Last Updated on October 17, 2023 by Carne Diem
Jump to RecipeOur Christmas Salad with Cranberries and Roasted Chestnuts is absolutely one of the best salad recipes for Christmas dinner. This holiday salad consists of baby greens, spinach, chopped roasted chestnuts, dried cranberries, and feta cheese and is topped with a homemade cranberry balsamic vinaigrette.
Table of contents
Making a Christmas Inspired Salad with Baby Greens
To make the holiday salad you will need to make the Cranberry and Balsamic Salad Dressing, and then assemble your salad. That's it. This simple salad can be ready for the holiday table in minutes.
Making the Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Our favorite was to top this Christmas Green Salad is with a homemade Cranberry Vinaigrette dressing. This salad dressing recipe is super easy to make and only takes a few minutes.
First, finely dice the dried cranberries and place in a salad dressing carafe. Add in the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake until well combined. You may need to give it a good shake before serving as well if the oil and vinegar separate.
How long will the homemade cranberry vinaigrette last?
Due to the inclusion of the cranberries and fresh garlic, the cranberry balsamic vinaigrette should be used within 3 days and stored in the refrigerator until it is used.
Be sure to check out more of our favorite soup and salad recipes here:
- Grilled Corn and Goat Cheese Salad
- Grilled Apple Cranberry Salad
- Fried Boursin Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Smoked Arugula Salad With Bourbon Vinaigrette
- Fire Roasted Tomato Soup
- Greenlandic Inspired Pollock Soup
- Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup with Smoked Beef
Finishing the Christmas Salad
We make this Christmas green salad with spinach and baby greens, but you can certainly use your favorite greens. Spinach salad with cranberries is one of our favorite combinations and the flavors of the cranberry and feta salad along with the crunch of the roasted chestnuts is perfect.
Finely chop the roasted chestnuts and gather the rest of the salad toppings. Place the greens in individual bowls or a large salad bowl if serving the holiday salad family style. Top with the chopped chestnuts, feta, and some dried cranberries.
Just prior to serving, top the Christmas dinner salad with the cranberry balsamic vinaigrette. We think you will agree that this is one of the best Christmas salad recipes out there, and we would love to hear what you think.
Serve the Christmas salad as the opening course for you holiday dinner. For more great Holiday recipes, including those to make on your grill or smoker, check out our ever-growing list of the best Christmas dinner recipes:
- Mother's Inspired Double Smoked Black Ham
- Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib
- Smoked Pork Crown Roast
- Holiday Stuffing with Truffle Sausage
- Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes
- Fried Mashed Potato Cakes with Herbes de Provence Butter
- Smoked Turkey Roulade: Rolled Turkey Breast with Fresh Herbs, Black Garlic, and Prosciutto
Leftover dressing should be used within 3 days due to the inclusion of the cranberries and garlic. Thankfully the recipe is so east you can make a new batch in minutes.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. If you tried and enjoyed our recipe, please share with others and please leave us a comment and review. We also love to see your pics so don’t forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary or #CarneDiemBlog. To be notified of future recipes please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, or sign up for our e-mail notifications. Until next time, Carne Diem!
📖 Recipe
Christmas Salad with Chestnuts and Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 6 Ounce Mixed baby greens or baby spinach
- ½ Cup Roasted Chestnuts Coarsely Chopped
- ½ Cup Feta Cheese
- ½ Cup Dried Cranberries
Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Garlic Clove minced
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Cranberries Finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- Black Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and finely chop 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries. Place in a salad dressing carafe along with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard. Shake to combine then add in the honey and slat and fresh black pepper to taste. Mix well to combine.
- Coarsely chop the roasted chestnuts.
- Place the rinsed baby greens in a bowl and top with the feta cheese, dried cranberries, and chopped chestnuts.
- Top with the cranberry balsamic vinaigrette just before serving.
Nutrition
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