Our Favorite Holiday Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Fresh and vibrant and made with the most amazing dressing, this beautiful holiday salad is as elegant as it is easy to make!

When it comes to holiday meals, I turn to this easy, yet impressive mixed greens salad to complete my meal. After decades of pairing my Easter Baked Ham, Thanksgiving Turkey, and Christmas New York Strip Roast with this salad, we now refer to it as the holiday salad. And let me tell you, it is so incredibly delicious, it will become a memorable part of your holiday meals, just as it has mine!

Notes on Ingredients

• Mixed Greens: For this holiday salad, I find that a mixture of arugula and baby spinach is best. The spinach is tender and mild and the arugula gives this salad a peppery bite. By all means, use spinach alone or a mixture of baby greens.
• Oranges: Fresh navel orange segments add a sweet note to this salad and are a seasonal winter fruit, which makes them the perfect addition to this salad. Be sure to select seedless oranges. Or take a shortcut and use a can of mandarin oranges, just be sure to drain them well prior to adding to the salad.
• Pomegranate Arils: The pomegranate seeds or arils, give this salad a burst of bright tartness. You can seed a pomegranate yourself, or you can purchase a container of pomegranate seeds, which makes assembling this salad that much easier.
• Onions: Red onions help to balance out the sweet and salty flavors of this holiday salad. It is best to soak the onions before adding them to the salad to mellow their sharp flavor. Feel free to use shallots in place of the red onion, for a milder option.
• Cheese: Use either crumbled feta or goat cheese.
• Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, or pistachios add just the right amount of crunch to this salad. If you have candied nuts, those are a delicious addition as well.
• Champagne Vinaigrette: This salad dressing is a simple combination of champagne vinegar, honey (or maple syrup), Dijon, and olive oil. It is light and bright and compliments the flavors of the salad perfectly.

More Festive Holiday Side Dishes

• Scalloped Potatoes
• Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
• Christmas Fruit Salad
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Green Bean Casserole

This simple, yet impressive Holiday Salad makes a perfect accompaniment to your holiday celebrations. I hope you enjoy it and would love for you to leave a comment and review if you gave it a try.

Our Favorite Holiday Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Fresh and vibrant and made with the most amazing dressing, this beautiful holiday salad is as elegant as it is easy to make!

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Onion Soaking Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

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Ingredients

For the Salad

• ▢ ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
• ▢ 5 ounces mixed greens
• ▢ 2 medium navel oranges peeled, and sectioned
• ▢ ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
• ▢ ¼ cup pomegranate arils
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped nuts walnuts, almond, or pistachios

For the Champagne Vinaigrette

• ▢ ⅓ cup champagne vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• ▢ 1 clove garlic finely grated
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

For the Champagne Vinaigrette

• In a medium mixing bowl or small jar, combine the champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and salt. Use a Microplane to grate the garlic into the dressing. Whisk or shake to combine. Add the olive oil and whisk or shake to emulsify. Alternatively, process the ingredients together in a small food processor until emulsified.
  

For the Holiday Salad

• Thinly slice the red onion. Place in a shallow bowl and cover the slices with cold water. Let soak for 10 minutes and then drain.
  
• Prepare the oranges by cutting off the ends of each orange. Use a knife to cut away the orange skin, working from the top to the bottom, being sure to remove the entire white pith. With a sharp thin knife, carefully cut between the membrane to the center of the orange to remove a segment.
  
• In a dry skillet over medium-low heat, add in chopped nuts. Toast for 3-4 minutes, tossing regularly. Remove from skillet and let cool.
• Arrange the greens in a large serving dish. Toss the greens with ¼ cup of prepared salad dressing. Scatter orange segments, red onions, and pomegranate seeds on top of greens. Sprinkle with feta cheese and nuts. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
  

Notes

Mixed Greens: I prefer a mix of arugula and baby spring greens for this salad, but spinach works as well. 

Onions: Soaking the onion is not necessary, but does help to mellow out the sharpness of the onion. Feel free to use shallots in place of the red onion. 

Champagne Vinegar: If you do not have champagne vinegar, use white wine vinegar in its place. 

This holiday salad is best assembled immediately before serving. However, all the components can be prepared up to 48 hours in advance. I recommend segmenting the oranges, soaking the onions, toasting the nuts, and preparing the dressing a day or two before serving. Then it is as easy as assembling the salad and serving it to your guests.

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 603IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 1mg

Course Salad

Cuisine American

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