Layered Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Once a month all of us DC area family meet together (all 25 of us ) for a meal. Since my two sisters-in-law are way better cooks than I am, it keeps me challenged finding something "worthy" to share with these culinary whizes! This salad was a beauty to look at with its rich colorful layers and was good and hearty too. Next time I make it, I'll make a creamy dressing in addition to the vinaigrette since the kids tend to prefer the creamy ones (and me too).

Click here for Printable Recipe.

The ingredients:

SALAD:

1 bag spinach

1 bunch red leaf lettuce

3/4 lb. Swiss cheese, grated

1 pkg. mushrooms

1 cup cottage cheese

2 tomatoes, diced

1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

DRESSING (this makes enough for 2 salads):

3/4 cup white vinegar

1-1/2 Tbs. minced onion

1-1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups oil

1-1/2 Tbs. poppy seeds

For dressing, combine all ingredients and mix together in blender. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

For salad, finely chop spinach and red leaf lettuce and combine as the first layer of the salad in a clear trifle bowl (or other glass bowl). Add the chopped tomatoes as the next layer, then the sliced mushrooms, shredded cheese, then crumbled bacon on top. At this point, salad can be covered and refrigerated before serving. Just before serving mound the cottage cheese to the center of the top layer of the salad.

You can pour the dressing on individual servings (which is how I prefer it since I'm not really a big vinaigrette fan) or you can pour it over the salad (after everyone's had sufficient time to admire its beauty) and then mix it all together.

Enjoy!