Friends, I’ve got the perfect salad to have up your sleeve during the holidays! So much flavor coming from a handful of ingredients (luv that) dressed in a tangy apple cider vinaigrette with pretty pom jewels (psst: it features 4 greens but nobody will care, because it tastes that good!)
My husband and I have been eating it on the regular and the boys, just back from school, gave it the big thumbs up (well they didn’t actually elevate their thumbs, too much work, but they pretty much licked their bowls clean, the ultimate test).
The broccoli is sautéed just long enough to soften, salt and warm. The color is intensified in the cooking process and stands out beautifully against the festive red poms – the whole mess is intermingled with arugula, baby spinach and cabbage. I have to say, the rocket makes this recipe (tho the broc and dressing play close seconds). The peppery goodness is the perfect contrast to the sour-sweet vinaigrette and those juicy bursts of pom… heaven on a fork.
My approach to dressing is to start small – drizzle a little, toss and taste and then add more as needed. You want there to be flavor in every bite but not dripping wet (yuck).
You can complicate this recipe as much as you like (I have some ideas for ramping it up in the recipe notes) but the base recipe is pretty darn good as is, so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you keep it simple.
Wishing you all peaceful and safe holidays ~♥.
- For the Salad
- 5 oz (142 g) mixed baby spinach & arugula
- 14 oz (397 g) shredded cabbage (we use a tri-color mix which is mostly green cabbage; some purple & carrot)
- 12 oz (340 g) broccoli florets (or 1 generous head of broccoli chopped into bite size pieces)
- ⅓ cup or so pomegranate arils
- For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (or slightly less, see notes)
- 3 tsp grainy Dijon mustard (stone ground)
- 1 round tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ½ - ¾ tsp salt (to taste)
- A few cracks pepper to taste
- You'll want to start by making the dressing to allow the flavors to meld and leave the broccoli until the very end.
- Assemble dressing ingredients in a container with fitted lid and shake well until fully combined. If you're making the dressing a day ahead, store in fridge.
- Slice pomegranate in half and then quarter to release arils (I use my hands for this part - it's a little messy but also fun), and set aside. If you prep the pom the day before, store arils in a sealed container in fridge.
- Place cabbage, spinach and arugula in a roomy bowl.
- In a large sized skillet set to low-medium heat, sauté broccoli florets in some olive oil for about 6 or so minutes, salting lightly. The goal is to soften and warm the broccoli (the color will also deepen) but you still want it to have some crunch.
- Meanwhile, shake your dressing again, taste and make any flavor adjustments desired.
- When you're ready to serve, transfer warm broccoli to the greens, drizzle with a little dressing and toss well to combine. (You can add more dressing as desired but I like to start with a bit at a time). Garnish (or toss) with arils and bring to table in large bowl or serve in individual dishes.
Make Ahead: you can make the dressing a day (or two) ahead and store in fridge. The flavors only get better. Similarly, you can prep the pomegranate the day before and store arils in a sealed container in the fridge. I like to work from the whole pomegranate rather than the prepackaged arils because I find them much fresher and juicier (I've not had a lot of luck with packaged arils which I find soft and funny tasting).
Options & Subs: you can fancy this salad up any way you like with nuts/seeds (roasted pepitas, toasted almond, pine nut or walnut pieces might be especially nice), fresh or dried fruit (apple, pear, cranberry, currant, cherry) and other greens as desired (thin sliced fennel would work well). But the dressing? Don't skip the basil! So good... I could sniff the basil spice jar all day.
Time Savers: I understand the holiday crunch and your mental health is paramount (always!). You can absolutely use packaged greens here - including pre-chopped broccoli. The only ingredient I haven't had as much luck buying prepackaged are the pom arils - I prep those the night before from a whole pom and just store in fridge. We use the leftovers in drinks - sparkling water/ prosecco -- so pretty, tasty and festive!
A fabulous and colorful salad for sharing. I love the broccoli softening so much as the chewing can be a bit of work :D So happy to hear the guys gave it a thumbs up (sorta) and enjoyed this seasonal salad. Love the pom pops… just delicious! Happy New Year Kelly! xo
I have definitely not used enough pomegranates this season! I did see some still in the store yesterday. I love the colors, the flavors and your plating is beautiful! Hope your holiday was merry and bright!
I remember reading this recipe while we were in Arizona, it’s absolutely gorgeous! I just love the punch of colour the pomegranate gives. I bet the tart taste also gives this festive salad a boost! Merry Christmas to you and your lovely family!
This is the exact salad recipe I was looking for the perfect holiday brunch! Gonna make it tomorrow morning. I am sure everyone is gonna love it! Thanks for this awesome post!
I’m thrilled to hear that, I hope you and your guests love it! Thanks so much for dropping in to let me know.
Red and green – a beautiful holiday salad! I love what you do with the broccoli for this salad because I’ve never been a fan of raw broccoli, but I also don’t like it soft. your method of a light saute is just perfect. As for pomegranate, during pomegranate season it ends up in everything – cereals, oatmeal vegetable toppers and in any and all salads. Such a lovely color! Wishing you and your family a fabulous Holiday Season!!!
yeah, raw broc goes down as smooth as pure roughage :0 a little softening goes a long way. Thanks for the reminder about putting pom seeds in oatmeal (haven’t done that in a while) – they’re so darn pretty too, I understand where the ‘jewel’ part comes from; they literally glisten (half the juice ends up on my face but it’s all good, occupational hazard, haha). Cheers MJ!
Wow!!! I love every detail of this salad!
Perfection on a plate…, saving for very soon
thanks lady! I hope you love it