Winter Salad

December 7, 2024Brianna

Amidst all the indulgent Christmas desserts that we make during the holidays, I couldn’t resist sharing a healthy recipe too—a Winter Salad that’s hearty, satisfying, and packed with vibrant flavors.

I’m a huge fan of salads that combine a variety of textures, and this Winter Salad does just that; each bite offering something new and exciting. Not only does it taste incredible, but it’s also visually stunning, making it the perfect centerpiece for your Christmas table. I promise, your guests will definitely be impressed as they ooh and aah over it at your holiday gatherings.

This Winter Salad is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat! And you won’t feel guilty eating it…. looking at you Eggnog Tres Leches cake.

I love salads that are more than just greens. So while this uses kale and spinach to start, it also has a lot of bold flavors. For example, the lemon, apple, butternut squash, pomegranate, and orange. Yum! Not to mention a devine homemade dressing that matches the salad beautifully. I seriously want to remake this salad right now as I’m typing this.

If you’re looking for other salad ideas check out this yummy honey mustard salad, summer salad, loaded asian salad, Chicken spinach pomegranate salad or this fall harvest salad. While I’m particularly pleased with the pictures for this Winter Salad, and my other salad recipes may not have the same visual dazzle, it certainly doesn’t mean they don’t still taste delicious!

Winter Salad

Print Recipe

This colorful, flavor-packed salad is a perfect balance of fresh, crisp greens, sweet and tangy fruits, crunchy nuts, and creamy cheese, all tossed in a zesty, maple-dijon dressing.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: serves about 5-6 as a main or 8-10 as a side 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Salad-

4 cups kale, chopped thin, large stems and ribs removed (cut then measure)

½ lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups spinach, chopped small

1 ½ cups thinly sliced brussel sprouts

1 cup microgreens, optional

2 medium apples, cored and diced

1 cup toasted pecans

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 cups butternut squash, roasted and then chilled

½ cup pomegranate arils

2 oranges, supremed and segmented (alternatively you can use mandarin orange segments)

¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced and chopped

Dressing-

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard

5 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup olive oil

Instructions

Salad-

Toss the kale in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over and drizzle the olive oil over the kale. Use your hands to massage and rub the kale as you toss it.

Add the spinach, brussel sprouts, microgreens, apples, and pecans. Toss together and then add the feta, butternut squash, pomegranate and red onion. Toss again. Finally layer the oranges on top, being gentle with them as they are more delicate.

Dressing-

Make the dressing by shaking all the ingredients in a mason jar or whisking together in a liquid measuring cup.

Drizzle the dressing, starting with only half over the top and toss again. If you want more dressing, drizzle more. Alternatively, you can dress the salad on individual plates.

Notes

Step-by-step pictures and Frequently Asked Questions below recipe card.

This salad doesn’t save well beyond about 8 hours. It gets soggy. If you’re not feeding a lot of people at once I suggest making it all up and not dressing the whole bowl but drizzle the dressing on individual portions.

This salad is really easy to customize. Don’t want to supreme an orange? Use little mandarin orange wedges. Don’t want to seed a pomegranate? Use dried cranberries. Don’t like brussel sprouts? Use cabbage. Don’t like feta cheese? Use goat cheese instead. Don’t have any pecans? Use slivered or sliced almonds instead.

Add shredded chicken for added protein.

Make sure you massage the kale nicely or it will be hard and bitter. Massaged kale is really delicious.

Keywords: Winter Salad, Pomegranate salad, salad with apples, christmas recipes, salad dressing, citrus salad

Frequently Asked Questions – Winter Salad

What does "supreme an orange" mean?

It’s the technique of removing the peel and pith (the white tissue lining the rind) and then segmenting it. This is my preferred way to prepare an orange for a salad because they are both beautiful and easier to eat.

How do you supreme an orange?

Cut off both the top and bottom of the orange to create a stable base.
Using a sharp knife, cut down the sides of the orange to remove the peel and pith, following the natural curve of the fruit. You want to cut deep enough to remove all the white pith but avoid cutting too much of the flesh.
Hold the peeled orange in your hand or on a cutting board. Carefully slice between the membranes to release the individual segments. Cut on both sides of each membrane, working your way around the entire orange to free the segments.
As you cut, let the segments fall into a bowl. You can also squeeze the remaining orange to get the juice into a cup to enjoy while making this winter salad.

This method creates neat, skinless, membrane-free segments, perfect for salads or any dish where you want a beautiful presentation of juicy orange slices!

How do I toast pecans for this winter salad?

Turn a burner over medium low heat and in a large skillet add the pecans in a single layer. Stir every minute until you can smell them. Remove from heat and let them cool.

How do I roast butternut squash?

Preheat oven to 425 F and lay a piece of foil on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Toss butternut squash cubes in a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper and bake in a single layer on prepared pan, tossing every 7-10 minutes until fork tender. About 15-20 minutes depending on size of cubes. Remove from oven and let cool.