vege-Sal (links are affiliate links).
  7. I love this dressing with lots of lime, but taste after you mix the dressing and see if you want to add a bit more olive oil.
  8. Mix together tomato and edamame and toss with the dressing. (You might not need all the dressing.)
  9. Then mix in avocado.
  10. Serve salad right away.
  11. This was surprisingly good when it had been in the fridge overnight, although I don’t think it would last more than one day.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

I would definitely eat this Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame as just a whole-meal salad for a light lunch, but it would make a geat side dish for something like Grilled Fish with Lemon and Capers, Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables, or Marinated Grilled Flank Steak.

More Salads with Avocados

If you’re an avocado fan like I am, check out 26 Amazing Salads with Avocado.

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 2 small avocados
  • 1 T fresh lime juice
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 12 oz. frozen shelled edamame (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion

Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

  • 4 T fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal (or salt)
  • 3 T extra-virgin olive oil (more or less to taste)

Instructions

  1. Dice the avocados into a bowl, then add fresh lime juice and stir until avocado pieces are all coated with lime. (This keeps the avocado from turning brown
  2. Thaw frozen edamame overnight in the fridge, then drain into a colander placed in the sink. I would pat them dry with paper towels after they dry,
  3. Cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half until you have enough to make 2 cups of tomatoes. (Or use diced fresh garden tomatoes if you have some!
  4. Slice about 1/2 cup of green onion, more or less to taste
  5. Whisked together lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, Spike Seasoning, and Vege-Sal (or a slightly smaller amount of salt) to make the dressing.\
  6. I loved this dressing with lots of lime, but taste after you mix the dressing and see if you want to add a bit more olive oil
  7. Mix together tomato and edamame and toss with the desired amount of dressing
  8. Then gently mix in the chopped pieces of avocado
  9. Serve salad right away, although this was surprisingly still quite good when it had been in the fridge overnight.

Notes

Twelve ounces of frozen shelled edamame is about 2 cups.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 198Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 263mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 6gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Tomato Avocado Salad with Edamame is a great option for low-carb or Keto diets with only 5 net carbs per serving! All the ingredients here do have some carbs, but they’re also loaded with nutritional benefits, and edamame has lots of fiber so it’s low in net carbs. This is also good or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although it might be a bit of a splurge on fat for South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This favorite salad with tomato, avocado, and edamame was first posted in 2009, probably with a photo that would make me shudder now. The recipe was last updated in 2023, with greatly improved photos and more information.

Share This:

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.



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