Spinach Salad With Feta Dressing

This easy spinach salad recipe has range: It is elegant enough for a dinner party, will impress at a potluck, and makes for a quick and satisfying midweek lunch—especially if you give it main dish energy by adding chickpeas, or sliced hard-boiled eggs. If frying sounds fussy, you can make crispy bacon in the oven. (You could also swap in turkey bacon for the pork or substitute sliced and sautéed mushrooms for a vegetarian riff.)

The creamy feta dressing comes together quickly in a food processor or blender and ups the ante of the simple salad ingredients, but if you prefer a Parmesan-balsamic vinaigrette, that would be just as delicious here. If you’re serving this as a side dish at Thanksgiving, you could take some liberties to fit it in with the rest of your menu: Substitute maple syrup for the honey to give it more autumnal flavor, sprinkle in some poppy seeds or toasted pecans for color, or add in pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries along with the dates.

Be sure to rinse your sliced red onions to remove their sulfuric bite—or even trade them for sweeter shallots. And while you’re at it, feel free to play with the greens. Add peppery arugula or tender baby kale in addition to or instead of the spinach for a heartier bowl. Serve the spinach salad immediately after you assemble it, ideally with a hunk of crusty bread on the side to sop up any extra dressing.