Description
A bright and festive One Pot Christmas Salad featuring fresh spinach, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, and a homemade honey poppy seed dressing. This easy, no-cook recipe comes together in just 20 minutes, perfect for holiday gatherings or a healthy 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 to preference)
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Salad
- 1 bag spinach (16 oz.)
- 3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
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 all ingredients are fully blended and the dressing is fragrant.
- Toss the spinach: Add the entire bag of spinach to the bowl with the dressing. Toss thoroughly to ensure all spinach leaves are evenly coated.
- Add toppings: Sprinkle the roughly chopped pecans and sweetened dried cranberries on top of the dressed spinach. Gently toss if desired or leave as a topping for presentation.
- Serve: Serve the salad immediately to enjoy the fresh and crisp textures along with the sweet tangy dressing.
Notes
- This salad is best served fresh to maintain crispness of the spinach.
- Adjust poppy seed quantity to taste for preferred crunch and flavor.
- Use honey alternatives like agave nectar for a vegan option, but note the diet classification.
- To make this gluten-free, ensure the mustard powder is certified gluten-free or substitute with Dijon mustard without gluten-containing additives.
- For extra texture, consider adding diced apples or pears.
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
