Winter Salad
on Jan 03, 2022, Updated Nov 14, 2023
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This substantial and beautiful salad makes the most of fresh ingredients commonly available in cold weather months.
This salad is a deliciously assertive blend of peppery, crunchy, and tender, balanced by a handful of tender, softly flavored chickpeas. It makes the most of ingredients commonly available in cold weather months and feels dynamic and fresh. Lots of interesting textures, and great color!
Serve with a hearty main course like Crispy Baked Eggplant Parmesan, The Perfect Turkey Burger, or Baked Tortellini for a great cold weather meal.
Table of Contents
Winter Salad: This substantial and beautiful salad makes the most of fresh ingredients commonly available in cold weather months.
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Winter Salad Ingredients
Think of this list of ingredients as a flexible starting point!
- Olive oil – Acts as the base of the dressing.
- White wine vinegar – Gives the dressing a tangy flavor.
- Dijon mustard – Provides a slight kick.
- Honey – Provides a bit of sweetness to the dressing.
- Lemon juice and zest – Add a hint of acidity and fresh citrus flavor to the dressing.
- Arugula – Arugula is a peppery lettuce, and the larger and more mature the leaves, the stronger the peppery flavor. Look for smaller leaves with a consistent green color and no fading or browning.
- Red onion, scallions, and radish – Add crunch and a bit of freshness.
- Celeriac – Celeriac, or celery root, is a root vegetable, brown and a bit hairy on the outside, creamy white and crunchy on the inside. The flavor is like potato with celery notes and a hint of parsley.
- Chickpeas – The vegetarian protein in this substantial salad..
Recipe Variations
- For this recipe, if you find baby arugula, you can leave the leaves (Ha! Oh wow, I didn’t even see that one coming!) whole. If you have a larger arugula, roughly chop it, and if the arugula is super strong, you might want to combine 2 cups of arugula with 2 cups of chopped or baby spinach to balance out the spicy flavor.
- If you want to make this a vegan salad, skip the honey or replace it with the same amount of agave.
- If you don’t have celeriac lying around (and really, that is very understandable), then you can skip it or maybe sub in the same amount of thinly sliced celery.
- Jicama is another possibility, or daikon radish, which you can also sub in for the red radishes or celeriac. Or use another kind of radish altogether. The whole idea is to add some crunch and freshness.
- Sliced apples would also be really nice and balance out the spiciness of the salad with some sweetness.
How to Make Winter Salad
- Make dressing: In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper.
- Combine and serve: Add the arugula, onion, radishes, celeriac or celery, scallions, and chickpeas. Toss so that everything is well coated with the dressing and serve.
Pro Cooking Tips
- Mixing the dressing in the main bowl saves you washing a smaller bowl.
- If I am serving a salad for company, I might mix it up in a mixing bowl, then transfer it to a serving bowl, which looks pristine and fresh. But more often than not, if I’m making a salad for the family, I’ll mix up the dressing right in the bowl I plan to serve the salad in, then add the other ingredients, toss, and save myself washing an extra bowl. You are free to do whatever you wish, whenever you wish.
What to Serve With Winter Salad
More Winter Salads
- Slivered Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Dressing and Bacon
- Endive, Arugula, and Orange Salad
- Endive, Radicchio, and Citrus Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
- Romaine and Slivered Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Kale, Cabbage, and Mint Salad with Peanut Dressing
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Ingredients
For the Salad Dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey (use agave for a vegan salad)
- Juice and finely grated zest of one lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
For the Salad:
- 4 cups baby or roughly chopped arugula
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- 6 red radishes (trimmed and thinly sliced)
- 1 cup julienned celeriac (cut into matchsticks) (or thinly sliced celery)
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup drained and rinsed canned or cooked chickpeas
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar mustard, honey, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the arugula, onion, radishes, celeriac or celery, scallions and chickpeas. Toss so that everything is well coated with the dressing and serve.
Notes
- Mixing the dressing in the main bowl saves you washing a smaller bowl.
- If I am serving a salad for company, I might mix it up in a mixing bowl, then transfer it to a serving bowl, which looks pristine and fresh. But more often than not, if I’m making a salad for the family, I’ll mix up the dressing right in the bowl I plan to serve the salad in, then add the other ingredients, toss, and save myself washing an extra bowl. You are free to do whatever you wish, whenever you wish.