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This beautiful Christmas Salad is loaded with fresh and juicy pear, tart and sweet pomegranate, crunchy pecans, and creamy feta. All drizzled with a luscious orange poppyseed vinaigrette.
My reason for talking about the holidays? The colors of this salad make me think of Christmas. The red and the green. This salad would look gorgeous on any table, but especially on a holiday table surrounded by a ham or turkey, a heaping dish of cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole, maybe some Sweet Potato Casserole too? Some fresh rolls. And whatever else is your favorite holiday tradition.
My favorite part of this salad though? Is the citrusy orange poppyseed vinaigrette. It’s made with fresh orange juice, a hint of honey to sweeten it, and the poppyseeds of course. Which are fun and beautiful.
To make this salad super easy you can use the pomegranate arils already removed from the pomegranate, you can buy them in most markets in the produce section. I found some sold by Pom, just a small plastic cup full of the juicy seeds. Or if you’re up for the challenge of cutting into your own pomegranate, I have found this tutorial on How To Cut and De-Seed a Pomegranate by Simply Recipes to be quite helpful.
And if you’re not used to eating pomegranate seeds, they are actual seeds, but they are inside the little juicy fruit. So it’s a wonderful contrast in texture when you eat them, you get the burst of sweet, tart juice and the slight crunch of the seed inside.
I used a feta in this salad. A goat cheese would also be a great option. Or if you’re not feeling adventurous with the cheese maybe a white cheddar to go with the fruit. Just cut it up into cubes and you can still make a beautiful presentation!
I am completely loving the salads lately if you can’t tell (Check out the Autumn Apple Salad, Antipasto Salad, and Chili Lime Chicken Salad).
Now is this salad only for holiday time?! NO!!! Absolutely not. It’s for anytime you feel the hankering for a little fruit and cheese on a bed of spinach drizzled with a orange dressing. That happens to other people right??
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Christmas Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups baby spinach packed
- 1 pear sliced or chopped
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup pecans halved
Orange Poppyseed Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp poppyseed
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
- For the salad, add the spinach to a large bowl and layer the remaining ingredients on top.
Orange Poppyseed Vinaigrette
- Add all ingredients to a medium size jar. Tighten the lid and shake until thoroughly mixed.
- Drizzle over salad. Toss to combine. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The salad ingredients were a nice mix but the dressing is too thin, for my taste and has too much of an orange juice taste. Didn’t get raves from my guests. I preferred the AUTUMN APPLE SALAD (WITH A MAPLE VINAIGRETTE) from this site and will stick with that one.
Thank you for such a great review of the recipe! I’m glad you found one that you enjoy 🙂 The maple dijon vinaigrette is one of my all time favorites also.
Hi Serene: Can you add apples to this recipe? What type would you recommend? Also what type of pear works here?
Thanks!
Do you think the vinegarette could be made ahead of time? If so, hours? Days? Thanks in advance!
Yes! It can be made ahead of time. I always make mine in a jar and store it in the fridge. Just give it a shake before you use it. You can make it a day ahead and the vinaigrette will be just fine the next day.
This was delightful! I didn’t have orange juice so I added 1/2 tsp orange extract. Also went with the goat cheese idea! A keeper!
What is 1 poppyseed vinaigrette, orange? I want to make this for Thanksgiving, I’ll have 12 guests. Putting together my shopping list now.
Hi Gina! I think you’re just seeing that listed as an ingredient on Pinterest maybe? Sometimes things get distorted. It’s just referring to the actual dressing which is included in the recipe on the site 🙂
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Tried this last night and the vinaigrette was delicious! Great recipe, also tried the refried beans – love that it’s your grandma’s recipe!
Thanks so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed both the recipes 🙂 and grandma’s always have the BEST recipes!
Can you confirm how many servings the recipe is for? I’m looking to make this for Thanksgiving and debating if I should double or triple for 12 people. Thank you!
Hi Erica! This recipe will make enough for 2 servings. I feel that two people would be able to share this as a light meal or lunch. So if you’re making it as a side dish for 12 people, I would probably at least triple it. It’s always better to have a little left over than to not have enough! Let me know how it turns out!
Serene, I am going to make this for our church ladies’ dinner this week! (I just sounded so old saying “church ladies.” I feel like I should put on a gauzy dress and wear a hat!) Anyhow, I know this is going to be amazing! Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous, too!
You’re so funny Melissa! I have church ladies too 🙂 Hope y’all enjoyed the salad! xox