Quick and easy Christmas salad recipe, homemade with simple ingredients in one bowl in 20 minutes. Loaded with spinach, cranberries, pecans and sweet honey poppyseed dressing. Also known as xmas salad.
This bright and beautiful salad is the perfect addition to your holiday meal plan. It is loaded with flavor and color, and is on the lighter side compared to most traditional Christmas food. The red cranberries and green spinach feel so festive and merry. My Creamy Cranberry Salad (Cranberry Fluff) is another dish that is also perfect for your holiday spread.
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How To Make Best Christmas Salad Recipe From Scratch?
- Make honey poppyseed dressing- Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, onion, mustard powder, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper.
- Add spinach- Toss until combined.
- Sprinkle toppings- Like chopped pecans and cranberries.
- Enjoy- Serve immediately.
What To Serve With Best Green Christmas Salad?
This salad is perfect with any classic holiday dinner meat/proteins such as:
- Slow Cooker Ham
- Roast Turkey Breast (One Pan)
- Chicken and Potatoes (One Pot)
- Easy Thanksgiving Turkey (One Pan)
- Whole chicken
- Spatchcock chicken
- Steak
It also pairs perfectly with any of these other sandwiches:
Soup and salad is another great combination. Serve it with any of the following:
- Turkey Noodle Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup (One Pot)
- Sweet Potato Soup (One Pot)
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup (One Pot)
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Storage
Refrigerate- I don’t recommend storing leftovers for later because if the vinaigrette has already been mixed with the spinach, it will become soggy over time.
Freeze- Salads cannot be frozen because of the water content and wilting of the leaves upon thawing. The salad dressing, however, can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and then, whisk it again, prior to using it.
Make ahead- You can store the spinach, dressing and toppings (cranberries and pecans) separately for 2 days in the fridge and mix right before serving.
Variations For Festive Holiday Salad
Topping options- Try as candied nuts, pine nuts, chopped apples, or dried cherries.
Pasta salad- Add cooked pasta such as ditalini, elbow, shells, orzo.
Add pomegranate seeds- For additional texture, color, and flavor.
Add quinoa- Add ½ cup cooked quinoa for a heartier salad.
Add other greens- Add spring mix salad, kale, or even a little arugula and romaine.
Add cheese- Such as goat cheese, Gorgonzola, or shredded mozzarella.
Add protein- Such as rotisserie chicken, turkey, or even cubed ham. All the meat should be cooked through.
Add chickpeas or beans– For added vegetarian protein!
Tips And Techniques
Serve immediately- Because this prevents the salad from wilting and becoming soggy.
Wash and dry spinach– If you are washing the spinach, be sure to pat it dry to prevent the dish from becoming too “watery.” You can also use a salad spinner to dry the salad.
Adjust seasoning– Add more or less according to taste.
Adjust the amount of dressing- Add more or less according to your preference.
You must use apple cider vinegar- It cannot be replaced with regular distilled vinegar because it does not have the same sweetness as the apple cider version.
Use high quality olive oil– Because this provides the best flavor in the salad dressing!
What is a good salad for Christmas dinner?
Although today's salad with spinach, pecans, cranberries is the best choice, here are some other options:
- Strawberry Spinach Salad With Poppy seed Dressing (One Bowl)
- Italian Tortellini Salad (One Bowl)
- Basil Pesto Pasta Salad (One Bowl)
- Cucumber Tomato Salad (One Bowl)
- Creamy Grape Salad (One Bowl)
- Waldorf Salad (One Bowl)
Recipe
One Pot Christmas Salad
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Olive oil
- ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Onion Finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dried mustard powder Or Dijon mustard
- 1-2 teaspoon Poppy seeds Adjust according to your preference
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- 1 bag Spinach 16 oz. bag
- ¾ cup Pecans Roughly chopped
- ¾ cup Cranberries Dried, Sweetened
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, honey, onion, mustard powder, poppy seeds, salt, pepper.
- Whisk for at least 1 minute until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and fragrant.
- Add spinach and toss everything together until combined.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans and cranberries on top.
- Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Tastes best when served immediately. I don’t recommend storing leftovers for later because if the vinaigrette has already been mixed with the spinach, it will become soggy over time.
- You can store the spinach, poppy seed dressing, toppings (cranberries and pecans) separately for 2 days in the fridge and mix right before serving.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Pam Halsey says
Great salad and amazing dressing!
Theresa M. Croce says
This salad is delicious! I substituted Romain lettuce since I was having spinach with my dinner. The substitution was fine. Everyone raved about the salad and requested the recipe. Definitely a hit!
Cheryl Oatts says
This salad was simple to make and outstanding. I substituted agave for the honey and dried cherries for the dried cranberries.
Linda kavanaugh says
What kind of cranberries. Fresh?cooked,?dried.?What.
Abeer Rizvi says
Dried cranberries.
Ammie says
If you make them into a pasta salad, do you still use the same amount of spinach?
Abeer Rizvi says
I would reduce the quantity by half.