Description
A quick and easy festive One Pot Christmas Salad featuring fresh spinach, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, and a homemade honey poppyseed dressing. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this salad combines simple ingredients in one bowl for a flavorful and nutritious side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp dried mustard powder (or Dijon mustard)
- 2 tsp poppy seeds (adjust according to preference)
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Salad
- 1 bag spinach (16 oz)
- 3/4 cup pecans (roughly chopped)
- 3/4 cup cranberries (dried, sweetened)
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: In a large salad bowl, combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, finely chopped onion, dried mustard powder, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously for at least 1 minute until the mixture is well combined and fragrant.
- Add the spinach: Place the entire bag of spinach into the bowl with the dressing. Toss thoroughly to ensure all the leaves are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Add toppings: Sprinkle the roughly chopped pecans and dried sweetened cranberries over the dressed spinach.
- Serve: Serve the salad immediately for the freshest texture and enjoy this vibrant holiday side dish.
Notes
- For a nut-free version, substitute pecans with roasted pumpkin seeds or omit them entirely.
- Adjust the amount of honey in the dressing to your preferred sweetness level.
- Use fresh cranberries in season if available, but dried sweetened cranberries provide the best balance in this salad.
- Serve immediately to prevent the spinach from wilting too much.
- This salad keeps well for up to 4 hours refrigerated, but nuts may lose their crunchiness over time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 118 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 160 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
