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A Christmas salad served with feta cheese and oranges.
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Easy Christmas Salad Recipe

Christmas Salad is a festive side dish with greens, mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, feta, candied pecans, and balsamic vinaigrette.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Author: Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

  • 6-7 cups leafy salad green mix, chopped (if desired)
  • 1 cup mandarin orange segments
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  • ½ cup feta cheese
  • ⅓ cup crushed candied pecans, or sliced almonds

Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss leafy greens, seeds, feta, and candied pecans.
  • Make vinaigrette by combining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a glass jar with a lid.
  • Shake vigorously until combined well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Add vinaigrette to salad and toss before serving.

Notes

Recipe Tips.
  • Dry the greens well before assembling so the dressing coats the salad instead of sliding off.
  • Add the candied pecans or almonds right before serving so they stay crunchy.
  • Shake the vinaigrette in a jar until fully combined for the easiest dressing prep.
  • Toss the salad with dressing just before serving so the greens stay fresh.
  • Make-ahead tip: prepare the vinaigrette and toppings ahead, then assemble and toss the salad right before serving.
Prep ahead of time. Prepare the salad a day in advance, but do not add the mandarin oranges or vinaigrette until right before serving. 
Store. Undressed salad ingredients can be stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Refrigerate vinaigrette in a sealed jar for up to 1 week. Shake well before using.
Pro tip. The color of regular balsamic vinegar is brown so the dressings that are made with it are brown.  If you would like the colors of the salad to show more vibrantly we suggest using white balsamic vinegar.  The taste is the same but the color is clear.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 921IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg