Quick and Easy Christmas Salad

This quick and easy Christmas Salad made with fresh ingredients and a simple salad dressing is a perfect addition to any holiday meal!

It's that time of year for everything red and green! Thankfully, fresh vegetables have so much color that they dress up your holiday table - they can even be displayed as a center piece. 🎄

Whether you are trying to figure out what to serve with your Christmas ham, pork or beef tenderloin on Christmas eve, or what to bring to your Christmas dinner with extended family, remember to keep things simple.

Afterall, there's enough stress from all of the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas day. Planning your holiday menu should be the least of your concerns. 😅

That's why I created this delicious and festive holiday salad that can be served in a large salad bowl or in the shape of a Christmas wreath! I can't wait for you to make it this holiday season!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy Salad Recipe Once you layer the salad ingredients, just whisk the simple dressing together and drizzle it on. No cooking required!
• Simple Ingredients This red and green salad is made with simple ingredients like salad greens, fresh pear, pecans, pomegranate seeds, and a simple vinaigrette.
• Kid-Approved If your kids are adventurous eaters, they'll love this fresh salad as much as you. The tangy flavors of pomegranate and the vinaigrette are balanced out by fresh pear and feta cheese. And, just like my holiday fruit salad recipe, this is made without mandarin oranges.

Dietitian Tip

I recommend including at least one salad when planning your holiday menu. It's an easy way to add fresh vegetables and fruit to your holiday table.

Even if your kids don't eat any of it, you'll be creating an opportunity for them to be exposed to new foods.

Ingredient Notes

Salad Ingredients

• Salad Greens Use baby spinach, spring mix, or a combination of both. Arugula would also be nice.
• Pear Adds perfect texture and flavor to this holiday salad.
• Pomegranate Arils Also known as pomegranate seeds. They can be found in the produce section of the grocery store (Wonderful Pomegranates is a common brand). They add wonderful color, texture, and flavor to this recipe. Pomegranates have several health benefits from antioxidants, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and other components that give it anti-inflammatory properties and more.
• Toasted Pecans I like to use unsalted dry toasted pecan pieces from Trader Joe's.
• Feta Cheese Can use goat cheese, cheddar cheese, or blue cheese crumbles instead, depending on your personal preference.

Salad Dressing Ingredients

• Apple Cider and Champagne Vinegar I've made this salad recipe using various vinaigrettes using champagne vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar. Using a combination of apple cider and champagne vinegar to make an apple cider vinaigrette is my favorite salad dressing for this Christmas salad recipe.
• Olive Oil Use extra virgin olive oil.
• Pumpkin Puree Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I'm sure it sounds strange, but pumpkin puree replaces some of the oil in the salad dressing recipe.
• Malpe Syrup To balance out the acidity from the vinegar.
• Dijon Mustard A small amount is added for flavor.

Christmas Salad Variations

This Christmas salad is absolutely delicious as it is. Still, I kept the main salad ingredients simple because not everyone loves a super hearty salad. Here are few additions and substitutions that will help personalize this holiday salad.

• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Use a food processor or a good 'ol cheese grater to safely shred a few brussels sprouts to make a heartier salad.
• Cherry Tomatoes Sliced in half. These will make the salad look even more festive.
• Craisins Sweetened dried cranberries add delicious flavor and color to salads.
• Red Onion If you like onion on salads, slice red onion into very thin slices instead of chopping it. This way guests who don't like onion can easily scoot them to the side of their plate.
• Hemp Hearts I like to add a sprinkle of hemp hearts to salads for more protein, fiber, and omega-3 fats.
• Pistachios Use roasted pistachios instead of toasted pecans.
• Cheese Feel free to change up the type of cheese you use when making this recipe. Goat cheese is not as salty as feta cheese, so you may want to add a little more salt to the dressing if you use goat cheese instead.
• Farro Inspired by the Seasonal Market Salad at True Food Kitchen, adding a small amount of farro will add texture to this incredible salad recipe. It also makes it heartier and adds even more nutrients.
• Protein Add slices of hard-boiled egg, shredded chicken, pieces of roasted chicken, or a scoop of chicken salad to turn this Christmas salad into a main meal.

How to Make this Christmas Salad Recipe

Here is a summary of how to make this Christmas salad recipe. For the complete list of ingredients and detailed instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Place a small bowl in the center of a large serving bowl. Spread salad greens evenly around the small bowl to form a Christmas wreath. Top salad greens with slices of fresh pear, toasted pecan pieces, feta cheese, and pomegranate seeds.
2. Make the dressing: Whisk all of the liquid ingredients together in a small bowl or jar with a tight lid.
3. Pour the salad dressing into the small bowl in the center.
4. When ready to serve, either pour the dressing on the salad and toss everything together or serve it as is and allow your guests to add the dressing themselves.

Helpful Tips

• The salad dressing can be made ahead of time, stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. Just be sure to whisk it together again right before serving.
• Wait until just before serving to add the dressing and toss all ingredients together. If this is done too son, the salad greens will get soggy, and you'll ruin the beautiful presentation.
• This is a tangy vinaigrette dressing made on the sweeter side. If you really like mustard in dressings, you can use up to 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. If you don't love mustard, keep it to one-and-a-half teaspoons or less.
• If you don't have pumpkin puree, leave it out and add another one to one-and-half tablespoons of additional olive oil.
• Toasted pecan pieces can be found at Trader Joe's. If you have raw pecans, toast them for a few minutes on a skillet over medium heat. Let them cool and then break them into pieces.
• I was conservative in the amounts of toasted pecans and pomegranate seeds added. This is because not everyone likes them in salads.
• Once tossed together with dressing, the pear, pomegranate seeds, and pecan pieces will concentrate on the bottom of the serving bowl.
• Feel free to serve extra pecan pieces and pomegranate seeds on the side for guests to add according to their preference.

Related Recipes

• Caesar Salad
• Asparagus Strawberry Salad
• Tuscan Kale Salad
• Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

More Holiday Recipes

Did you make this beautiful Christmas salad recipe and love it as much as I do? Please let me know by leaving a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!

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