Winter Salad Mix (Printable)
Hearty winter greens with roasted vegetables, nuts, cheese, and citrus dressing for bright, fresh flavors.
# What You'll Need:
→ Salad Greens
01 - 3.5 oz baby kale
02 - 3.5 oz arugula (rocket)
03 - 1.75 oz radicchio, chopped
→ Root Vegetables
04 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
05 - 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
06 - 1 small beetroot, peeled and diced
07 - 2 tbsp olive oil
08 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Additions
09 - 1.75 oz walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
10 - 2.1 oz goat cheese, crumbled
11 - 1 small apple, cored and thinly sliced
12 - 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
→ Citrus Dressing
13 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
14 - 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
15 - 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
16 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
17 - 1 tsp honey
18 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - Toss diced carrots, sweet potato, and beetroot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated, then spread on the prepared tray.
03 - Roast the vegetables for 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and lightly caramelized. Allow to cool slightly.
04 - In a large salad bowl, combine baby kale, arugula, and chopped radicchio.
05 - Incorporate the roasted vegetables, apple slices, toasted walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, and pomegranate seeds into the greens.
06 - Whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until emulsified.
07 - Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving and toss gently to combine all ingredients evenly.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Roasted vegetables get sweet and tender while the raw greens stay crisp, creating a contrast that keeps you coming back for more bites.
- The citrus dressing brings brightness to dark winter months and somehow makes everything taste fresher than it should.
- It looks like you spent hours at a farmer's market, but you really just roasted some root vegetables and tossed them together.
02 -
- Don't dress the salad until the very last moment—I learned this the hard way when I prepped it ahead and the greens turned into sad, soggy disappointment.
- Roast your walnuts separately in a dry pan for just a few minutes; it's a small step that transforms them from okay to essential.
03 -
- Toast your walnuts in a dry pan for 3–4 minutes to unlock flavors you didn't know they had.
- If your pomegranate seeds are dried out, soak them in cold water for 10 minutes to plump them back up before adding them.