The Perfect Spinach Salad

My dear friend Allison’s mom, Joan, made this salad for Allison and I in high school. To this day, 15 plus years later (woah) I dream about this salad. I could eat it every day. I never thought a spinach salad could be one of my favorite meals but it’s just that good.

So, Megan hosted us for a Lou Malnati’s Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza night this past weekend and I told her I would bring a salad. I walked in her door with this salad and Megan said “oh my gosh yes – is that THE spinach salad?”. This salad has a reputation and I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love it. Here is what you’ll need:

Spinach Salad with Proscuitto Dressing aka “Joan’s Salad”

Dressing Ingredients

• 6 tbls olive oil
• 1/4 cup prosciutto ham, trimmed of fat and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tbls dry white wine
• 6 tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice

Salad Ingredients

• 10 oz bag of baby spinach, stemmed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted hazelnuts or glazed pecans
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 8-10 sliced white mushrooms (optional)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in heavy skillet over medium low heat.
2. Add prosciutto and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes (be careful not to burn the garlic).
3. Add wine and lemon juice and simmer on low for 4 to 5 minutes (be careful not to simmer away too much of the liquid).
4. Set aside to cool.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Combine spinach, walnuts, cheese, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat.

We don’t usually eat Deep Dish Pizza but Megan has a client who sends these to her every year. It was nice to mix it up and do something a little different – a fun idea to send someone as a gift around the holidays!

Megan and Ryan also came across this article and decided we should try the Squirtarita along with our deep dish pizza and spinach salad. As margaritas go, it doesn’t get much simpler than the Squirtarita. It doesn’t require the juicing of any limes and all you need is Squirt and Tequila! They are definitely sweeter than our usual go to White Claw Skinny Margarita but still delicious!

With Joan’s perfect salad, deep dish pizza, and a quarantine cocktail, it was just about as good as a quarantine evening can get. Let us know if you try any of these tasty ideas.