Ham and turkey hold the center of the table whether you fuss over them or not. The salad is the part that actually decides whether the spread looks festive or just brown and beige.
Sixteen recipes here lean hard into red and green on purpose, and every one of them can sit, dressed or half-dressed, in the fridge while you deal with everything else.
Nuts, cheese and the odd pasta salad mean this collection carries tree nuts, dairy and gluten depending on which recipe you pick, so check the ingredient list against anyone eating at your table. None of these need the oven running at the same time as the bird, which matters more than people admit on the day itself.
If the evening also needs something to nibble before dinner gets called, the 29 Christmas Recipes Appetizers Built on Boards and Eaten Standing Up cover that part without touching the oven either.
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Table of Contents
- Pomegranate and Pear Salad with Candied Pecans
- Cranberry Spinach Salad with Feta
- Christmas Wreath Salad
- Christmas Fruit Salad
- Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Broccoli Cranberry Salad
- Kale and Citrus Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon and Pomegranate
- Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans
- Red Grape and Walnut Salad with Gorgonzola
- Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts
- Three Bean Salad with Red Peppers and Green Beans
- Cranberry Orange Congealed Salad
- Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Feta
- Strawberry Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat Cheese
- Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw with Pecans
- Frequently Asked Questions
Pomegranate and Pear Salad with Candied Pecans
This is the salad that answers the question nobody asks out loud: what goes next to the ham that isn’t another starch. Red pear against dark arugula, with pomegranate arils scattered like glass beads, looks far more expensive than the twenty minutes it actually costs.
Candied pecans take five minutes in a skillet, so skip the bakery tray and make them yourself while the oven is busy with something else. Swap the pear for a crisp apple if that’s what’s in the fruit bowl, no one will notice the difference once the goat cheese and pecans are in.
Serve it on a wide, shallow platter rather than a deep bowl, so the pear slices stay visible instead of sinking to the bottom. It sits well next to roast turkey or a glazed ham, anything rich enough to need something bright beside it.
Pomegranate and Pear Salad with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 6 cups baby arugula or spring mix
- 2 ripe red Anjou pears thinly sliced
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Toast 1 cup pecan halves in a dry 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring often, for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet; stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar melts and coats the nuts in a glossy amber glaze.
- Scrape the candied pecans onto parchment paper, spread into a single layer, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let cool for 10 minutes until the coating hardens and snaps when broken.
- Whisk olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl until the dressing turns pale and slightly thickened.
- Pile the arugula onto a large shallow platter.
- Scatter the pear slices, pomegranate arils and goat cheese over the greens.
- Break the cooled candied pecans into rough pieces and scatter over the top.
- Drizzle with dressing just before serving and toss gently at the table so the pears keep their shape.
Good to Know
Cranberry Spinach Salad with Feta
Plain spinach salad disappears next to a roast. This one doesn’t, because the halved cranberries bleed a little pink into the leaves and the feta keeps catching the light. It takes fifteen minutes and no oven, which matters on a day when every burner is spoken for.
Fresh cranberries give the brightest color, but dried ones work at three-quarters the volume if that’s what’s in the pantry already. Toast the almonds while you’re already at the stove for something else, it costs nothing extra.
Dress it at the very last minute, spinach wilts faster than almost anything else on this list. It sits comfortably beside a glazed ham or a cheese board course, something salty that the sweet-tart dressing can answer.
Cranberry Spinach Salad with Feta
Ingredients
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh cranberries halved, or 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan often, until they turn golden and smell nutty; tip onto a plate to cool.
- Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt in a small jar or bowl until the sugar dissolves and the dressing looks smooth.
- Place the baby spinach in a large wide bowl.
- Scatter the cranberries, feta, toasted almonds and red onion over the spinach.
- Pour half the dressing around the edge of the bowl, toss gently with tongs for 30 seconds until the leaves glisten, and taste before adding more.
- Serve within 15 minutes of dressing, while the spinach still stands up on the fork.
Good to Know
Christmas Wreath Salad
If the table already has a centerpiece, this is the one dish that doubles as a second one. Arugula arranged in a ring, studded with tomato and mozzarella, reads as a wreath from across the room without you touching a glue gun.
Keep the ring wide and the center open, that’s the whole trick. Tuck a few rosemary sprigs in like holly and let a spoonful of pomegranate stand in for the berries, no florist supplies required.
It wants a round platter, not a bowl, so the shape actually registers before anyone’s fork hits it. For the rest of the setting, 31 Christmas Table Decorations for a Table That Seats More Than It Should covers everything around the plate so the wreath doesn’t have to do all the work alone.
Christmas Wreath Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups baby arugula
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls bocconcini
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves torn
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- fresh rosemary sprigs and pomegranate arils for garnish
Instructions
- Arrange the arugula in a wide ring around the outer edge of a large round platter, leaving the center open, so the shape reads as a wreath from across the table.
- Tuck the cherry tomato halves, cut side up, into the ring of arugula at even intervals.
- Nestle the mozzarella pearls between the tomatoes around the same ring.
- Scatter the torn basil leaves over the ring.
- Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt in a small bowl until it turns a deep amber and coats the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle the dressing over the wreath in a thin zigzag, working all the way around the ring.
- Tuck a few small rosemary sprigs between the tomatoes to stand in for holly, and scatter a spoonful of pomegranate arils over the top for the berries.
- Chill the platter for up to 1 hour before serving, uncovered, so the cheese stays cool without the arugula wilting.
Good to Know
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Christmas Fruit Salad
Somebody always wants fruit on the table and this one does the job without a single marshmallow involved. Red and green grapes, strawberries and kiwi sit together in nothing heavier than honey and lime, so it tastes like fruit instead of dessert.
This is not a long make-ahead salad, and that’s worth saying plainly: strawberries and kiwi weep once cut, so build it within a few hours of serving rather than the night before. Mint is optional but it does make the whole bowl smell like something, which matters more than people expect.
Serve it in a glass bowl so the red and green actually show through the sides. It’s an easy landing spot for kids’ plates too, since there’s nothing in it that needs explaining.
Christmas Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups red seedless grapes halved
- 2 cups green seedless grapes halved
- 2 cups strawberries hulled and quartered
- 3 kiwis peeled and sliced into half-moons
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Instructions
- Halve the red and green grapes and place them in a large glass bowl.
- Add the quartered strawberries and sliced kiwi to the bowl.
- Whisk the honey and lime juice together in a small cup until the honey loosens into a thin syrup.
- Drizzle the honey-lime syrup over the fruit.
- Scatter the chopped mint over the top.
- Fold the fruit gently with a large spoon, lifting from the bottom, just until the syrup coats every piece without crushing the strawberries.
- Chill for 20 minutes to let the flavors blend; the kiwi should still hold its shape when you check at the 20 minute mark.
- Serve the same day; the fruit salad weeps and turns watery after a day in the fridge, so keep this one close to serving time only.
Good to Know
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Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
This is the one that actually fills a plate, not just decorates it, which matters when half the table is vegetarian or just hungrier than the rest. Pepperoni, mozzarella and olives make it feel like a whole meal rather than a side.
It needs at least an hour in the fridge to come together properly, the pasta has to drink in the dressing or it tastes flat. That hour works in your favor: make it the morning of, or even the day before, and forget about it until dinner.
For a cheese-and-meat starter in the same spirit, the Antipasto Skewers for a Make Ahead Party Platter use nearly the same ingredients on a stick, so one grocery trip covers both.
Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini or fusilli pasta
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup mini mozzarella balls
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni or salami quartered
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives halved
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta according to the package time, usually 9 to 11 minutes, until al dente with a slight bite at the center.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking and cool it quickly.
- Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic and salt together in a small jar until the vinaigrette turns cloudy and well combined.
- Toss the cooled pasta with half the vinaigrette in a large bowl so the noodles absorb flavor while still warm from rinsing.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, pepperoni, olives and roasted red peppers to the bowl.
- Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the top and toss until every ingredient is coated and glossy.
- Scatter the chopped parsley over the top.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, so the pasta drinks in the dressing; taste before serving and add a splash more vinaigrette if the pasta looks dry.
Good to Know
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Broccoli Cranberry Salad
This is the salad for the aunt who doesn’t trust lettuce. Creamy dressing, bacon and sunflower seeds give broccoli a reason to exist at a holiday dinner, and it actually gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.
Pat the florets properly dry before dressing them, wet broccoli waters down the mayonnaise and the whole bowl turns thin. Swap pecans for the sunflower seeds if someone at the table avoids nuts, nothing else in the recipe needs to change.
Make this one two days ahead with a clear conscience, it’s built for exactly that. It sits well beside a honey ham or a cheesy potato gratin, something that wants a cold, crunchy counterpoint.
Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups small broccoli florets about 2 heads
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or chopped pecans
- 6 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until deeply crisp; drain on paper towels and crumble once cool enough to handle.
- Cut the broccoli into small bite-size florets and pat them dry with a towel so the dressing clings instead of sliding off.
- Whisk the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and no streaks of mayonnaise remain.
- Add the broccoli florets, dried cranberries, red onion and sunflower seeds to the bowl.
- Fold everything together with a large spoon until the broccoli is evenly coated in the creamy dressing.
- Scatter the crumbled bacon over the top just before serving so it stays crisp.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, stirring once before serving; the florets should still have some crunch when you taste a piece at the end of chilling.
Good to Know
Kale and Citrus Salad
Kale holds up to a holiday timeline better than almost anything else on this table, which is the whole argument for it. Massage the leaves once and they get softer, not sadder, the longer they sit.
Orange and grapefruit segments cut the richness of everything else on the plate, and the pomegranate on top keeps the red-and-green promise going without another cranberry in sight. Shave the Parmesan with a vegetable peeler rather than a grater, it looks like it took more effort than it did.
This one actually improves if you let it sit for ten minutes before serving, so build it early and leave it alone. It goes particularly well next to anything fried or heavily glazed.
Kale and Citrus Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups curly or lacinato kale stems removed, thinly sliced
- 2 navel oranges peeled and segmented
- 1 ruby red grapefruit peeled and segmented
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Strip the kale leaves from the stems and slice into thin ribbons.
- Place the kale in a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and massage the leaves firmly with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes until they turn a darker green and feel soft instead of stiff.
- Whisk the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt in a small bowl until it looks pale and slightly thickened.
- Segment the oranges and grapefruit over the bowl, catching the juice, by slicing between the membranes with a paring knife.
- Add the citrus segments and pomegranate arils to the massaged kale.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat every ribbon of kale.
- Shave the Parmesan over the top with a vegetable peeler just before serving.
- Let the salad sit for 10 minutes before serving; massaged kale only gets better as it sits, unlike delicate lettuce.
Good to Know
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon and Pomegranate
Raw Brussels sprouts sound like a hard sell until you shave them this thin. They turn into something closer to a slaw than the boiled sprouts anyone’s dreading, and the bacon does most of the convincing.
A mandoline makes quick work of the shaving, but a sharp knife and some patience get you there too, if that’s one gadget you’d rather not buy. The sprouts actually need the fifteen-minute rest at the end, straight-off-the-knife they taste too sharp.
It holds its texture far longer than a leafy green salad, so it’s a safe choice for a buffet that sits out while people serve themselves twice.
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon and Pomegranate
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts trimmed and very thinly sliced
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Trim the stem end off each Brussels sprout and shave the sprouts as thin as possible on a mandoline or with a sharp knife, into a large bowl.
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp, then drain on paper towels and crumble.
- Whisk the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and salt in a small bowl until the dressing turns thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Pour the dressing over the shaved Brussels sprouts and massage with your hands for 1 minute until the ribbons soften slightly and turn a brighter green.
- Fold in the Parmesan and half the pomegranate arils.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and scatter the crumbled bacon and remaining pomegranate arils over the top.
- Let the salad rest for 15 minutes before serving so the sprouts soften just past raw crunch.
Good to Know
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Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans
This is the one to bring when you’re not sure the host has enough chairs, let alone enough serving bowls, because it travels in whatever container you already own and doesn’t wilt on the car ride over.
It needs close to an hour of simmering, so start it earlier than the others on this list, or make the whole thing the day before the way the 14 Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Can Make the Day Before approach their grain sides. The rice only gets better overnight as it soaks up the dressing.
Swap chicken broth for water if a vegetarian guest is eating, nothing else about the method changes.
Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice rinsed
- 2.5 cups water or chicken broth
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup pecan halves toasted and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring the water or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the rinsed wild rice, cover, and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer for 45 to 50 minutes, checking at the 45 minute mark, until most of the grains have split open and show a pale, curled interior.
- Drain off any excess liquid and spread the rice on a sheet pan to cool for 15 minutes.
- Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant, then chop once cool.
- Whisk the olive oil, orange juice, red wine vinegar and salt in a small bowl until combined.
- Combine the cooled wild rice, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, celery, parsley and green onions in a large bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days; this salad only improves overnight as the rice soaks up the dressing.
Good to Know
Red Grape and Walnut Salad with Gorgonzola
This is a Waldorf salad’s sharper cousin, built for people who want something a little stronger than apple and mayonnaise. Gorgonzola does the heavy lifting, grapes keep it from tasting like a cheese course gone rogue.
Toast the walnuts while something else is in the oven, it takes three minutes and changes the whole flavor. Swap in blue cheese if Gorgonzola isn’t in the shop, the two behave almost identically here.
Hold the dressing until the table is called, grapes and walnuts both sit fine undressed for hours, but the greens underneath won’t. It works nicely next to a dry roast, something that wants a little funk on the side.
Red Grape and Walnut Salad with Gorgonzola
Ingredients
- 8 cups mixed baby greens
- 2 cups red seedless grapes halved
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Toast the walnut halves in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring often, until they smell nutty and darken slightly; tip onto a plate to cool.
- Whisk the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and salt in a small bowl until the dressing looks smooth and slightly thickened.
- Pile the mixed greens onto a wide serving platter.
- Scatter the halved grapes, toasted walnuts, crumbled Gorgonzola and sliced celery over the greens.
- Drizzle the dressing over the top just before serving.
- Toss gently at the table with salad servers so the grapes stay whole and the cheese doesn't turn to paste.
Good to Know
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts
Beets need the oven, which sounds inconvenient until you realize they can roast a full day ahead and wait quietly in the fridge, skins and all, until you’re ready to slice them.
The skins slip off with nothing more than a paper towel once they’ve cooled, no peeler required. Plate it just before serving, beet juice bleeds into everything it touches, and the arugula looks better white than stained pink.
Candied walnuts can come from the same batch you made for another salad on this list, there’s no reason to make two different candied nuts in one kitchen. It pairs well with a simple roast chicken or prime rib, something that doesn’t compete with the earthiness.
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- 4 medium red beets trimmed
- 6 cups baby arugula
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 cup candied walnuts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and wrap each beet individually in foil.
- Roast the beets on a sheet pan for 45 to 55 minutes, until a knife slides into the center with no resistance.
- Let the beets cool for 15 minutes, then slip off the skins with your hands or a paper towel; they should rub away easily.
- Slice the roasted beets into thin wedges.
- Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt in a small bowl until the dressing turns a deep, glossy red-brown.
- Arrange the arugula on a platter and top with the sliced beets.
- Scatter the goat cheese and candied walnuts over the top.
- Drizzle with the dressing right before serving so the arugula doesn't wilt under the beet juice.
Good to Know
Three Bean Salad with Red Peppers and Green Beans
This is the salad for the person bringing a dish to a house where the oven is already full. Nothing about it needs heat beyond a pot of boiling water, and it improves the longer it sits, which solves the car-ride problem entirely.
Ice the green beans the second they come out of the pot, that’s what keeps the color bright green instead of the dull olive everyone associates with canned beans. Canned kidney beans and chickpeas do the rest of the work with zero cooking.
Give it at least four hours in the fridge before serving, it genuinely needs that long to taste tangy all the way through rather than just on the surface.
Three Bean Salad with Red Peppers and Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed and halved
- 1 can 15 ounces kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can 15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans.
- Blanch the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender with a slight snap left.
- Drain the green beans and plunge them into a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes to stop the cooking and lock in the color.
- Drain the green beans again and pat dry.
- Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the green beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, red bell pepper and red onion to the bowl.
- Toss everything together until well coated in the dressing.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 2 days, stirring once halfway; the beans should taste tangy all the way through once ready.
Good to Know
Cranberry Orange Congealed Salad
Somebody’s grandmother made a version of this and somebody at your table will ask for it by name, whether you grew up with it or not. It’s the one entry here that genuinely needs an overnight start, no shortcuts.
A bundt pan works if you don’t own a proper mold, the ridges just give it a nicer shape once it’s unmolded. The warm-water trick for releasing it is non-negotiable, don’t try to pry it out dry or it tears.
Slice it thin, it’s rich and a little sweet, meant as an accent next to turkey rather than a full serving on its own.
Cranberry Orange Congealed Salad
Ingredients
- 2 packages 3 ounces each raspberry or cranberry gelatin
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 can 14 ounces whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 cup crushed pineapple drained
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water in a large bowl, stirring for 2 minutes until no grains remain and the liquid looks completely clear.
- Stir in the cold water.
- Fold in the cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, chopped pecans and orange zest until evenly distributed.
- Pour the mixture into a lightly oiled 6-cup mold or bundt pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until the center feels firm and springs back when pressed.
- To unmold, dip the bottom of the mold in warm water for 10 seconds, then invert onto a serving plate and lift away the mold.
- Slice and serve chilled; the salad should hold a clean edge on the knife once fully set.
Good to Know
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Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Feta
This is the salad that can sit out longest without anyone noticing, since warm roasted squash and sturdy kale don’t wilt the way lettuce does under a buffet lamp. It’s also the one dish here that actually wants the oven running alongside the main course.
Roast the squash while the turkey rests, that twenty-minute window is exactly long enough. Maple syrup in the dressing picks up the same sweetness as the squash, so the two taste like they were always meant to sit together.
It works equally well warm off the pan or at room temperature an hour later, which makes it forgiving on a day when timing never quite goes to plan.
Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Feta
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups chopped kale stems removed
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1/3 cup pepitas toasted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with foil.
- Toss the cubed butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the salt, then spread in a single layer on the pan.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the edges turn golden and a fork slides in easily.
- Let the squash cool on the pan for 10 minutes.
- Massage the chopped kale with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil for 1 minute, until the leaves darken and soften.
- Whisk the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl.
- Combine the massaged kale, roasted squash, pomegranate arils, feta and pepitas in a large bowl.
- Drizzle with the maple dressing and toss gently to combine.
- Serve warm or at room temperature; this is one of the few salads here that still tastes good after sitting out through a long dinner.
Good to Know
Strawberry Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat Cheese
Strawberries in winter feel a little extravagant, which is exactly the point here. Against dark arugula and pale goat cheese, a handful of sliced strawberries reads as deliberate rather than out of season.
Buy the best strawberries you can find for this one, since there’s nowhere for a mediocre one to hide. Candied walnuts can be the same batch from another entry on this list, there’s no reason to candy nuts twice in one week.
Toss it only twice through with the tongs, any more and the strawberries bleed pink into the cheese and the whole plate loses its contrast.
Strawberry Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 cups baby arugula
- 1.5 cups strawberries hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 cup candied walnuts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Hull and slice the strawberries into thin rounds.
- Whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt in a small bowl until the dressing turns glossy and slightly thickened.
- Pile the arugula onto a wide platter.
- Scatter the sliced strawberries over the greens.
- Add the goat cheese and candied walnuts over the top.
- Drizzle with the dressing right before serving.
- Toss very gently, just twice through with tongs, so the strawberries keep their shape instead of bleeding into the cheese.
Good to Know
Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw with Pecans
Cabbage is the one vegetable on this list that doesn’t flinch at being made a day early, in fact it prefers it. The color only deepens overnight, and the texture goes from raw-sharp to pleasantly tender.
Julienne the apple instead of dicing it, the thin strips tangle into the cabbage shreds instead of sitting on top in a pile. Dried cranberries add the last bit of red this list needs, alongside the deep purple-red of the cabbage itself.
Once the salads are done and cleared, dessert is the easier part of the evening, and the 24 Christmas Recipes Dessert Easy Enough to Make While the Kettle Boils keep that stretch of the night just as low-effort.
Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw with Pecans
Ingredients
- 4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 1 green apple julienned
- 1/2 cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Thinly slice the red and green cabbage and place in a large bowl.
- Julienne the apple and add it to the bowl along with the pecans and dried cranberries.
- Whisk the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey and salt in a small bowl until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture.
- Toss everything together with tongs until every shred of cabbage is coated.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days; the cabbage actually turns more tender and the color deepens the longer it sits.
- Give the slaw one more toss before serving, since the dressing settles at the bottom of the bowl.
Good to Know
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance can I make a Christmas salad?
Most tossed salads hold for up to 2 days if you keep the dressing, cheese and any delicate fruit in separate containers, combining everything within an hour of serving.
How do I keep the greens from getting soggy?
Dry the leaves completely after washing, store them with a paper towel in the container, and don’t pour dressing on until the last 15 to 30 minutes before serving.
Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh pomegranate seeds?
Yes, dried cranberries swap in at roughly the same volume as pomegranate arils and bring a similar sweet-tart bite, though you lose the juicy pop and jewel-like shine.
What’s the easiest way to seed a pomegranate without staining everything red?
Score the skin around the middle, break the fruit into pieces, then pull the arils loose underwater in a large bowl; the seeds sink and the white pith floats free.
Can Christmas salads be made dairy-free?
Most of them, yes. Drop the feta, goat cheese or Parmesan, or swap in a dairy-free crumble, and the dressing, fruit and nuts carry the salad fine on their own.
Can I freeze a Christmas salad?
No, salads with greens, fruit or cheese turn watery and limp on thawing, so freezing isn’t recommended; the cranberry congealed salad is the one exception that freezes cleanly.
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