cara cara salad   Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON



cara cara salad   Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON

cara cara salad Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON

cara cara salad

Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON

With so many Christmas dishes starring as hearty, saucy, or braised affairs, it’s easy to feel weighed down by the end of the evening. Candied yams, confit de canard, green bean casserole, and super buttery baby potatoes are just a few of the things we can’t do without when it comes to our Christmas cornucopia. But the end result? It can be one giant familial food coma.

That’s why we’ve taken to balancing those buttery bruisers with something lighter and tangier, which is where Christmas salads come in. But these aren’t just your average bowl of greens. We’re here to talk about salad as a key supporting player—the dish can and should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with that umami-bursting roasted Brussels sprouts dish your cousin always makes. 

These bright holiday salads enliven your guests’ palates between mouthfuls of roast ham and mashed potatoes—plus, they’re a useful way to employ a pantry full of late fall produce. That’s why we recommend making two, three, or even four of them for the table. You’ll be surprised at how popular these Christmas salads are, and how fast they go. Plus, you can use some of the same fruit, nuts, and produce you use as salad toppings for the best and last course: dessert.

     Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds     Credit: John Kernick      Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds  View Recipe A salad does not by any means need greens, especially when it's this Martha-level beauty bursting with 10 pounds of citrus. Choose the citrus your heart desires, from golden grapefruit and Cara Cara to blood oranges and satsumas, but make sure you crown it all with tart, tannic pomegranate seeds. On a crowded holiday plate, this salad goes perfectly with meaty dishes and collard greens.             Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad     Credit: Johnny Miller      Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad  View Recipe Lemons are one way to get that top note of brightness, but lime is a more exciting and an unexpected accompaniment to a Christmas dish. Summon piquant flavors with lime, chili, and cilantro, all anchored by a traditionally fall veggie. Butternut squash makes this side dish feel like a harvest treat, while a sprinkling of crumbled Cotija cheese and pepitas seasons it with just enough fat and richness.               Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad  View Recipe A holiday spread never looked lighter and more fun than one punctuated by this pink grapefruit salad. Summon your spritzy side for this champagne vinegar, yogurt and grapefruit dressing, pick your prettiest, freshest avocado to slice, and peel whole segments of grapefruit. We recommend endive, escarole, and frisee, but you can use whatever firm, hardy greens you have; both basil and mint make the grade. The poppy seed garnish is the perfect finish.              Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Raw Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad  View Recipe We like to use Pecorino Romano for our salad, because it brings a grassy, earthy and strong accent to salads that parmesan just can't compare with. That's just one of the unusual and fun things about this salad, which lets you use raw—yes, raw—Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts. If you've never had Savoy, it's nothing like that grocery store cabbage, but instead more like a leafy green. Marinate with a little sugar in the fridge and these greens turn magic.             wild rice salad     Credit: Martyn Thompson      Wild-Rice and Lima-Bean Salad with Cranberry Relish  View Recipe You've got an extra bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, with no immediate plans for it after you've finished making your cranberry sauce. This is what we advise: a tart, healthy, and delicious salad featuring the cranberries in a delightful and versatile relish, tossed with wild rice and lima beans. Flat-leaf fresh parsley adds an herby note to this rice-and-bean salad that's healthy, but far from boring.              brussels sprout salad     Credit: Louise Hagger      Shredded Brussels-Sprout Salad with Hazelnut Crunch  View Recipe If you're feeling stressed about oven space and didn't quite get the Brussels sprouts in the oven to roast, we've got a simple, crowd-pleasing alternative for you. There's nothing like a lemony, crunchy Brussels sprout salad at your Christmas table, especially when it's tossed with toasty, sweet hazelnuts. With so many soft, braised items on the table, the double crunch in this dish is just the textural variety you need.             chicory salad        Mixed Chicories with Persimmons  View Recipe We're a fan of bitter greens at the table, and we'll tell you why: Chicories are secret arsenals of rich vitamins and excellent for gut digestion, but they also last much longer in your winter garden and stand up against the elements. You can roast, braise, or sauté them, but we like to feast on them raw, complementing them with firm slices of Fuyu persimmons, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, a proper red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, and a dash of salt and pepper.             fennel and endive salad     Credit: Jonathan Lovekin      Fennel-and-Endive Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Walnuts  View Recipe Two underused vegetables meet in this elegant Christmas salad. With so many brown and beige dishes on the table, this one might be the one you really want to photograph and remember. Your guests with sharper tastes will enjoy the fragrant aroma of anisey fennel and the mildly bitter taste of endive, along with warm, toasty walnuts and puckery, fruity pomegranate jewels.             cara cara salad     Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON      Cara Cara and Blood-Orange Salad with Ricotta Salata  View Recipe Transformative ricotta salata can dominate a dish, which is why this recipe uses Cara Cara and blood oranges to balance out the richness. Crumble the cheese conservatively amongst your arugula or mizuna, and top with a gorgeous blood orange dressing. This simple recipe can take the cake at any meal, even at Christmas.            farro salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Farro Salad with Oven-Roasted Grapes and Autumn Greens  View Recipe Here's a cool winter salad trick: just add any grain to any fruit and green, add dressing and toss. But you can level up from a pretty basic grain-and-green salad with the usage of farro, a nutty, addictive grain you might find yourself reaching for again and again after this. Roasted grapes make this salad even more exciting, and go nicely with your mixed small greens—try baby kale, baby Swiss chard, red mustard, or red mizuna.             roasted kabocha salad        Roasted Kabocha Squash with Tahini and Herb Salad  View Recipe We're not in the business of being afraid of a cup of herbs (or three)—and neither should you. Take a page from Middle Eastern dishes and pile on the herbs, along with the richness of tahini. This salad mixes yogurt with tahini to form the base; on top, kabocha squash is drizzled with lime dressing.            escarole salad     Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo      Escarole Salad with Lemon-and-Anchovy Dressing  View Recipe Don't ever say salad can't bring the umami. Devourable Castelvetranos are the most memorable olives you'll ever have, but they're not just for party platters. A dressing with anchovies, garlic, lemon, and Dijon mustard goes perfectly with escarole, a broad-leaved hearty green. Julienned lemon zest is thrown directly into the mix, meaning nothing about this salad is subtle—but everything is flavor-packed.   

    Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds     Credit: John Kernick      Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds  View Recipe A salad does not by any means need greens, especially when it's this Martha-level beauty bursting with 10 pounds of citrus. Choose the citrus your heart desires, from golden grapefruit and Cara Cara to blood oranges and satsumas, but make sure you crown it all with tart, tannic pomegranate seeds. On a crowded holiday plate, this salad goes perfectly with meaty dishes and collard greens.   

    Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad     Credit: Johnny Miller      Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad  View Recipe Lemons are one way to get that top note of brightness, but lime is a more exciting and an unexpected accompaniment to a Christmas dish. Summon piquant flavors with lime, chili, and cilantro, all anchored by a traditionally fall veggie. Butternut squash makes this side dish feel like a harvest treat, while a sprinkling of crumbled Cotija cheese and pepitas seasons it with just enough fat and richness.   

    Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad  View Recipe A holiday spread never looked lighter and more fun than one punctuated by this pink grapefruit salad. Summon your spritzy side for this champagne vinegar, yogurt and grapefruit dressing, pick your prettiest, freshest avocado to slice, and peel whole segments of grapefruit. We recommend endive, escarole, and frisee, but you can use whatever firm, hardy greens you have; both basil and mint make the grade. The poppy seed garnish is the perfect finish.   

    Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Raw Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad  View Recipe We like to use Pecorino Romano for our salad, because it brings a grassy, earthy and strong accent to salads that parmesan just can't compare with. That's just one of the unusual and fun things about this salad, which lets you use raw—yes, raw—Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts. If you've never had Savoy, it's nothing like that grocery store cabbage, but instead more like a leafy green. Marinate with a little sugar in the fridge and these greens turn magic.   

    wild rice salad     Credit: Martyn Thompson      Wild-Rice and Lima-Bean Salad with Cranberry Relish  View Recipe You've got an extra bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, with no immediate plans for it after you've finished making your cranberry sauce. This is what we advise: a tart, healthy, and delicious salad featuring the cranberries in a delightful and versatile relish, tossed with wild rice and lima beans. Flat-leaf fresh parsley adds an herby note to this rice-and-bean salad that's healthy, but far from boring.    

    brussels sprout salad     Credit: Louise Hagger      Shredded Brussels-Sprout Salad with Hazelnut Crunch  View Recipe If you're feeling stressed about oven space and didn't quite get the Brussels sprouts in the oven to roast, we've got a simple, crowd-pleasing alternative for you. There's nothing like a lemony, crunchy Brussels sprout salad at your Christmas table, especially when it's tossed with toasty, sweet hazelnuts. With so many soft, braised items on the table, the double crunch in this dish is just the textural variety you need.   

    chicory salad        Mixed Chicories with Persimmons  View Recipe We're a fan of bitter greens at the table, and we'll tell you why: Chicories are secret arsenals of rich vitamins and excellent for gut digestion, but they also last much longer in your winter garden and stand up against the elements. You can roast, braise, or sauté them, but we like to feast on them raw, complementing them with firm slices of Fuyu persimmons, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, a proper red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, and a dash of salt and pepper.   

    fennel and endive salad     Credit: Jonathan Lovekin      Fennel-and-Endive Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Walnuts  View Recipe Two underused vegetables meet in this elegant Christmas salad. With so many brown and beige dishes on the table, this one might be the one you really want to photograph and remember. Your guests with sharper tastes will enjoy the fragrant aroma of anisey fennel and the mildly bitter taste of endive, along with warm, toasty walnuts and puckery, fruity pomegranate jewels.   

    cara cara salad     Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON      Cara Cara and Blood-Orange Salad with Ricotta Salata  View Recipe Transformative ricotta salata can dominate a dish, which is why this recipe uses Cara Cara and blood oranges to balance out the richness. Crumble the cheese conservatively amongst your arugula or mizuna, and top with a gorgeous blood orange dressing. This simple recipe can take the cake at any meal, even at Christmas.   

    farro salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Farro Salad with Oven-Roasted Grapes and Autumn Greens  View Recipe Here's a cool winter salad trick: just add any grain to any fruit and green, add dressing and toss. But you can level up from a pretty basic grain-and-green salad with the usage of farro, a nutty, addictive grain you might find yourself reaching for again and again after this. Roasted grapes make this salad even more exciting, and go nicely with your mixed small greens—try baby kale, baby Swiss chard, red mustard, or red mizuna.   

    roasted kabocha salad        Roasted Kabocha Squash with Tahini and Herb Salad  View Recipe We're not in the business of being afraid of a cup of herbs (or three)—and neither should you. Take a page from Middle Eastern dishes and pile on the herbs, along with the richness of tahini. This salad mixes yogurt with tahini to form the base; on top, kabocha squash is drizzled with lime dressing.   

    escarole salad     Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo      Escarole Salad with Lemon-and-Anchovy Dressing  View Recipe Don't ever say salad can't bring the umami. Devourable Castelvetranos are the most memorable olives you'll ever have, but they're not just for party platters. A dressing with anchovies, garlic, lemon, and Dijon mustard goes perfectly with escarole, a broad-leaved hearty green. Julienned lemon zest is thrown directly into the mix, meaning nothing about this salad is subtle—but everything is flavor-packed.   

  Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds     Credit: John Kernick      Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds  View Recipe A salad does not by any means need greens, especially when it's this Martha-level beauty bursting with 10 pounds of citrus. Choose the citrus your heart desires, from golden grapefruit and Cara Cara to blood oranges and satsumas, but make sure you crown it all with tart, tannic pomegranate seeds. On a crowded holiday plate, this salad goes perfectly with meaty dishes and collard greens.  

 Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds     Credit: John Kernick   

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

A salad does not by any means need greens, especially when it’s this Martha-level beauty bursting with 10 pounds of citrus. Choose the citrus your heart desires, from golden grapefruit and Cara Cara to blood oranges and satsumas, but make sure you crown it all with tart, tannic pomegranate seeds. On a crowded holiday plate, this salad goes perfectly with meaty dishes and collard greens.

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds     Credit: John Kernick  

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

Credit: John Kernick

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

A salad does not by any means need greens, especially when it’s this Martha-level beauty bursting with 10 pounds of citrus. Choose the citrus your heart desires, from golden grapefruit and Cara Cara to blood oranges and satsumas, but make sure you crown it all with tart, tannic pomegranate seeds. On a crowded holiday plate, this salad goes perfectly with meaty dishes and collard greens.

  Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad     Credit: Johnny Miller      Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad  View Recipe Lemons are one way to get that top note of brightness, but lime is a more exciting and an unexpected accompaniment to a Christmas dish. Summon piquant flavors with lime, chili, and cilantro, all anchored by a traditionally fall veggie. Butternut squash makes this side dish feel like a harvest treat, while a sprinkling of crumbled Cotija cheese and pepitas seasons it with just enough fat and richness.  

 Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad     Credit: Johnny Miller   

Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad

Lemons are one way to get that top note of brightness, but lime is a more exciting and an unexpected accompaniment to a Christmas dish. Summon piquant flavors with lime, chili, and cilantro, all anchored by a traditionally fall veggie. Butternut squash makes this side dish feel like a harvest treat, while a sprinkling of crumbled Cotija cheese and pepitas seasons it with just enough fat and richness.

Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad     Credit: Johnny Miller  

Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad

Credit: Johnny Miller

Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad

Chili-Lime Roasted Butternut Salad

Lemons are one way to get that top note of brightness, but lime is a more exciting and an unexpected accompaniment to a Christmas dish. Summon piquant flavors with lime, chili, and cilantro, all anchored by a traditionally fall veggie. Butternut squash makes this side dish feel like a harvest treat, while a sprinkling of crumbled Cotija cheese and pepitas seasons it with just enough fat and richness.

  Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad  View Recipe A holiday spread never looked lighter and more fun than one punctuated by this pink grapefruit salad. Summon your spritzy side for this champagne vinegar, yogurt and grapefruit dressing, pick your prettiest, freshest avocado to slice, and peel whole segments of grapefruit. We recommend endive, escarole, and frisee, but you can use whatever firm, hardy greens you have; both basil and mint make the grade. The poppy seed garnish is the perfect finish.  

 Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson   

Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad

A holiday spread never looked lighter and more fun than one punctuated by this pink grapefruit salad. Summon your spritzy side for this champagne vinegar, yogurt and grapefruit dressing, pick your prettiest, freshest avocado to slice, and peel whole segments of grapefruit. We recommend endive, escarole, and frisee, but you can use whatever firm, hardy greens you have; both basil and mint make the grade. The poppy seed garnish is the perfect finish.

Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson  

Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad

Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad

Bitter Greens, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad

A holiday spread never looked lighter and more fun than one punctuated by this pink grapefruit salad. Summon your spritzy side for this champagne vinegar, yogurt and grapefruit dressing, pick your prettiest, freshest avocado to slice, and peel whole segments of grapefruit. We recommend endive, escarole, and frisee, but you can use whatever firm, hardy greens you have; both basil and mint make the grade. The poppy seed garnish is the perfect finish.

  Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Raw Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad  View Recipe We like to use Pecorino Romano for our salad, because it brings a grassy, earthy and strong accent to salads that parmesan just can't compare with. That's just one of the unusual and fun things about this salad, which lets you use raw—yes, raw—Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts. If you've never had Savoy, it's nothing like that grocery store cabbage, but instead more like a leafy green. Marinate with a little sugar in the fridge and these greens turn magic.  

 Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson   

Raw Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad

We like to use Pecorino Romano for our salad, because it brings a grassy, earthy and strong accent to salads that parmesan just can’t compare with. That’s just one of the unusual and fun things about this salad, which lets you use raw—yes, raw—Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts. If you’ve never had Savoy, it’s nothing like that grocery store cabbage, but instead more like a leafy green. Marinate with a little sugar in the fridge and these greens turn magic.

Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson  

Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad

Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad

Raw Swiss Chard, Cabbage, and Brussels Sprout Salad

We like to use Pecorino Romano for our salad, because it brings a grassy, earthy and strong accent to salads that parmesan just can’t compare with. That’s just one of the unusual and fun things about this salad, which lets you use raw—yes, raw—Swiss chard, Savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts. If you’ve never had Savoy, it’s nothing like that grocery store cabbage, but instead more like a leafy green. Marinate with a little sugar in the fridge and these greens turn magic.

  wild rice salad     Credit: Martyn Thompson      Wild-Rice and Lima-Bean Salad with Cranberry Relish  View Recipe You've got an extra bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, with no immediate plans for it after you've finished making your cranberry sauce. This is what we advise: a tart, healthy, and delicious salad featuring the cranberries in a delightful and versatile relish, tossed with wild rice and lima beans. Flat-leaf fresh parsley adds an herby note to this rice-and-bean salad that's healthy, but far from boring.   

 wild rice salad     Credit: Martyn Thompson   

Wild-Rice and Lima-Bean Salad with Cranberry Relish

You’ve got an extra bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, with no immediate plans for it after you’ve finished making your cranberry sauce. This is what we advise: a tart, healthy, and delicious salad featuring the cranberries in a delightful and versatile relish, tossed with wild rice and lima beans. Flat-leaf fresh parsley adds an herby note to this rice-and-bean salad that’s healthy, but far from boring. 

wild rice salad     Credit: Martyn Thompson  

wild rice salad

Credit: Martyn Thompson

wild rice salad

Wild-Rice and Lima-Bean Salad with Cranberry Relish

You’ve got an extra bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, with no immediate plans for it after you’ve finished making your cranberry sauce. This is what we advise: a tart, healthy, and delicious salad featuring the cranberries in a delightful and versatile relish, tossed with wild rice and lima beans. Flat-leaf fresh parsley adds an herby note to this rice-and-bean salad that’s healthy, but far from boring. 

  brussels sprout salad     Credit: Louise Hagger      Shredded Brussels-Sprout Salad with Hazelnut Crunch  View Recipe If you're feeling stressed about oven space and didn't quite get the Brussels sprouts in the oven to roast, we've got a simple, crowd-pleasing alternative for you. There's nothing like a lemony, crunchy Brussels sprout salad at your Christmas table, especially when it's tossed with toasty, sweet hazelnuts. With so many soft, braised items on the table, the double crunch in this dish is just the textural variety you need.  

 brussels sprout salad     Credit: Louise Hagger   

Shredded Brussels-Sprout Salad with Hazelnut Crunch

If you’re feeling stressed about oven space and didn’t quite get the Brussels sprouts in the oven to roast, we’ve got a simple, crowd-pleasing alternative for you. There’s nothing like a lemony, crunchy Brussels sprout salad at your Christmas table, especially when it’s tossed with toasty, sweet hazelnuts. With so many soft, braised items on the table, the double crunch in this dish is just the textural variety you need.

brussels sprout salad     Credit: Louise Hagger  

brussels sprout salad

Credit: Louise Hagger

brussels sprout salad

Shredded Brussels-Sprout Salad with Hazelnut Crunch

If you’re feeling stressed about oven space and didn’t quite get the Brussels sprouts in the oven to roast, we’ve got a simple, crowd-pleasing alternative for you. There’s nothing like a lemony, crunchy Brussels sprout salad at your Christmas table, especially when it’s tossed with toasty, sweet hazelnuts. With so many soft, braised items on the table, the double crunch in this dish is just the textural variety you need.

  chicory salad        Mixed Chicories with Persimmons  View Recipe We're a fan of bitter greens at the table, and we'll tell you why: Chicories are secret arsenals of rich vitamins and excellent for gut digestion, but they also last much longer in your winter garden and stand up against the elements. You can roast, braise, or sauté them, but we like to feast on them raw, complementing them with firm slices of Fuyu persimmons, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, a proper red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, and a dash of salt and pepper.  

 chicory salad     

Mixed Chicories with Persimmons

We’re a fan of bitter greens at the table, and we’ll tell you why: Chicories are secret arsenals of rich vitamins and excellent for gut digestion, but they also last much longer in your winter garden and stand up against the elements. You can roast, braise, or sauté them, but we like to feast on them raw, complementing them with firm slices of Fuyu persimmons, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, a proper red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, and a dash of salt and pepper.

chicory salad    

chicory salad

chicory salad

Mixed Chicories with Persimmons

We’re a fan of bitter greens at the table, and we’ll tell you why: Chicories are secret arsenals of rich vitamins and excellent for gut digestion, but they also last much longer in your winter garden and stand up against the elements. You can roast, braise, or sauté them, but we like to feast on them raw, complementing them with firm slices of Fuyu persimmons, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, a proper red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, and a dash of salt and pepper.

  fennel and endive salad     Credit: Jonathan Lovekin      Fennel-and-Endive Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Walnuts  View Recipe Two underused vegetables meet in this elegant Christmas salad. With so many brown and beige dishes on the table, this one might be the one you really want to photograph and remember. Your guests with sharper tastes will enjoy the fragrant aroma of anisey fennel and the mildly bitter taste of endive, along with warm, toasty walnuts and puckery, fruity pomegranate jewels.  

 fennel and endive salad     Credit: Jonathan Lovekin   

Fennel-and-Endive Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Walnuts

Two underused vegetables meet in this elegant Christmas salad. With so many brown and beige dishes on the table, this one might be the one you really want to photograph and remember. Your guests with sharper tastes will enjoy the fragrant aroma of anisey fennel and the mildly bitter taste of endive, along with warm, toasty walnuts and puckery, fruity pomegranate jewels.

fennel and endive salad     Credit: Jonathan Lovekin  

fennel and endive salad

Credit: Jonathan Lovekin

fennel and endive salad

Fennel-and-Endive Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Walnuts

Two underused vegetables meet in this elegant Christmas salad. With so many brown and beige dishes on the table, this one might be the one you really want to photograph and remember. Your guests with sharper tastes will enjoy the fragrant aroma of anisey fennel and the mildly bitter taste of endive, along with warm, toasty walnuts and puckery, fruity pomegranate jewels.

  cara cara salad     Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON      Cara Cara and Blood-Orange Salad with Ricotta Salata  View Recipe Transformative ricotta salata can dominate a dish, which is why this recipe uses Cara Cara and blood oranges to balance out the richness. Crumble the cheese conservatively amongst your arugula or mizuna, and top with a gorgeous blood orange dressing. This simple recipe can take the cake at any meal, even at Christmas.  

 cara cara salad     Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON   

Cara Cara and Blood-Orange Salad with Ricotta Salata

Transformative ricotta salata can dominate a dish, which is why this recipe uses Cara Cara and blood oranges to balance out the richness. Crumble the cheese conservatively amongst your arugula or mizuna, and top with a gorgeous blood orange dressing. This simple recipe can take the cake at any meal, even at Christmas.

cara cara salad     Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON  

cara cara salad

Credit: VICTORIA PEARSON

Cara Cara and Blood-Orange Salad with Ricotta Salata

Transformative ricotta salata can dominate a dish, which is why this recipe uses Cara Cara and blood oranges to balance out the richness. Crumble the cheese conservatively amongst your arugula or mizuna, and top with a gorgeous blood orange dressing. This simple recipe can take the cake at any meal, even at Christmas.

  farro salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson      Farro Salad with Oven-Roasted Grapes and Autumn Greens  View Recipe Here's a cool winter salad trick: just add any grain to any fruit and green, add dressing and toss. But you can level up from a pretty basic grain-and-green salad with the usage of farro, a nutty, addictive grain you might find yourself reaching for again and again after this. Roasted grapes make this salad even more exciting, and go nicely with your mixed small greens—try baby kale, baby Swiss chard, red mustard, or red mizuna.  

 farro salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson   

Farro Salad with Oven-Roasted Grapes and Autumn Greens

Here’s a cool winter salad trick: just add any grain to any fruit and green, add dressing and toss. But you can level up from a pretty basic grain-and-green salad with the usage of farro, a nutty, addictive grain you might find yourself reaching for again and again after this. Roasted grapes make this salad even more exciting, and go nicely with your mixed small greens—try baby kale, baby Swiss chard, red mustard, or red mizuna.

farro salad     Credit: Marcus Nilsson  

farro salad

farro salad

Farro Salad with Oven-Roasted Grapes and Autumn Greens

Here’s a cool winter salad trick: just add any grain to any fruit and green, add dressing and toss. But you can level up from a pretty basic grain-and-green salad with the usage of farro, a nutty, addictive grain you might find yourself reaching for again and again after this. Roasted grapes make this salad even more exciting, and go nicely with your mixed small greens—try baby kale, baby Swiss chard, red mustard, or red mizuna.

  roasted kabocha salad        Roasted Kabocha Squash with Tahini and Herb Salad  View Recipe We're not in the business of being afraid of a cup of herbs (or three)—and neither should you. Take a page from Middle Eastern dishes and pile on the herbs, along with the richness of tahini. This salad mixes yogurt with tahini to form the base; on top, kabocha squash is drizzled with lime dressing.  

 roasted kabocha salad     

Roasted Kabocha Squash with Tahini and Herb Salad

We’re not in the business of being afraid of a cup of herbs (or three)—and neither should you. Take a page from Middle Eastern dishes and pile on the herbs, along with the richness of tahini. This salad mixes yogurt with tahini to form the base; on top, kabocha squash is drizzled with lime dressing.

roasted kabocha salad    

roasted kabocha salad

roasted kabocha salad

Roasted Kabocha Squash with Tahini and Herb Salad

We’re not in the business of being afraid of a cup of herbs (or three)—and neither should you. Take a page from Middle Eastern dishes and pile on the herbs, along with the richness of tahini. This salad mixes yogurt with tahini to form the base; on top, kabocha squash is drizzled with lime dressing.

  escarole salad     Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo      Escarole Salad with Lemon-and-Anchovy Dressing  View Recipe Don't ever say salad can't bring the umami. Devourable Castelvetranos are the most memorable olives you'll ever have, but they're not just for party platters. A dressing with anchovies, garlic, lemon, and Dijon mustard goes perfectly with escarole, a broad-leaved hearty green. Julienned lemon zest is thrown directly into the mix, meaning nothing about this salad is subtle—but everything is flavor-packed.  

 escarole salad     Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo   

Escarole Salad with Lemon-and-Anchovy Dressing

Don’t ever say salad can’t bring the umami. Devourable Castelvetranos are the most memorable olives you’ll ever have, but they’re not just for party platters. A dressing with anchovies, garlic, lemon, and Dijon mustard goes perfectly with escarole, a broad-leaved hearty green. Julienned lemon zest is thrown directly into the mix, meaning nothing about this salad is subtle—but everything is flavor-packed.

escarole salad     Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo  

escarole salad

Credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo

escarole salad

Escarole Salad with Lemon-and-Anchovy Dressing

Don’t ever say salad can’t bring the umami. Devourable Castelvetranos are the most memorable olives you’ll ever have, but they’re not just for party platters. A dressing with anchovies, garlic, lemon, and Dijon mustard goes perfectly with escarole, a broad-leaved hearty green. Julienned lemon zest is thrown directly into the mix, meaning nothing about this salad is subtle—but everything is flavor-packed.