The Best Holiday Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette
Pretty much every year around the holidays, I make some version of this salad to bring to a family meal. I love a salad that’s hearty and full of different flavours + textures, and this holiday salad with maple-cider vinaigrette is exactly that. I have a few family members who aren’t exactly excited by salad and I’ve converted them into salad lovers with this one.
This holiday salad features everything I want in a delicious salad that’s impressive enough to bring to a holiday meal. We’ve got roasted squash, crisp sliced apples, fennel, shredded brussels sprouts and the most addictive candied walnuts for some crunch on top. Everything is tossed in a slightly sweet and garlicky cider vinaigrette that’s made with a few pantry staples and is the perfect compliment to all the salad elements.
The great thing about this salad is that it can be customized to your liking, so feel free to add or remove anything you want or have around. Plz make it your own! Hope you love this one :)
The Best Holiday Salad with Maple-Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Sturdy greens of choice - I love using kale and/or arugula here
1 butternut squash, peeled, scooped of seeds + cubed
2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed + thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
⅓ cup raw walnuts
2 tbsp maple syrup
Olive oil
Salt + pepper
For the dressing:
⅓ cup olive oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp dijon mustard
¼ tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic, grated
Method
Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400 degrees. Toss squash cubes in olive oil, salt + pepper and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes (less if using air fryer) until the cubes are golden brown.
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan over medium. Add shallots and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and more oil to the same pan, then saute sliced brussels sprouts with salt for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned (this is optional - you can also leave them raw in the salad if you want!)
Make your candied walnuts by adding walnuts to a dry skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are toasted and fragrant. Turn heat down to low and add maple syrup and a big pinch of salt. Stir and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat to let them harden.
Add all dressing ingredients to a jar and shake to combine. Taste and adjust as desired.
When ready to assemble, add your greens to a large serving bowl or plate. Toss with as much of the dressing as you want plus a pinch of salt and pepper. Add sliced apples and fennel evenly overtop, then the shredded brussels. Add cooked squash, crispy shallots and candied walnuts and serve!
Serves 4 (can easily be doubled for a larger crowd)
