Warm spinach salad, hold the bacon — but not the big, smoky flavor

Warm Spinach Salad With Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. (Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post)

A warm dressing poured over tender, fresh spinach so it yields just the right amount of rawness always wins me over, but especially so as the weather cools and I look toward dishes with a real comfort-food appeal.

This salad hits the spot with a bold dressing that has big umami flavor and meaty texture, thanks to mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Plus, it has a heady smokiness from Spanish smoked paprika. The flavor combination matches the taste experience that bacon typically provides in such recipes, but in a much more healthful way.

One key to the dressing is to use sun-dried tomatoes that are dry- rather than oil-packed. They are rehydrated in hot water, and you use that soaking liquid, which takes on a deep tomato-y flavor, in the dressing as well, along with extra-virgin olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar.

Those ingredients meet in a skillet where the mushrooms have been thoroughly browned and tossed with garlic and the paprika. Once the dressing is warmed through, it is poured over a mix of baby spinach leaves and thinly sliced red onion, then tossed so the greens and onions surrender a bit. The result is a big-flavored salad that’s hearty enough for an evening meal.

Krieger's most recent cookbook is "Weeknight Wonders: Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.

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Warm Spinach Salad With Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

4 servings

This comfort-food salad’s bold dressing has big umami flavor and meaty texture, thanks to mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, plus a heady smokiness from Spanish smoked paprika. Together they match the taste experience that bacon typically provides, but in a much more healthful way.

One key to the dressing is to use sun-dried tomatoes that are dry rather than oil-packed. Rehydrate them in hot water; you use not only the tomatoes, but also the flavorful soaking liquid.

From nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger.

INgredients

4 medium sun-dried tomatoes, not oil-packed (¹/₂ ounce)

¹/₂ cup boiling water

8 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 8 cups lightly packed)

¹/₂ small red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces mixed mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton)

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

¹/₄ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

¹/₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps

Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water over them, then allow them to soak and rehydrate for 15 minutes. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid, then thinly slice the sun-dried tomatoes.

Toss the spinach and red onion together in a large bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms and stir to coat; cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their moisture has evaporated and they are well browned. Stir in the rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, the garlic and smoked paprika; cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the reserved sun-dried tomato soaking liquid, the vinegar, salt and pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.

Pour the warm mushroom mixture over the spinach and onion in the bowl; toss well until the spinach is well coated and slightly wilted. Taste, and add salt as needed.

Serve right away.

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