Christmas Wreath Salad
Looking for a stunning festive salad for your holiday gatherings? Why not try our Christmas Wreath Salad for a stunning and appetising platter!
Decorated in a wreath shape, it’s more than just a salad or side dish it’s also your table centerpiece! The best part? So many different ways to make it.
This olive and feta cheese every day salad (image below) might just be eaten straight off the board!
It’s also a great ice breaker so go on, give it a try! It works, both the salad and conversation😀
Beautiful Christmas Salad
This Christmas salad wreath with vibrant salad greens, pomegranate arils, cherries and more is an elegant main course, centerpiece or appetizer recipe idea.
The simple yet delicious pomegranate vinaigrette dressing ties it all together making it a perfect holiday season salad and a sure crowd pleaser!
A Few Reasons To Love This Christmas Salad Wreath
- Vibrant Presentation: It’s the holiday season, make your salad these holidays something different! Something that makes you see and feel the festive spirit.
- Flavorful Ingredients: Each ingredient adds a pop of flavor, from the sweetness of cherries and pomegranate arils to the crunch of toasted pecans. A perfect way to showcase the Christmas ingredients.
- Simple Preparation: It takes just a few steps to arrange and dress the platter, just have all the ingredients ready.
- Versatile Dressing Options: You can adjust the dressing to your taste and give it your own twist.
- Perfect for all occasions: Christmas dinner, Christmas Eve, or even New Year’s, you can prepare this salad for your guests and watch them return for a refill!
Simple Ingredients You’ll Need
This is not your regular homemade dressing, so since everyone’s taste is different please use it as a guideline. I do explain the different ingredients below as a guide to my own dressing, but taste as you go.
For the Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette
Pomegranate Concentrate: You can use fresh ripe pomegranate juice but for our best flavor, we like the concentrated pomegranate. You can find it in a small bottle at Woolworths. The flavor is a very deep umami and the consistency is thick.
Honey: You may think that the dressing will be too sweet with honey but actually it balances out the tartness of the pomegranate concentrate.
Olive Oil: Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil for a smooth richness.
Balsamic Vinegar: Try it without the balsamic vinegar? I did and I prefer it with a touch of balsamic, again it’s about balancing the taste out.
Salt and Black Pepper: Simple but essential! You can add a pinch of each which is how I started the first time, but ended up with ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and a half a teaspoon of kosher salt.
And then for the ingredient that just literally pulls all the others together, it’s mustard! You can use any mustard as long as the taste is not over-powering, that’s why we suggest Dijon mustard.
The reason I say any mustard in the recipe card is because I’ve made this recipe with regular hot dog mustard and it does the job well!
The mustard acts as an emulsifier and it pulls the oil and vinegar together otherwise you will notice that the oil and vinegar are seperated. Shake them together vigorously, and they seem to combine—until you stop – Food52
For the Delicious Salad
Mixed Greens: Thanks to its versatility, you can use your favorite salad greens to build the wreath shape. Fresh spinach and rocket to suggest but a few. Fill in spaces with herbs like fresh curly parsley – sorry flat Italian parsley😅 and it looks good too!
Pomegranate Arils: These add a lovely color and sweetness to the salad. You can find them fresh at the grocery store or buy them in pre-seeded packs.
Cherries: Cherries add a delightful contrast and a touch of tartness to balance out the sweetness of pomegranate.
PS. I always get excited this time of year when I see cherries, then I start using them in everything. Just take a loook at this Honey Glazed Gammon Ham Recipe with a cherry and cinnamon glaze! She says with smiling rolling eyes!
Toasted Pecans: Love them! Don’t you? Toasting the pecans for just a couple of minutes is totally worth it and it enhances their flavor. You can also use green pistachios for an extra festive touch.
Blue Cheese: The earthiness of blue cheese adds depth of flavor to this salad. It literally brightens up the flavors. If you are short on blue cheese, feel free to use crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.
Goat cheese brings that tangy taste, while feta cheese offers a milder creaminess – both work wonders in this salad. For a twist, try mozzarella pearls or fresh mozzarella, I mean, the options are endless friends!
Sliced Avocado: For creaminess and richness that balances the sweet and tangy flavors.
Almond flakes: For an extra touch, make sure they are fresh because then you really get the crunch.
How to Make The Perfect Christmas Salad
Toasting the pecans: Add a tablespoon of butter to a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Toss in the pecans, stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes until they turn a darker golden brown. Season with a sprinkle of sea salt while still warm, and let them cool down.
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Tip! The salt is ideal if you are using the pecans as a snack. In the case of this salad recipe, you can omit adding salt and simply season the salad overall.
Making the Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette: In a mason jar add the salad dressing ingredients, close and shake well.
Building Your Wreath Shaped Salad
Arrange the Greens: In a large round plate, bowl or board, arrange the greens all around the bowl. Sprinkle half of the pomegranate seeds, add cherries around the plate over the greens.
Finishing touches: Add almond slivers, blue cheese, avocado slices, toasted pecans and the remaining pomegranate arils. Place a small bowl in the center of the serving plate and pour in the salad dressing.
To Serve: Serve on individual plates, add the dressing at your holiday table and enjoy!
Expert Recipe Tips!
Balsamic Dressing: For a unique twist, add a splash of red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or champagne vinegar.
Serve fresh: This salad is best enjoyed fresh so try and make it on the day. If you have all the ingredients ready to go, it takes a few minutes to make!
Greens: When you buy the greens, choose the packets that say ‘already washed’ to avoid having to salad spin them dry. Yes I know, we all may still like to rinse them anyway, but this is not the time seriousy, you don’t want damp greens!
Beautiful Presentation: Work with fresh seasonal ingredients, festive colours and use a either a large platter, board or a large salad bowl.
Tips for Leftover Salad
If you’ve got some christmas salad left, transfer the salad and dressing into an airtight container. Store the dressing separately to keep your salad greens fresh, and enjoy within a day or two.
Variations and Tips For Your Christmas Table!
You can never have enough ideas and inspiration for this special time of year we just have to be careful to not become overwhelmed. Here are some tips to An Organized Christmas Day Lunch, 10 Tips!
Ingredient Variations
- Honey: Feel free to swop with maple syrup.
- Balsamic pomegranate dressing: Feel free to use your preferred dressing, a creamy poppy seed dressing is another wonderful idea if you love poppy seeds.
Remember that a Christmas food wreath can be made with any ingredients and not only salad ingredients. Here are some examples:
- A Christmas dessert wreath using a round cake or use a bundt style pan (if making it yourself) then add cream and fresh strawberries to decorate.
- For a more fun and exciting idea for children, is a a stack crepes or pancakes for dessert, all shaped around a platter. Add lots of mini marshmallows, colorful smarties or other sweets. This can be a lovely decorating time well spent and they get to enjoy their efforts!
- How about an appetizer instead of a salad with all the goodies from mozzarella balls to smoked salmon and cottage cheese? Oh goodness I might do that!
- Or another one for children or older people who prefer softer eating is jelly! I just saw my bowl of set jelly in the fridge 🙂 Jelly moulds, anyway, you get the gist of this.
FAQ’S
Can I make this salad ahead?
Yes absolutely you can, just remember that ‘wet’ ingredients like the aril seeds and the cheese is alway best added at the last minute to avoid any soggy taste. It’s wonderful because this is the type of salad that’s fun and creative so you can give it to memebers of the family to arrange. Give them carte blanche, it’s the holidays!
What is a Christmas wreath salad?
A salad that forms a wreath to resemble the season, using ingredients that are popular this time of year. The christmas wreath in itself is a religious term used for everlasting life.
More Salad Ideas For The Holidays
- Simple Orange Salad Recipe
- Grilled Peaches And Prosciutto Salad
- Berries Prosciutto And Cheese Salad
- Creamy Pomegranate Chicken Salad with No Mayo
- Italian Caprese Salad (Insalata Caprese)
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Christmas Wreath Salad With A Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard any mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad
- 6-8 cups mixed greens – baby spinach rocket etc. Platter dependent, you may need less or more.
- 1 cup pomegranate arils divided (175g tub)
- 1/3 cup fresh cherries or your seasonal fruit
- 1 cup pecans 1/2 – 1/3 of 100g packet
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 100 grams blue cheese
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 cup almond flakes
Instructions
- Making the Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette: In a small jar add the salad dressing ingredients, close and shake well.
- Toasting the pecans: Add a tablespoon of butter to a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Toss in the pecans, stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes until they turn a darker golden brown. Season with a sprinkle of sea salt while still warm, and let them cool down.
Build the wreath shaped salad
- Arrange the Greens: In a large round plate, bowl or board, arrange the greens all around the bowl. Sprinkle half of the pomegranate seeds, add cherries around the plate over the greens.
- Finishing touches: Add almond slivers, blue cheese, avocado slices, toasted pecans and the remaining pomegranate arils. Place a small bowl in the center of the serving plate and pour in the salad dressing.
- To Serve: Serve on individual plates, add the dressing and enjoy!
