This Thanksgiving salad offers a refreshing balance of flavors and textures with crisp greens, sweet pears, tart cranberries and creamy blue cheese. It complements rich holiday dishes with a simple mustard vinaigrette that ties everything together with just the right amount of brightness.
Table of Contents
This Thanksgiving salad recipe combines tender greens and chicories like radicchio or endive for a mix of textures. Thin slices of pear add natural sweetness, while dried cranberries provide tartness and hazelnuts contribute crunch. The mustard-shallot vinaigrette lightly coats everything, bringing all the flavors together without overpowering them.
The salad is easily adaptable – swap the pear for apples or persimmons, use goat cheese instead of blue cheese, or try walnuts instead of hazelnuts. For heartier versions, add roasted squash, grains like farro, or leftover turkey. It pairs beautifully with roasted meats, creamy soups, or savory tarts – ideal to add to your Thanksgiving menu.
Make the salad dressing ahead, with just the final assembly needed before serving.
Ingredient notes
- Salad dressing – This salad combines finely minced shallot, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, and Dijon mustard. It’s a bright, tangy-sweet vinaigrette that’s perfect for cutting through the hearty flavors of this Thanksgiving salad.
- Tender greens – You could use butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, gem lettuce, green leaf lettuce, or a combination. Make sure to tear your greens into bite-sized pieces.
- Chicories (aka hardy leafy plants) – Radicchio, endive, frisée, or a combination of these are great in this Thanksgiving salad. Make sure to tear them into bite-sized pieces.
- Pear – Cored and thinly sliced. Adds a delicate sweetness to this elegant holiday salad.
- Dried cranberries – A popular addition to recipes during the holidays, adding a delightful contrast to salads with their sweet-tart flavor and chewy texture.
- Salad toppings – I’ve used chopped hazelnuts and crumbled blue cheese as toppings for this salad.
- Kosher salt and pepper – To taste.
How to make it
- Make the vinaigrette: In a small mason jar, combine the minced shallot, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Seal tightly and shake vigorously until fully emulsified. The mixture should be smooth and slightly thickened.
- Dress the greens: In a large mixing bowl, add the greens and chicories. Drizzle with just enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves lightly, then gently toss until evenly dressed. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Assemble the salad and serve: Arrange the dressed greens on a serving platter or in individual bowls. Scatter the sliced pear, dried cranberries, chopped hazelnuts, and crumbled blue cheese evenly over the top. Enjoy the salad right away to preserve the crisp texture of the greens and the contrast of the toppings.
Other ways to use the mustard-shallot vinaigrette
This versatile Thanksgiving vinaigrette does far more than dress fresh greens! Use it to elevate everyday cooking with bright, balanced flavor. Glaze roasted vegetables for a glossy finish, marinate meat for tenderized depth, or drizzle over grain bowls and seafood as a finishing sauce.
- Vegetable Glaze: Toss roasted Brussels sprouts, carrots, or asparagus with this red wine and mustard vinaigrette before serving for a glossy, flavor-packed finish.
- Grain Bowl Drizzle: Drizzle over grain bowls (like this Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Feta, Kale & Farro).
- Marinade: Use this dressing to marinate chicken thighs or shrimp for 30+ minutes before grilling – the acid tenderizes while the shallot adds depth.
- Sauce: Spoon it over pan-seared salmon or scallops just before serving to brighten the rich flavors.
Tips and tricks
- Assemble this salad ahead of time and store it in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, for a couple of hours at most. The flavors will meld together and intensify! Alternatively, prep the components of this salad separately and assemble right before serving.
- Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad. If too tart, add a touch more honey; if too sweet, a splash more vinegar.
- Shake the jar hard for at least 30 seconds to ensure the dressing doesn’t separate too quickly.
- Use a mandoline or sharp knife for paper-thin, elegant slices of pear.
- Lightly toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan for extra crunch and depth.
- Dress the salad just before serving to avoid soggy leaves, especially with delicate greens.
Variations
Give your Thanksgiving salad a fresh twist with these easy variations—swap fruits, cheeses, or greens, add protein or grains, and play with dressings to customize this festive dish for any taste:
- Fruit swaps – Replace the pear with slices or segments of blood orange/grapefruit for a vibrant, tangy-sweet contrast.
- Cheesy alternatives – Swap blue cheese for creamy goat cheese crumbles or torn burrata for a milder, luxurious texture.
- Nuts and seeds – Add candied nuts, like candied pecans, or toasted pumpkin seeds.
- Greens – Replace tender greens with lacinato kale (massaged with olive oil to soften) for a heartier base. Raw, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts are also great for a peppery crunch.
- Protein boosters – Add leftover shredded chicken or turkey for a post-Thanksgiving main-dish salad.
- Dressing twists – Swap honey for maple syrup in the vinaigrette and add a splash of balsamic glaze. Brown butter, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon create a nutty, rich dressing that would also be delicious for this Thanksgiving salad.
- Seasonal add-ins – Add roasted squash or beets as well as shaved fennel.
- Grain or pasta base – Mix cooked grains or cold cooked pasta with the greens for a hearty, fiber-rich salad.
- Presentation – For a show stopping presentation, layer the ingredients on a platter (e.g., greens at the base, pear slices fanned out, nuts and blue cheese scattered artfully) with the salad dressing drizzled delicately over or served alongside.
Serving suggestions
Enhance your Thanksgiving salad with these perfect pairings – from creamy pumpkin risotto and roasted meats to elegant cheese boards and seasonal sides. Each dish complements the salad’s bold flavors while rounding out your holiday menu:
Storing
Store leftover Thanksgiving salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days at most as the greens and chicories will wilt with the vinaigrette as the salad sits.
Erin’s wine pairings
Enjoy your Thanksgiving salad with wines that enhance its flavors. Bright, acidic wines balance the creamy blue cheese and bitter greens, while fruit-forward picks highlight the sweetness of the pear. Here are some of my favorite options:
- A quality Rosé will cut through the creamy blue cheese, while the wine’s acidity matches the vinaigrette.
- The fresh herbal citrus notes of a white blend incorporating Sauvignon Blanc offsets the bitter chicories.
- With its minerality and hints of stone fruit, a Dry Riesling will pop against the mustard vinaigrette and salad’s bitterness as well as bring out the subtle sweetness of the sliced pear.
- A light Pinot Noir with bright acidity and earthy notes will compliment the flavors in this salad nicely.
More salads for your Thanksgiving table
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Full Recipe
Thanksgiving Salad
Equipment
- Small Jar
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1 shallot (finely minced)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salad:
- 6 cups tender greens (torn into bite sized pieces (butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, gem lettuce, green leaf lettuce, or a combination))
- 3 cups chicories (torn into bite-sized pieces (radicchio, endive, or frisée, or a combination))
- 1 pear (cored and thinly sliced)
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts (chopped, for topping)
- 1/4 cup blue cheese (for topping)
- Kosher salt and black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Dressing:
- Combine the shallot, oil, vinegar, mustard, honey and salt and pepper in a small mason jar and shake to emulsify.
Salad:
- In a large bowl, toss greens and chicories with enough of the vinaigrette to just coat the leaves.
- Season with additional salt and pepper and top with pear, cranberries, hazelnuts, and blue cheese.
Notes
- Assemble this salad ahead of time and store it in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, for a couple of hours at most. The flavors will meld together and intensify! Alternatively, prep the components of this salad separately and assemble right before serving.
- Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad. If too tart, add a touch more honey; if too sweet, a splash more vinegar.
- Shake the jar hard for at least 30 seconds to ensure the dressing doesn’t separate too quickly.
- Use a mandoline or sharp knife for paper-thin, elegant slices of pear.
- Lightly toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan for extra crunch and depth.
- Dress the salad just before serving to avoid soggy leaves, especially with delicate greens.
- Fruit swaps – Replace the pear with slices or segments of blood orange/grapefruit for a vibrant, tangy-sweet contrast.
- Cheesy alternatives – Swap blue cheese for creamy goat cheese crumbles or torn burrata for a milder, luxurious texture.
- Nuts and seeds – Add candied nuts, like candied pecans, or toasted pumpkin seeds.
- Greens – Replace tender greens with lacinato kale (massaged with olive oil to soften) for a heartier base. Raw, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts are also great for a peppery crunch.
- Protein boosters – Add leftover shredded chicken or turkey for a post-Thanksgiving main-dish salad.
- Dressing twists – Swap honey for maple syrup in the vinaigrette and add a splash of balsamic glaze. Brown butter, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon create a nutty, rich dressing that would also be delicious for this Thanksgiving salad.
- Seasonal add-ins – Add roasted squash or beets as well as shaved fennel.
- Grain or pasta base – Mix cooked grains or cold cooked pasta with the greens for a hearty, fiber-rich salad.
- Presentation – For a show stopping presentation, layer the ingredients on a platter (e.g., greens at the base, pear slices fanned out, nuts and blue cheese scattered artfully) with the salad dressing drizzled delicately over or served alongside.
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