Brighten up your vacation desk with this Christmas salad! It is recent and colourful, made with juicy pomegranates, roasted squash, and winter greens.
This Christmas salad is a recent, festive addition to a vacation desk! It options ruby pink pomegranates, candied pecans, shaved pecorino, and roasted squash over a mattress of winter greens. My go-to apple cider vinegar dressing ties all of it collectively.
I make a model of this Christmas salad recipe each single 12 months. I really like the combo of tangy, candy, and bitter flavors and creamy and crunchy textures. The jeweled tones of the winter produce are so fairly too.
If you wish to add a pop of colour to your unfold of Christmas aspect dishes, this gorgeous salad is the easiest way to do it. I’m sharing my favourite variations beneath, plus make-ahead suggestions that can assist you streamline your prep. Completely satisfied holidays, mates!
The way to Make This Christmas Salad
You’ll find the whole recipe with measurements beneath, however for now, right here’s a fast overview of the way it goes!
This Christmas salad has 4 important elements:
- The roasted greens – cubed butternut squash and pink onion wedges
- The uncooked greens – kale, radicchio, and shaved Brussels sprouts
- The flavorful toppings – pomegranate seeds, candied pecans, and shaved pecorino cheese
- The dressing – this tangy apple cider French dressing
Get began by roasting the squash and onion. Unfold them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast till tender and browned, 20 to 35 minutes.
Tip: The onion wedges may be prepared earlier than the squash. If wanted, pull them off the baking sheet and hold roasting the squash till tender. Within the meantime, peel aside the onion layers.
Subsequent, make the dressing. It’s tremendous easy to whisk along with apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, mustard, and olive oil.
Then, therapeutic massage the kale with a few of the dressing to assist the kale wilt down. Add the radicchio, Brussels sprouts, and roasted squash and onions. Toss with the remaining dressing.
Lastly, add the toppings and gently toss once more. Season to style and serve!
Make-Forward Ideas
There are a couple of methods you may get forward on this salad recipe:
- Make the dressing as much as 5 days forward and retailer it within the fridge. The olive oil might solidify within the fridge. To not fear—set it out at room temperature, and it’ll soften very quickly.
- Roast the squash and onions as much as 2 days forward. Retailer them in an hermetic container within the fridge till you’re able to make the salad.
- Gown the greens as much as 1 day forward. They’re all sturdy winter veggies, so that they maintain up effectively. Retailer within the fridge till you’re able to serve, then high with the cheese, candied nuts, and pomegranates earlier than you dig in!
Christmas Salad Variations
I by no means make this salad in precisely the identical method twice. Listed here are a couple of of my favourite variations:
- Add extra fruit. Toss in sliced apples or segments from two mandarin oranges. I really like the juicy oranges and pomegranates collectively!
- Use one other dressing, like my lemon French dressing, balsamic French dressing, or this scrumptious honey mustard dressing.
- Attempt a unique cheese, like crumbled feta cheese, blue cheese, or shaved Parmesan.
- Substitute the greens. Use tender blended greens as a substitute of the radicchio, Brussels sprouts, and kale.
- Go nuts with the nuts. Use common toasted pecans as a substitute of candied ones, or toss in walnuts, almonds, pepitas, or sunflower seeds.
- You could possibly even skip the squash for a less complicated inexperienced salad. Use thinly sliced uncooked onion to skip the roasting totally.
Let me know what variations you strive!
Extra Favourite Salad Recipes
If you happen to love this vacation salad, strive one among these scrumptious salad recipes subsequent:
Christmas Salad
Serves 6
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- ½ medium pink onion, lower into skinny wedges
- Further virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
- ½ bunch curly kale, 4 to six leaves, stemmed, leaves torn
- Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
- ½ small radicchio, thinly sliced
- 6 Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup candied pecans, or toasted pecans
- â…“ cup pomegranate arils or dried cranberries
- â…“ cup shaved Parmesan or pecorino cheese
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the squash on one aspect of the baking sheet and the onion wedges on the opposite. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and unfold evenly on the baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 35 minutes, or till tender and golden brown across the edges. Take away the onions earlier than the squash if wanted. Pull aside the onion layers.
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Place the kale in a big bowl and drizzle with a few of the dressing. Use your palms to therapeutic massage the leaves till they grow to be mushy and wilted and scale back within the bowl by about half.
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Add the radicchio, Brussels sprouts, roasted squash, onions, and remaining dressing. Toss effectively, then high with the pecans, pomegranates, and cheese. Gently toss. Season to style and serve.
Vitamin information estimated for 1 serving of salad with out dressing
