This quick and easy, gorgeous festive holiday salad makes the perfect side dish for Christmas or New Year’s Eve. The colorful combination of beets, onions, and citrus is absolutely delicious.
Are you attending a holiday potluck or hosting a dinner party? This festive salad can be made fairly quickly, is eye-catching, and delicious! Enjoy the exquisite flavors of the fruit and vegetable combination balanced by a delicious, creamy, and tangy poppy seed dressing. Prepare the salad up to 4 hours in advance to prevent wilting and store it in an airtight container. Serve the dressing separately.
Ingredients
For salad:
- 2 heads of butter lettuce (2 large, 3-4 small)
- 1/2 cup chopped radicchio (sub with purple cabbage
- 3 tangerines, peeled and sliced
- 1 can sliced beets, drained
- 1/2 large red onion, sliced (sub with 1 large shallot)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- crumbled feta cheese (optional)
For poppy seed dressing:
- Mayonnaise (sub with a non-dairy yogurt for vegan diets)
- White wine vinegar
- White sugar
- Dry mustard (powdered)
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Poppy seeds
How to Make a Festive Holiday Salad
- Make the poppy seed dressing by whisking together the ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust to your liking. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours in advance.
- Rinse the butter lettuce and radicchio under cool water. Drain and blot dry with paper towels. Chop and set aside.
- Peel and slice the tangerines, and gather the remaining salad ingredients.
- Arrange the lettuce, radicchio, sliced onions, tangerines, and beets on a serving platter. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and crumbled feta (optional).
- Drizzle the poppy seed dressing over the salad right before serving. You can also serve the dressing on the side.
What to Serve with Festive Holiday Salad
Like most salads, this festive side dish pairs well with most main proteins and side dishes like prime rib, rack of lamb, spiral cut ham, baked salmon, and holiday turkey.
Festive Salad Variations
- Greens: Use a combination of fresh baby spinach and kale instead of butter lettuce and radicchio.
- Nuts and Seeds: Swap out the pine nuts with chopped walnuts, almonds, or toasted pumpkin seeds. Replace the poppy seeds with chia or flax seeds.
- Fruit: Replace the sliced tangerines with sliced pears or apples.
- Herbs: Add 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs like dill or parsley to lift the flavor.
- Cheese: Incorporate shaved parmesan cheese for added savory flavor.
Festive Holiday Salad
Ingredients
- 2 heads of butter lettuce 2 large, 3-4 small
- 1/2 cup chopped radicchio (sub with purple cabbage
- 3 tangerines peeled and sliced
- 1 can sliced beets drained
- 1/2 large red onion sliced (sub with 1 large shallot)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- crumbled feta cheese optional
- For dressing:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise sub with a non-dairy yogurt for vegan diets
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powdered
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Instructions
- Make the poppy seed dressing by whisking together the ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust as needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours in advance.
- Rinse the butter lettuce and radicchio under cool water. Drain and blot dry, chop, and set aside.
- Peel and slice the tangerines, then gather the remaining salad ingredients.
- Arrange the lettuce, radicchio, sliced onions, tangerines, and beets on a serving platter. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and crumbled feta (optional).
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad right before serving, or serve the dressing on the side.
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