Christmas Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Full of beautiful flavors and textures from pomegranate, red grapes, candied pecans, pears, and cheese, this Christmas Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette is an easy, festive recipe for your holiday table!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas Salad, Christmas Salad Dressing, Green salad for Christmas Dinner

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings people

Calories 291kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

4 cups spring mix lettuce greens
½ cup halved red grapes
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup crumbled blue cheese (or substitute with feta cheese or goat cheese)
½ cup candied pecans*
1 ripe pear, thinly sliced (or substitute with thinly sliced apple)

For the Champagne Vinaigrette:

1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon minced or grated fresh garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar
½ cup olive oil

Instructions

For the Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, Dijon, garlic, salt, pepper, and champagne vinegar. Continue whisking and slowly stir in olive oil until dressing emulsifies.
In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients. Drizzle with Champagne Vinaigrette, to taste.

Notes

*You can purchase candied pecans, or you can make a batch of candied pecans using this easy 5-minute recipe.

COOK'S TIPS AND RECIPE VARIATIONS:

Prepare the dressing in advance and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Allow the dressing to come to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving, and whisk or shake at the last minute to combine.
If you can't find champagne vinegar, you can substitute with white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.
If you can't find pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries are a great substitute!
You can use feta cheese or goat cheese instead of the blue cheese, if you prefer.
Wait to add the sliced pear (or apple) at the end (to prevent browning).
Garnish with candied pecans just before serving so that the nuts don't get soggy.
Wait to dress with Champagne Vinaigrette just before serving.

Nutrition