Christmas Wreath Pear Salad Recipe
Servings 6 to 8 servings
This Christmas Wreath Salad with pears and pomegranates is a stunning and delicious side dish that is perfect for holiday entertaining! It looks fancy, but is so easy to make! The ultimate winter salad to impress your guests this holiday season. {Gluten-free, vegetarian, & refined sugar-free}
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Pinch of salt and pepper
For the salad:
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 8 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 Bartlett pear ripe but firm, cored and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, Dijon, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and salt.
- Next, heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pecans and maple syrup and cook for 5-8 minutes or until maple syrup has evaporated. Be sure to stir the mixture frequently so that the nuts don't burn.
- Get out your circular platter or tray. Place the bowl or ramekin with the dressing in the centre of the platter. Carefully arrange the spinach around the bowl so that it resembles a wreath.
- Next, arrange the pear slices, pomegranate arils, dried cranberries, pecans, and feta cheese on top of the spinach. You can tuck some underneath the spinach as well to give it more dimension.
- To serve, divide the salad among the individual plates. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss to combine.
Notes
- This salad can also be served mixed in a large salad bowl if you don’t want to serve it on a platter or if you’re not looking for a Christmas-themed salad. It’s a tasty salad for any time of year! Mix the dressing in just before serving to prevent the salad from going soggy.
- I like to use pears that are on the firmer side so that they keep their shape when sliced. Overly ripe pears may be too mushy and will affect the taste and presentation of this salad.
- To save time when making this salad, purchase some of the containers of pomegranate arils that are usually found in the produce department. That way, you don’t have the hassle of trying to get the seeds out of the pomegranate.
- When assembling the salad on the large plate or tray, be sure to tuck some of the pears, pomegranates, pecans, cranberries and feta in between the layers of spinach as well for more dimension and to ensure the ingredients are all evenly distributed.
- You can make the dressing in advance and store it in the fridge so that you have some ready to go. That way you just have to assemble the salad when ready to serve!
Nutrition
Calories: 224kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 188mgPotassium: 357mgFiber: 4gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 3804IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 2mg
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