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Whoever said winter was colorless could not have been more misguided.
And this winter beet and pomegranate salad is proof.
I mean, do you see all the color?!? All the reds, greens, yellows and orange? Winter COLOR right there I tell you! I know I have been all about the cheesy, hearty and extra cozy recipes as of late, but behind the scenes I still crave a good salad. Something simple and light, yet full of color…and fruit, I am so a ‘fruit in my salad’ kind of girl.
Love it.
Since my theme for this week seems to be Christmas Eve Dinner, I feel I should let you know that this salad will definitely be on my table. Ask anyone in my family, this salad always makes an appearance. Typically in a giant bowl and typically with double the pomegranates plus whatever else happens to be in the fridge, usually just a random mix. Maybe some mushrooms, grapefruit, kale, I dunno anything in there is fair game + candied pecans, pomegranates and blue cheese. Those three are always a must.
SOO basically, this is the prettier version of my Christmas Eve salad.
The beets are a new addition though…loving the beets…more to come… and soon!! 🙂
When it comes to recipes for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I like to keep them simple. We always have SO many people packed into one house and that just means craziness. I can’t remember a Christmas Eve when mom, dad and I were not running around trying to get dinner on the table. It was hard, there were a lot of people! My mom used to make Christmas Eve Dinner for 30+ when we lived in Ohio… just thinking about preparing for that literally makes me stress…
Go Jenny…aka mom. Despite the huge crowd (and a crazy mother in law) her Christmas Eve party was always the best.
Point is, simple is the name of the game. Especially when it comes to the salad. I have so many other dishes on the table that I want the salad to be able to compliment them all, not stand out with its own intense flavor that just doesn’t pair well with anything else on the table, you know?
I like light and super fresh flavors with a little bit of crunch + um, lots of good cheese. Duh.
I adore the beets in this salad, beets + pomegranates are such a great combo and they’re obviously beautiful too! The maple pecans add a little sweetness and the blue cheese adds serious deliciousness… what, I love blue cheese! I know there are some of you who aren’t blue cheese lovers. I personally think this is crazy, but I get it. It’s moldy cheese, that can be weird. If you’re not into blue cheese try goat cheese or feta.
BUT PLEASE, don’t skimp on the cheese. Salads need cheese. Got it? Get it. Good!
For the dressing I went with my standard, balsamic, fig preserves, and a splash of fresh citrus. This is honestly one of my favorite salad dressings. It’s simple, but full of just the right amount of sweet and tangy flavors, Perfect.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Winter blues??? Naah, salad in for the win!
P.S. If you are looking for a quick and kind of fancy Christmas Eve meal (or really any nice occasion), check out this yummy steak and pasta dinner, I created for Colorado Homes and Lifestyles Magazine!! SO GOOD and this meal would be perfect when paired with THIS salad!
Do I peel the beets first before I roast them? Thank you. Please let me know.
Hi Alyssa! I do not peel my beets, just scrub them well and they should be good to go! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Happy New Year! xTieghan
I just made this for a holiday party, and it was such a huge hit, I didn’t even have a chance to try some! I added some za’atar to the beets, some lemon juice to the dressing and used walnuts instead of pecans. I served it alongside your butternut squash and sun-dried tomato lasagna, herby mashed potatoes and Julia Child’s beouf bourguignon. Everyone loved your recipes!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much!
Hi! Would grilled chicken be a good protein to add to this?
Yes! Grilled chicken will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
Hi Tiegan,
I made this salad tonight and it was awesome! However, I was curious what the yellow things are in your picture? Are they roasted shallots or yellow beets? I didn’t have a pomegranate, so I used orange slices and they were amazing! And added tha yellow.
I also made your gravy for Thanksgiving – great idea to make ahead!
Happy Holidays,
Sue
Hey Sue! Those are yellow beets! Please let me know if you have any other questions. so glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Fabuleuse, 5 étoiles!
Je vous remercie!
This salad is so pretty in colour and tasty! It brightened the Christmas table. My friends and I loved it!
That is amazing! So glad you and your friends enjoyed this recipe! Thank you!
Outstanding salad. Just make sure to use a good quality balsamic. I used an inexpensive grocery store brand and it ruined the dressing. Had to go out and buy other balsamic and remake the dressing. Big difference. Thanks for the recipe. Will make again. BTW, I added 1 cup cooked quinoa to make it a main dish but it would have been great without it.
I am so happy you liked this Mary Jane! Thank you!!
This recipe looks fantastic! I created a link within my post on beets to this.
We wanted to try something new for Christmas Eve dinner, and I remembered that I pinned this beautiful salad. It was easy to make and absolutely delicious. Everyone loved it so much that we’ve already made it a second time. We’re planning to make this part of our annual menu. Happy New Year!
SO happy you loved it! Thank you! Have a happy New Year!
I made this today, or rather, a variation of it. Thank you for the inspiration! Christmas for my family is on the 24th, so I had quite a few leftovers to eat. I used mix red lettuce and spinach, some turkey, persimmons, beets, Brussels sprouts, and goat feta. SO GOOD! So stuffed! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
ok, I didnt know that is a yellow beet 😀 thenk you and Merry Christmas! 🙂
Hi 🙂
What is this orange thing in salad? 🙂 I cant found nothing about this product
Hey Julia, That is a yellow beet. Let me know if you have any other questions! Merry Christmas! 🙂
Figs and beets are one of my favorite food combinations! I can’t wait tontry the dressing with the fig preserves along with beets and greens. Yum!
This salad is beyond gorgeous, you’ve done it again with the most colorful food! 🙂
Wow this looks so good I would probably eat salad everyday if it looked like that!!
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