My Favorite Holiday Salad

Here's a fantastic winter holiday Salad recipe that's easy to prepare and will delight your guests. It contains mixed baby greens dressed in a bright and zesty cranberry orange vinaigrette and topped with fresh orange segments and toasted pecans. It's the perfect starter for a hearty Thanksgiving feast or an elegant dinner party.

This has become my go-to holiday salad for entertaining because it plates up beautifully and is full of fresh seasonal ingredients that are all in perfect harmony - delicate greens, tangy cranberries, juicy sweet oranges, zesty vinaigrette and rich crunchy toasted pecans - without question, the best salad of the season for a sit-down dinner.

How to make the best holiday salad

This is just a recipe overview; you will find the full ingredients and directions in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.

• Make the Vinaigrette: Soak the cranberries for 30 minutes in hot orange juice to soften and infuse them with orange flavor.While the cranberries soak, zest the oranges and whisk up the rest of the vinaigrette: orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, orange zest, salt and pepper. Drain the cranberries and stir them into the vinaigrette.

• Toast the pecans: My favorite way to toast pecans is on a baking tray in a 350º oven.  It takes about 8 minutes for perfectly toasted pecans. 
• Segment the oranges: An easy way to cut an orange into sections is to slice off the ends and prop the orange on its side so you can see the thin lines of pith separating the sections. Cut along those lines. Then slice the skin off the bottom of each segment. For more details, visit my post on how to segment a grapefruit or check out The Pioneer Woman's method of segmenting oranges. 

• Assemble the salad: When you're ready to serve, toss the orange segments with a bit of dressing. Put the greens in a large bowl and toss them with the rest of the dressing. Divide the greens among individual plates and arrange the orange segments and pecans on top. 

How to prep this holiday salad ahead of time

Entertaining is fun and it can also be stressful, especially if you're in charge of the cooking. The salad you serve at your holiday fête should be special but it should not stress you out to prepare. What makes this salad truly exceptional is its rich blend of flavors and textures, and the added bonus is that you can prepare all the components at least a day in advance.

• Make the vinaigrette up to a day ahead - store it in an airtight container in the fridge and be sure to bring it to room temperature before using it.
• Wash the lettuces up to a day ahead - Wash the lettuces and spin them dry in a salad spinner or pat them dry with a dish towel. Spread the leaves out on a big sheet of paper towels. Lay another big sheet on top. Roll up the leaves from one end and put the roll into a large ziplock bag. Store the lettuce in the fridge for up to 48 hours. The leaves will be clean and crisp when you're ready to use them.
• Segment the oranges up to a day ahead - store them in the fridge. 
• Toast the pecans up to a week ahead - store them in an airtight container in the fridge and bring them to room temp before using them.

Other delicious leafy salads from Panning The Globe:

• Butter Lettuce Salad with Citrus Honey Vinaigrette
• Insalata Tricolore: Classic Italian Salad of Arugula, Radicchio and Endive
• Raw Kale Salad with Honey Lemon Parmesan Dressing
• The Best Green Salad

If you're cooking for company this holiday season, be sure to check out Our best easy party food recipes.  It includes my best tips to help you host a fabulous party with amazing food that can be prepared with minimal stress.