I made you a very merry salad!
Well, actually I made it to share at a Christmas party a few weeks ago with some leftover ingredients from my favorite 5-Ingredient Pomegranate Pear Salad that I have been making non-stop this season. And then it was so simple, so fresh, and so flavorful that I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos before taking it to the party to share it with you.
Ok, and let’s be honest, I may have been unreasonably excited about the fact that it was red and green. Because if you can’t tell from this sangria, these caprese cups, and this baked brie, I may have a thing for color. ;)
The good news is that all of the beautiful reds and greens which make up this salad actually pair together perfectly in this delicious winter salad! It’s a great way to make use of those seasonal sweet pomegranate seeds and juicy pears. And when you toss in some avocado, pistachios, goat cheese (or blue or feta), and then drizzle it with a citrus vinaigrette?
Well, let’s say it’s not just pretty to look at. :)
It also happens to be naturally gluten-free. And once you get that pomegranate opened and seeded (I have a great tutorial for how to do that here), the salad comes together in minutes. Perfect for a busy holiday season, or any time of year that you feel like a sweet, citrusy, comforting green salad.
Enjoy!
Pomegranate, Pear and Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and roughly-chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 ripe pear, cored and diced
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- 2/3 cup shelled pistachios
- 2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese (or blue cheese, or feta cheese)
- 1/2 cup diced red onion (about half of a small red onion)
- seeds from 1 pomegranate (here is a tutorial for how to open and de-seed a pomegranate)
- citrus vinaigrette (see below)
Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup orange juice (freshly-squeezed, if possible)
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon honey, if needed to sweeten
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
To Make The Salad:
- Add all ingredients together in a large bowl and drizzle on the dressing. Toss until combined. Serve immediately.
- (*Tip: To prevent the diced avocado from browning while sitting out, toss it beforehand in a few tablespoons of lime or lemon juice.)
To Make The Vinaigrette:
- Whisk all ingredients together for 30 seconds until combined.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I am just loving all the delicious ingredients and vibrant colours of this salad. SO healthy and perfect to start 2015 off with!
I made this salad 3 times in the past 4 days, for the multiple Christmas eating fests! It was a hit each time and the last time I even added strawberries. Great recipe!
Beautiful Salad! I only recently started eating pomegranate and am now completely obsessed with it! This will be on my list of things to try very soon!
What a beautiful salad. It would be perfect to take to a get together or just have for home. Love all these flavors!
So colorful and so many amazing textures mixed together in this salad! I’m loving the orange juice and vinegar combo too!
This is gorgeous! I’ll have this morning, noon and night!
This salad is gorgeous!!!
This looks delicious! I always think of using craisins with goat cheese in a salad but pomegranate seeds sound way tastier (and are probably healthier, too)!
Looks so delish! There is no pear listed in ingredients. Should I use any particular kind of pear?
What a vibrant salad. I think this one will be on our Christmas table this year. Yum!