Festive Holiday Chopped Salad

With dried cranberries, roasted sweet potato and pecans, this holiday chopped salad is tasty, festive and healthy.  And did I mention easy?  

A Festive Holiday Chopped Salad

Did you know that this year Thanksgiving is almost the earliest date possible? Perhaps that’s why it feels like time is just flying by.  You too?    

Would it help if I introduced you to an easy Holiday Chopped Salad?  Perfect for Thanksgiving.  Or even after Thanksgiving as an entrée salad using leftovers!

The salad was inspired by an (old) contest-winning Thanksgiving leftover sandwich I created plus a package of beautiful preserves from Quince and Apple, the sponsor of this post.     

Quince & Apple Preserves

Quince and Apple 

Quince and Apple is a small, Madison, WI based company, founded by husband and wife team Matt & Clare. Although we are practically “neighbors,” my first introduction to their products came at an American Cheese Society Gala.  The young company was there, offering samples and stirring up interest in their artisan preserves and syrups.   

Now the ACS event is a foodie’s delight.  It boasts thousands of cheeses, along with high-end specialty foods: savory charcuterie, single source honeys and finely crafted jams. But even among such esteemed fellows, Quince and Apple stood out.  

Click on logo to check out their Facebook page!

You see, their handcrafted products have the flavor and complexity of fine specialty foods… PLUS the natural goodness of Grandma’s (but with less sugar; Grandma did use too much sugar).

So I already knew they were killer-good.  But the story only got better.  In addition to absolute attention to quality, they source of lot of their ingredients locally (including the Door County cherries I love) and are they big green energy supporters

Just the kind of company I like to support!

Dressing–Made with Quince & Apple Preserves and just three other ingredients

Partly Homemade, with a Caveat

Enter making life easier… 

I have always loved the concept of partly home-made foods.  Combining your own natural ingredients with convenience foods can streamline cooking. I wouldn’t have survived my corporate mom years without it! 

Unfortunately, if your packaged ingredients aren’t top notch, your meal won’t be either.  Yup, dinner is only as good as its weakest ingredient.

But there is a simple solution.  Use great add-ins, like Quince and Apple preserves (when you aren’t serving them with your Brie).  A delicious fresh salad is just a few whisk strokes away (did you know that many commercial dressings have water as their first ingredient—flavorful right?)!  

Ingredients

Holiday Chopped Salad

And that’s how this Holiday Chopped Salad came to be… inspired by the flavors of Quince and Apple’s Pear with Honey and Ginger preserves.  Even with a total of four ingredients, the dressing is complex — with pear and ginger perfectly complementing savory curry.  Seasonal ingredients like cranberries and sweet potatoes complete a festive and healthy dish.

I envisioned the salad as an accompaniment to Thanksgiving (or any) dinner.  But it can also work as an entrée salad.  Just add some chopped Thanksgiving turkey (or some nice rotisserie chicken), leftover cranberry sauce and sweet potato and serve with a crusty bread. 

Yes, the holidays will be here before we know it.  Who’d like some easy-peasy? (P.S. for another time-saving tip consider stocking some of their preserves and syrups for hostess or teacher gifts!)  

Serve with wine?

Holiday Chopped Salad

With dried cranberries, roasted sweet potato and pecans, this holiday chopped salad is tasty, festive and healthy. And did I mention easy?

Author: Inger

5 from 2 votes

Print

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Salad

Servings 4

Calories 313 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Dressing

• 1/4 cup Pear with Honey and Ginger preserves
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon curry
• 2 teaspoons sherry or skim milk

Salad

• 1 sweet potato *see note
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans toasted if you wish
• 5 ounces salad greens chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries see note
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue or feta cheese
• 3-4 red onion finely chopped

Instructions

 

Make dressing

• Combine dressing ingredients. Whisk (smashing preserves slightly) until well combined. Set aside.

Assemble salad

• Peel sweet potato, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss in olive oil with salt & pepper, then roast at 400 F until starting to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool briefly.
• In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce, cranberries, cheese, onion, roasted sweet potatoes and pecans.
• Top with dressing, then toss well to combine.
• Garnish with a fan of pear slices if desired. Once dressed, it should be served immediately.

Notes

If you want to use Thanksgiving leftovers, you can cube a leftover roasted sweet potato instead of cutting up and roasting one. Instead of dried cranberries, you can use chucks of gelled cranberry sauce. Just fully mix the salad first, then fold these in at the end to help them stay more intact.

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 264mgPotassium: 448mgFiber: 4gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 8547IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 1mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Thanks to Quince and Apple for sponsorship and Wisconsin Whisk for coordination! 

• ← Maple Pumpkin Creme Brulee (no torch needed)
• Pumpkin Drinking Custard (aka My Liquid Breakfast) →