Holiday Salad with Kale, Persimmon and Pomegranate
Holiday Salad with Kale, Persimmon and Pomegranate is a festive kale salad tossed in a tangy, sweet citrus maple dressing. It’s perfect as a Christmas salad, Thanksgiving salad or holiday potluck!
The past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind for me. I hosted Thanksgiving, then 3 days later I hosted my son’s 18th birthday party. Needless to say there’s been a lot of entertaining going on, but ’tis the season!
Since my boy is all grown up, I definitely drowned my sorrows in a few cupcakes.
This Holiday Salad with Kale, Persimmon and Pomegranate is how I bounce back from all the cupcakes. It’s so full of flavor, it truly feels more like a treat than a salad.
The fact that it shimmers like Christmas doesn’t hurt either. 🙂
Holiday Salad
Do you serve salad on holidays? I typically do because it’s always nice to eat some greens amidst all the indulgent dishes that come along with a holiday meal.
This kale salad with persimmon and pomegranate makes the perfect for a Thanksgiving salad, Christmas salad, holiday potluck, or a regular weeknight dinner.
We eat it weekly — it’s our favorite salad this time of year.
Why this salad recipe is perfect for the holidays
I love this recipe because it’s the perfect compliment to any holiday menu.
It pairs well with the following:
- turkey
- ham
- beef
- vegetarian dishes
This salad is full of flavor, texture and color, which will give your holiday meals the wow factor they deserve.
Why you’ll love this kale pomegranate salad
This holiday salad recipe has all the elements. It’s bitter, sweet, tangy and tart, with crunchy nutty pecans to round out all the flavors.
One of the best things about this salad is that it’s easy to prepare, and the hardy kale won’t wilt down on you, which means you can assemble most of it in advance.
See the recipe notes for more make ahead tips.
Ingredients for holiday kale salad
There are only a few simple ingredients for this easy holiday salad!
- Curly kale
- Persimmon
- Pomegranate
- Goat Cheese
- Pecans
- Olive oil
- White balsamic vinegar
- Orange juice
- Maple Syrup
- Dijon mustard
How to make Christmas / Thanksgiving Salad
This salad is very easy to prepare, and most of the components may be made in advance.
- Prep the curly kale by washing and draining it well. Blot it dry with a towel, then tear into bite sized pieces.
- Place the kale, persimmon, pomegranate, goat cheese and pecans in a large bowl and set aside.
- Place the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt and pepper, to taste in a mason jar and seal with a lid. Shake well until emulsified.
- Toss the salad with the desired amount of dressing (you may not need it all), until well coated.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe notes and substitutions
- Curly kale may be substituted with dinosaur or baby kale, or the lettuce of your choice.
- The curly kale won’t wilt, so you can assemble most of it in advance. For best results, add the dressing and pecans just before serving.
- Prepped kale may be stored in an air tight container for 2-3 days.
- Deseed your pomegranate 2-3 days in advance to make salad prep much faster.
- Prepare the dressing up to 5 days in advance. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes until the olive oil liquifies, then shake to emulsify.
- Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant.
Hungry for more salad? See all of my Salad recipes.
More holiday salad recipes:
Apple spinach salad by Gimme Some Oven
Holiday Salad with Kale, Persimmon and Pomegranate
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 bunch curly kale 8 cups torn
- 1 medium persimmon chopped
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
For the dressing:
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the kale, persimmon, pomegranate, goat cheese and pecans in a large bowl and set aside.
- Place the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste in a mason jar and seal with the lid. Shake vigorously until emulsified.
- Pour the desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss until well coated (you may not need it all). Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition information includes all of the dressing, though you more than likely won't need it all.
- Curly kale may be substituted with dinosaur or baby kale, or the lettuce of your choice.
- The curly kale won't wilt, so you can assemble most of it in advance. For best results, add the dressing and pecans just before serving.
- Prepped kale may be stored in an air tight container for 2-3 days.
- Deseed your pomegranate 2-3 days in advance to make salad prep much faster.
- Prepare the dressing up to 5 days in advance. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes until the olive oil liquifies, then shake to emulsify.
- Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
6 Comments on “Holiday Salad with Kale, Persimmon and Pomegranate”
I’m the person in my family that brings a salad to every gathering, and Christmas is no exception. This holiday salad is on the top of my list. I actually have everything on hand to make this one right now – even the persimmons!
I’m that person too for sure. 🙂 Thanks Leanne!
You know I’m a salad lover like you, Marcie! The colors in this are just perfect for the holidays. I can only take so many sweets before I’m desperate for a big, hearty salad. I’m going to keep this in mind for our big family Christmas dinner this year!
I know you are a salad lover too! I’m the same way about the sweets…I always need salad to balance things out!
Every time you post a persimmon recipe I think about how I don’t use them enough!!! haha This salad looks absolutely delightful!
I’ll keep the reminders coming. haha Thank you friend!