Spring Salad Mix with Cranberries, Pecans and Blue Cheese

Cranberry Pecan Salad with Blue Cheese is perfect for the holidays. Mesclun Salad is a flavorful spring salad mix. Topped with a light vinaigrette and crunchy pecans, this holiday salad is tasty all year round.

Perfect Holiday Salad

It's three days before Christmas and I'm still contemplating over my holiday menus. My extended family is coming to our house for lunch on Christmas Eve day, so I thought I'd do a lighter menu than an elaborate five-course dinner.

I know we will be having a spiral ham with fresh rolls. I also must have an antipasto cheese and veggie tray. My daughter is a vegetarian so I will also make my easy vegetarian pasta recipe. We will be having fabulous cookies and salted caramels for dessert too. My sister makes every kind of cookie you can imagine and a few will be sitting on a plate in front of me. So much for the light lunch I thought I would make!

So to balance out all the carbs, meat and sugar everyone will be consuming, I thought I'd put together this lighter holiday salad. It really doesn't have to be served on a holiday as I serve it year-round. But since it contains cranberries and toasted pecans, it spells Christmas to me.

Ingredients For Cranberry Pecan Salad 

• Mesclun or Spring Mix
• Dried Cranberries
• Toasted pecans
• Blue Cheese - if you don't like the strong taste of blue cheese you could use feta or white cheddar cheese

Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients

• Olive oil
• White Balsamic Vinegar
• Dijon Mustard
• Maple Syrup
• Salt and Pepper - to taste

Note on ingredients:

Everyone likes a different amount of dressing on their salad so start with a little then keep adding more. Depending on how buly your lettuce mix is, yoiu could need more or less. If you need a bit more, you can add a few more drops of oil and vinegar.

What Is Mesclun Salad?

Mesclun salad is an assorted mix of baby greens. Also called spring salad mix, the lettuce is harvested at just 3-4 weeks when the greens are still tender but is available all year round. Mesclun salad mixes can be mild or spicy and is usually indicated on the package.

Dressing for Salad 

The dressing on this Cranberry Pecan Salad with Blue Cheese is the bomb. I made a vinaigrette using mustard and maple syrup. I found a cranberry mustard in a specialty food store which I have used to elevate things. It was wonderful however cranberry mustard is not something you can find all the time so dijon mustard works just fine.  

Prepping the Salad in Advance

To make this salad ahead of time, mix dressing and keep in a small container in the frisge. Mix all other salad ingredients in a large bowl and keep chilled. Pour the dressing and mix right before serving so the salad does not get soggy.

More Holiday Salad Ideas

• Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese, Grapes and Almonds
• Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
• Strawberry Avocado Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Walnuts
• Winter Holiday Salad from Maple and Mango

Whether you make this for the holidays or as a refresher in the dead of summer, you will love this Cranberry Pecan Salad.

If you like this spring salad mix with pecans, please leave a 5-star rating.

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