This special winter greens salad has been my go-to salad for holiday gatherings this year. It’s the perfect thing to make with winter greens that are plentiful this time of year. Bring this salad to a potluck, or serve it at your home with a nice soup and main dish on a cold winter’s evening. Below are a couple of meals I have served the salad with this holiday season.
Roasted salmon, asparagus, basmati rice, and winter greens salad (holiday meals with friends):
Beef tenderloin, roasted vegetables, and winter greens salad (Christmas Eve supper):
Give yourself time to prepare this salad. It is a labor of love! You’ll be preparing the greens, various toppings and garnishes, and a warm dressing that gets tossed with the greens. Better to enlist some help to make it fun and less time consuming!
When you get home from the market, you can refresh your greens by trimming about 1-2 inches off the ends and putting them into cold water for about an hour before you start the recipe. This will make them perk up and the stems will be extra crisp and crunchy.
Getting ready to put the beets in the oven…
The greens become slightly wilted, but should still be bright and fresh. Beets, greens stems, pecans, and pomegranates are layered on top of the dressed greens. So beautiful!
Winter Greens Salad with Golden Beets, Pomegranate, Pecans, and Warm Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Roasted beets
- 1 golden beet
- 1 red beet
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Toasted pecans
- 1/2 cup raw whole pecans
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- a few pinches sea salt
Salad greens
- 1 bunch red or rainbow swiss chard
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
Warm dressing
- 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice (about 1/2 orange)
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon unpasteurized tamari or shoyu
Garnishes
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (or dried cranberries)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line sheet pan with parchment paper (or grease pan with thin coating of oil).
- Peel beets and slice into 1/8-inch rounds. Place into medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt.Place beet rounds onto lined sheet pan in a single layer. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Beets can be turned over once to cook more evenly. Remove beets from oven and allow to cool.
- Turn oven down to 350°F. Toast pecans on small sheet pan for about 8 minutes. Toss halfway through to prevent burning. Place toasted pecans in a small bowl and drizzle with maple syrup and sea salt.
- Destem swiss chard, reserving stems. Tear leaves into bite sized pieces and place into bowl.
- Destem kale and slice leaves into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Gently massage kale leaves with a few pinches of salt for about one minute. Slice chard stems into 1/2-inch lengths and kale stems into 1/4-inch lengths and set a aside.
- Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and immediately add chard and kale stems with a pinch of salt. Sauté briefly, just until brightly colored. Remove to a small bowl.
- Add 1/4 cup olive oil to pan and heat on medium until shimmery (this will probably only take a few seconds). Add red onion and a pinch of salt. Sauté until onion is soft and slightly browning. Turn heat to low and add balsamic vinegar, orange juice, maple syrup, and tamari or shoyu.
- Turn heat off and add kale and chard greens to the pan, tossing constantly to coat with the warm dressing. When all leaves are evenly coated, remove greens to a platter. Top with roasted beets, chard and kale stems, toasted pecans, orange zest, and pomegranate seeds.
This version was made with toasted pepitas and rainbow chard (no beets).
