A beautiful Christmas salad with mixed greens, pears, pomegranates, slivered almonds and goat cheese, served with a citrus vinaigrette in a festive wreath arrangement.
I'm kind of amazed that it's already December.
I mean, we have our tree and all of our decorations up, our elf Ginger has come to visit, my kiddos are enjoying their advent calendars, and my daughter and I are doing our annual Nutcracker show this weekend.
So all the festivities are here and happening. But I still can't believe we're to the last month of the year!
Alas, we very much are so I need to finish up my Christmas shopping and settle in for the whirlwind that this month always seems to bring. ❤️
OK, let's move along to the food.
One of my favorite Christmas morning healthy additions is this mixed greens salad with fruit. I make it all the time for brunch spreads as a fresh and fruity side to balance all the casseroles and biscuits. And the gorgeous Christmas coffee cake.
And of course, Christmas dinner needs it’s own special salad as well. More freshness and a pop of sweetness help to cut the heavy main dishes we tend to serve.
(Technically, my family does our big dinner on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, so that’s when we would serve this. Anyone else do it that way?)
This Christmas salad will be a stand-out addition with its gorgeous presentation in a wreath shape on a big platter.
And it features a delicious combination of tender mixed greens with juicy fresh pear slices, tart pomegranate arils, creamy goat cheese and crunchy toasted almonds.
The light citrus vinaigrette ties it all together and is easy to shake up in just a couple of minutes.
You will happily be eating forkful after forkful of this yummy salad! And I think your family and friends will be thrilled with how pretty it looks on the table.
(You might also want to check out these holiday Brussels sprouts with pecans and pomegranates for another festive and pretty side dish.)
OK, let’s get cooking. Or assembling rather.
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make this Christmas salad. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making Christmas salad:
- Wreath: You’ll want to use a big round platter for the salad and then a small bowl in the center for the dressing to make your wreath presentation for this salad.
- Mixed greens: A bag of mixed greens is easy and pretty, but you could substitute a spring mix or use a combination of butter lettuce and baby spinach.
- Pear: Fresh Bosc pears work great for this recipe and are easy to find in most grocery stores. You could try a different pear variety if you like.
- Pomegranate: You’ll need the arils from about ½ of the pomegranate.
- Slivered almonds: I love the flavor and crunch they bring here, but you could try substituting another nut if you prefer.
- Goat cheese: The creaminess and crumbles of the goat cheese go great with this salad, and it’s a nice light touch. However, you could try a different cheese if you prefer.
- Dressing: We’re using a slight variation of this easy lemon vinaigrette for the dressing on the salad. You can substitute a store-bought dressing if you prefer.
And as mentioned, the dressing is served “on the side” in the bowl in the center of the platter to make it look like a wreath.
You can add a spoon for everyone to drizzle their own dressing. Or you can drizzle a small amount before serving and leave the rest of the dressing in the bowl in the middle.
Perhaps this doesn’t need mentioning, but just in case - it’s the holidays after all and I know my brain gets fried - you do not want to dress your salad much in advance. It will get soggy and kinda yucky.
You can get your ingredients prepped ahead if you need to — slice the pear, get the pomegranate arils, portion out the slivered almonds and goat cheese, make the dressing, etc. Just don’t let the pear brown. And you’ll want to wait until it’s time to serve before you add any dressing to the greens.
All in all though, this is such a quick salad to put together, it’ll be a stress-free addition to your holiday spread.
And if you need some other holiday side dishes, here are a few of our favorites.
Other favorite Christmas dinner side dishes:
- Creamy mashed potatoes have a trio of add-ins for the best flavor.
- Green beans with mustard butter sauce are quick and easy and have a great tangy flavor.
- Shredded Brussels sprouts with cranberries and walnuts is a pretty green and red side dish with great flavor and crunch.
- Winter squash and peas is a creamy mash of roasted butternut squash topped with buttery peas. A delicious combination!
- Classic baked mac and cheese is a side you just can't go wrong with - everyone loves it!
Cheers to the holiday season! I hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Need a pretty platter to serve this salad on? I use this Portmeirion one that is a match to my everyday china.
Amazon also has some other good options like this stoneware platter or this porcelain one with a decorative edge.
And this platter has some pretty gold dots for a festive look.
Christmas Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 (5-6 oz) bag mixed greens
- 1 large pear, thinly sliced
- ½ pomegranate, arils removed
- ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place a small bowl in the center of a large platter to create a “wreath.” Arrange the greens on the platter. Top with the sliced pears, sprinkle with the pomegranate arils and almonds, then add the crumbled goat cheese.
- Make the dressing: Combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small jar with a lid. Cover and shake well to combine. (Alternatively, add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk really well until combined.)
- Pour the dressing in the small bowl in the middle of your wreath for everyone to use to drizzle their salads. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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