Quick and easy to make, this Christmas wreath salad is a healthy and fun festive side your guests will love!
This fun and simple Christmas wreath salad is a great addition to any festive table. Tossed in a red wine vinaigrette dressing, this make-ahead salad is bright, vibrant and bursting with flavor.
How to make a salad shaped like a wreath
- Massage the kale in the dressing.
- Place in a circular shape on a round platter, leaving the middle empty.
- Place the beets, tomatoes, red onions and goat cheese on top of the kale, spread out.
- Serve or store in the fridge.
Tips for making this festive salad
- Switch out the greens. I love how vibrant and earthy kale looks and holds really well as a wreath. If you wanted to use other greens like spinach or romaine lettuce, I recommend not dressing the salad, but instead serving the dressing in a bowl in the middle of the wreath.
- Massage the kale well in the dressing. This helps to infuse the flavors, and it also helps to break down the tough kale making it more tender to eat.
- Serve nuts or cheese in the middle in a bowl. If some of your guests don’t like the goat cheese, you can opt for adding it in a circular bowl with a spoon for individual serving.
- Use other toppings. I love the color and flavor of the toppings on this Christmas wreath salad, but you can easily mix things up by using blue cheese, red bell peppers, or anything else you like!
Frequently asked questions
This salad is great to serve as part of any Christmas table or holiday buffet. It’s great to serve alongside other small plates like Homemade Pita Chips and Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. Serve it as part of a light lunch and anytime you want to put a festive spin to your dinner!
I recommend making this Christmas wreath salad up to 6 hours in advance, but kale holds so well that you can even make it up to 24 hours in advance.
I like to use Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan or Dinosaur kale, for salads. It’s rich in flavor but it has thinner leaves compared to other types of kales, so you don’t need to cook it to use it. Baby kale will also work well.
More holiday inspired dishes:
- Christmas Tree Vegetable Platter
- Reindeer Brownies
- Crudite Wreath
- Christmas Cookies
- Baked Brie with Cranberry
- Cranberry Mango Sauce
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Christmas Wreath Salad recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Christmas Wreath Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale destemmed
- 10-12 small cooked beets scooped with melon baller
- 5-6 cherry tomatoes halved
- 5-10 sliced red onions thinly sliced
- 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove grated
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients of the dressing together. Add the kale on top of the dressing and use your hands to massage the kale until it's well coated with the dressing and it softens.
- Transfer the kale to a large circular wooden platter and place in a circular shape around the plate. Scatter the beets, tomatoes, red onions and goat cheese evenly around the circular shape. Serve immediately or chill for up to 6 hours.
