Gettin’ fresh with a festive mixed green salad full of pomegranate seeds, feta and pecans! Perfect for lightening up over the holidays and serving something colorful on the side.
I’d say it’s about we lighten up things a little, what do you think? After all, there’s only so much butter and sugar that one blog can handle. I’m talkin’ to you, stretchy pants.
As much as I love to play with my food, one thing that goes severely neglected is my salad creativity. I love to plan my meals in a particular way. First comes the proteins – buttery roasted chickens, perfectly pink steaks and citrusy salmons are faves. And then comes the carbs. Ohhh, baby. I see fluffy mashed potatoes, gooey mac ‘n cheese, and crisp, soft garlic bread in the cards. So, that often means that my veggies are an afterthought. Present, but not picked with carefulness… and usually just a boring salad. It’s gotta change, people.
Salad can be the star, too, OKAY?
Since I’ve been on a major sweet-salty kick lately (thanks to my little bun), this colorful winter salad was the perfect fit for getting my fix in a healthy way. Sayonara, salted caramel… at least for a couple hours.
Packed with creamy feta, Texas pecans, and a punch of sour-sweetness from fresh pomegranate seeds, all the flavors in this salad sang together in beautiful harmony! I tossed mine with a quick balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below), but your favorite dressing would definitely do the trick. I recommend a light oil-based dressing as opposed to creamier, though… you get enough of that from the feta!
Wait… who am I? Who is this person suggesting that you could have too much cheese?! Lesson learned: Don’t take my advice.
I digress.
Aren’t these pomegranate seeds so beautiful? Cracking into one every winter is something I genuinely look forward to. The splotchy pink stains on my white sweaters, not so much. But extracting these little burgundy jewels from their fruit is very satisfying to me. My friend Kelly from Just a Taste has a great tip for getting the seeds loose in her video, here. Saves so much time – and your cute sweaters from stains!
As part of HEB’s Primo Picks program, I was recently sent a huge stock of Texas-made goodies to sample. Tearing through it, each thing I found was better than the last! It was like Christmas! There were candy cane cookies, smoked gouda chips, sundried tomato pesto, and these perfectly chunky, crisp Texas pecans. I knew instantly what they inspired me to make – a fresh, wintery salad with lots of color and vibrant flavors!
Topped with pomegranate pearls, dollops of creamy feta, and an easy homemade balsamic vinaigrette, this light and healthy salad totally hit the spot. Toss it together for a quick weeknight meal and slide alongside a big fluffy roll. Or, serve this delicious salad as a starter for your upcoming special occasion meals! It’s a knockout beauty and totally scrumptious.
Plus, all those greens MUST offset dozens of buttery Christmas cookies, right?
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Mixed Green Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Feta and Pecans
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients:
For Salad:
6 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from half of 1 fresh pomegranate)
1/2 cup (4 oz.) feta or gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below), or your favorite
For Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
For Vinaigrette:
In a medium bowl, whisk vinegar with sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in oil gradually (or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine). Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
If not using dressing immediately, cover and refrigerate. Whisk or shake before use to redistribute ingredients.
For Salad:
Combine mixed greens in a large salad bowl with pomegranate seeds, feta/gorgonzola and pecan halves. Toss with half of vinaigrette before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired, adding more of any ingredient or dressing.
Serve and enjoy!
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
I agree, salad can be the star! Anything with feta cheese is a star to me, this salad looks so good! Love the addition of pomegranate seeds also.
ThisBakerGirlBlogs says
Such a beautiful salad! Love all the colours and flavours :)
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
A very appealing salad. The pom seeds are gorgeous.
Muna Kenny says
Love it, and pinned it too :)
Kathy says
This salad looks like one my family would love! It’s so easy to get in a rut with salads!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Too much cheese… Psht! Never. This is one gorgeous salad, and those ruby jems are stunning. Love this salad. Pinned.
Katrina @ WVS says
This sounds great! Pomegranate makes salads so pretty!
Gintare @Gourmantine says
I could survive on salads like this alone! Looks so fresh, pretty and festive (and so good in between all the sweets :)
Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says
Love this salad with pomegranate seeds! The feta and pecan are an added plus! Thanks for sharing
Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama says
I love finding fresh and light salad recipes filled with winter flavors. This is gorgeous! Pinned!
ashley - baker by nature says
What a stunning salad, G! I could eat this all day long ;)
RavieNomNoms says
Such a healthy and colorful looking salad!
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
That looks so yummy! Your pictures are always so bright and perfect!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
i neglect veggies too :( have been trying to include them steamed or roasted. I love poms, makes everything looks prettier :)
Adri says
This looks wonderful – what a fabulous winter salad!
Ashley says
I definitely could use more salad in my life at the moment! Love the sound of this – with the feta and nuts and the pomegranate seeds (they are so gorgeous – get me every time!).
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
I am coming off of a weekend of cookies so could definitely use more salad! I am loving the pecans and pomegranates in this salad! It looks so pretty and perfect for the holidays!
Monet says
Don’t you just love adding those juicy red seeds to a winter salad? This looks so good Georgia! Thank you for sharing it!
Tieghan says
Simply Stunning! I could use this salad right about now!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Beautiful salad, Georgia! Just what I need to offset all the holiday treats :).
Joanne says
I could never have TOO MUCH cheese. But I could always have more salad!! I’m loving the mix of flavors in this!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
Ugh, I need salads because I’ve had 10 too many cookies. ;)
I love pomegranate seeds and this looks delicious! :)
Jaclyn says
I LOVE salads like this! It’s perfect for the holidays too!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Georgia,
This is as pretty as a post as I have ever seen. This salad is perfect for holiday season, thanks for sharing wth all of your readers!
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
Your salad looks like the most beautiful thing ever! I love the pomegranate addition ;)
Gaby says
Pomegranates are the best addition to salads and they look so festive!
Honey What's Cooking says
I’ve tasted pomegranates, but I’ve never bought them whole. So sad. I need to do that asap. This looks delicious, it’s good you are eating so healthy at this time.
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
Good gracious I NEED this salad tonight! Have spent my afternoon snitching co-workers’ cookies and could use a little rehab. Love all of the flavors you are rocking Georgia!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
This is my kind of salad, Georgia. The pomegranate seeds are genius. Love the colors, too!
Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen says
I have been craving salads like crazy and this one is so festive with the pomegranate seeds. I saw Trader Joe’s has them all ready to go in a little container! I’ll need to go check out Kelly’s tips too. Beautiful salad, Georgia.
Patty says
Your fresh salad with all the lovely flavors and textures looks amazing and yes this is a sugary time of year -I’m ready for a de-tox ;)
Carrian says
I love pomegranate! This salad looks delicious!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
This is absolutely stunning. It’s summer and it’s hot and this salad would be perfect for us this week.
Lauren says
THANK YOU for sharing! This paired so well with our crab & filet on NYE. Guests requested dressing recipe because it was SO tangy & delicious!
Patricia S. Bowling says
I think this website is great for finding great recipes!
Diane Gibbs says
My kids just gave me a bag of especially delicious pecan halves from the tree in their backyard, here in Houston…And I was looking for a festive salad w pomegranate seeds!
So perfect for our neighborhood gathering, tomorrow!
Can’t wait to make this…Thank you!