Christmas Holiday Salad Recipe
Present a gorgeous, festive, red and green Christmas Holiday Salad with an easy pomegranate vinaigrette dressing topped with 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...
Servings: 8
Calories: 193kcal
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
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
- Cut the ½" off the top crown of the pomegranate where the stem is, and set aside.
- 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).
- Continue all the way around the pomegranate until cuts are made down the sides.
- Crack open the pomegranate and remove the center white core pith.
- 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.
- 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.Christmas Holiday Salad Variations & Swaps
- Mixed Greens: Use baby mixed greens, spring greens, baby kale, Iceberg lettuce, or Romaine lettuce.
- Vegetable Salad Options: Swap the fresh spinach for a shaved brussels sprouts salad, massaged kale salad, roasted beets, or avocados, or make broccoli or cauliflower salad.
- Add Cheeses: For more flavor and complexity. Try blue cheese, goat cheese, crumbled feta cheese, or parmesan cheese.
- Pickled Veggies: Add Pickled Red Onions for a bright pop of bright pink color or a few Pickled Green Beans.
- Dressing: Swap in some champagne vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar.
- Christmas Shapes: Instead of serving in a bowl, shape into a Christmas wreath or Christmas tree shape on a tray or board! Take a look at my Christmas Tree Recipe for more ideas.
- Sprinkle On Some Nuts: Try pistachios, walnuts, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, or Candied Pecans.
- Use Fruit Slices: apple slices, grapes, citrus fruit like orange or grapefruit sections, or mandarine oranges would be beautiful and taste great.
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