Christmas Salad Recipe

Last Updated January 7th, 2022 at 10:50 pm by Lisa

A festive red and green Christmas Holiday Salad with an easy pomegranate vinaigrette Mason jar dressing, topped with gorgeous sparkling pomegranate seeds, D'Anjou pears for the little trees, spicy candied pecans, ruby red dried cranberries, and juicy raspberries.

Now, this salad says Happy Holidays...

How To Make A Christmas Salad

• 8 cups fresh spinach leaves
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• ½ cup regular pecans (or use Spicy Candied Pecans)
• ½" slices D'Anjou pears cut with small tree cookie cutter
• sliced apple

Pomegranate Dressing

• 4 tablespoons pomegranate juice store-bought or freshly squeezed pomegranate juice (see below for instructions)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 orange zested and juiced (zest first!)
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Using a small cookie cutter, cut pears lengthwise into ½ " thick large pieces, then cut out tree shapes. Keep in a little bowl with some water and a little lemon juice to keep from browning.
2. In a large salad bowl (or on individual salad plates) layer fresh spinach leaves, pecans, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, raspberries, and top with D'Anjou pear trees. Serve with dressing on the side, or toss into salad.
3. For the Pomegranate Mason jar dressing: Add all ingredients into a mason jar, close the lid and shake for one minute until combined. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Reshake to combine right before serving.

Holiday Salad Pear "Tree" Garnish

Slice the pear into ½" thick flat slices of pear, and use a small tree-shaped cookie cutter, to then cut out Christmas tree pear garnish.

Make 4-5 per salad plate.

How To Remove Seeds aka Arils

1. Cut the ½" off the top crown of the pomegranate where the stem is, and set aside.
2. Using a small knife, run the knife down the pomegranate skin along the white pith to the bottom, but not through the bottom center of the pomegranate (this keeps it held together for the next step).
3. Continue all the way around the pomegranate until cuts are made down the sides.
4. Crack open the pomegranate and remove the center white core pith.
5. Now break each piece over a bowl and pop out the seeds by running your fingers gently over the aril seeds. This does take some time, and remove be sure to remove the white pith bits that fall into your bowl.

Pomegranate Juice for Dressing

1. Place the aril seeds into a strainer that fits into a similar size bowl.
2. Press down on the pomegranate seeds with a large spoon, letting the juice drain into a bowl.
3.  Store in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days in a Mason jar.

Pomegranates: Seed, Juice, and Recipe Ideas

Get Pomegranate Seeds out the easy way. Learn the simple trick to open, seed, and juice pomegranate arils in step-by-step instructions.

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More Christmas Salads

Shape this Christmas Tree Salad and decorate it with "garland, ornaments, and snow". So fun, everyone loves it!

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And for a colorful classic, serve a jewel-colored Broccoli Salad. Serve a simple elegant Wedge Salad with steaks like filet mignon or beef tenderloin.

Or for a crowd, make a classic 7 Layer Salad. It's always a crowd-pleaser, and so pretty in a trifle bowl. 

Salad Dressings, Vinagrettes & Croutons

Top your festive salads with a drizzle of Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette or Ranch Dressing. Bake some cheesy parmesan Croutons and get my hack to make these fast with a baguette. Shake up some Parmesan Lemon Vinaigrette for holiday sparkle on your salads...

Print Pin Recipe

Holiday Christmas Salad With Pomegranate Dressing

Easy and festive Christmas Salad with an easy pomegranate mason jar dressing sprinkled with spicy candied pecans, pear slices as the trees, dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, and raspberries!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 193kcal

Author Lisa Hatfield

Ingredients

Christmas Salad

• 8 cups fresh spinach leaves
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• ½ cup pecans or make Spicy Candied Pecans
• ½" slices D'Anjou pears cut with small tree cookie cutter

Pomegranate Dressing

• 4 tablespoons pomegranate juice store bought or fresh squeezed pomegranate juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 orange zested and juiced (zest first!)
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make Pomegranate Dressing

• To a mason jar, add the pomegranate juice, apple cider vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, Dijon mustard,  olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt.
• Close the lid and shake for one minute until combined. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Reshake to combine right before serving. (You can also whisk all the ingredients in a bowl).

Assemble the Holiday Salad

• Using a small cookie cutter, cut pears lengthwise into ½ " thick large pieces, then cut out tree shapes. Keep in a little bowl with some water and a little lemon juice to keep from browning.
• In a large salad bowl (or on individual salad plates) layer fresh spinach leaves, candied or regular pecans, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, raspberries, and top with D'Anjou pear trees. Serve with dressing on the side, or toss into salad.

Notes

Make The Pear "Tree" Garnish

Slice ½" flat slices of pear, and use a small tree-shaped cookie cutter, to then cut out Christmas tree pear garnish. Make 4-5 per salad plate.

To Seed (Arils) A Pomegranate

1. Cut the ½" off the top crown of the pomegranate where the stem is, and set aside.
2. Using a small knife, run the knife down the pomegranate skin along the white pith to the bottom, but not through the bottom center of the pomegranate (this keeps it held together for the next step).
3. Continue all the way around the pomegranate until cuts are made down the sides.
4. Crack open the pomegranate and remove the center white core pith.
5. Now break each piece over a bowl and pop out the seeds by running your fingers gently over the aril seeds. This does take some time, and remove be sure to remove the white pith bits that fall into your bowl.
6. Enjoy your pomegranate seeds!

Hidden Rose Apples

Try some pretty pink-colored apples like Hidden Rose and slice them for the salad, or even cut your little trees out of them, so festive and beautiful.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 277mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2860IU | Vitamin C: 24.4mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1.5mg

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