This hearty and earthy Warm Mushroom Ham Salad with caramelized sweet onions, juicy spinach, parmesan, and toasted pine nuts, is a delicious, filling, yet not overly heavy meal.
Hello, everyone. Great news – summer is finally here in Nova Scotia. The upsetting news is that we didn’t see any spring. Last week it was barely like 10 degrees above O (Celsius), and the trees and flowerers had just started to bloom. This week is like 25 degrees (Celsius) and everything is green! It’s the salad season! (We enjoy salads all year round, but the options for fruit and veggies are so much better in summer, right?)
Wait. You might be confused now. Warm salad in summer? Well, first of all, I made it in April (during the Easter weekend). Secondly, it’s not technically summer yet. And lastly, I don’t know what about your area, but summer could be very different in Nova Scotia, with mild temperatures and lots of precipitations. For instance, they promise (I hope they lie this time, as always) the entire next week being rainy and around 12 degrees (Remember: it’s been over 25 this week). I think that’s the perfect situation you might crave for something warm and hearty.
This Warm Mushroom Ham Salad would be an excellent choice! The sweet red onions cooked with mushrooms and aromatic rosemary, until caramelized and browned, then combined with (cooked) ham, just to warm through. This beautiful combo is served with spinach, shaves parmesan, and toasted pine nuts. Perfection for some cold weather or any other situation!
So please go ahead and make this Warm Mushroom Ham Salad.
Cheers and see you next week (Obviously, with more dulce de leche recipes haha.)
Ingredients
- about 1 pound of mushrooms, cleaned (avoid washing and soaking them), sliced
- 1 cup cooked lean ham (preferably low-sodium), cubed
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 large red or white onion, sliced
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/4 chilly flakes
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
- parmesan
Instructions
- Place the mushrooms into a dry (no oil) pan (a wok is perfect) and let them cook over medium-high heat, to release the liquid and dry out.
- Reduce heat. Add the olive oil, butter, and onions along with the rosemary and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ham and let it lightly caramelized, for 5 minutes. Off heat.
- Divide the spinach between plates. Place the warm mushrooms and ham on top and sprinkle with the parmesan and pine nuts.
- It doesn’t need any dressing to my liking; however, you can drizzle a bit with olive oil or balsamic / lemon juice.
- Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
You are the Salad King, Ben! You always come up with the most amazing combinations of flavors. I love salad anytime of the year, but it is easier to find fresh ingredients in the summer. Our weather is similar to yours. Freezing cold, then sweltering hot the next week. Crazy!
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I absolutely eat salads year round – even on a cold day! I’m happy to hear your weather has gotten better, we keep flip-flopping between freezing cold and very warm!! Looks like a super tasty salad!
Salads are a year-round thing for me too! This one sounds delicious; I love anything with mushrooms! And I can’t wait for more dulce de leche recipes. They always make me hungry!
Love an easy-to-make tasty salad, Ben! Glad your weather has improved but sorry you missed a beautiful spring!