Christmas Salad

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A delightful addition to Christmas Dinner, Christmas salad brings a vibrant burst of color and flavor to the table. This light, tasteful, and festive pasta salad is perfect for sharing and enjoying with family and friends during the holiday season! 

It seems like every holiday season I realize I should not be eating the heavy rich food I’ve been eating since last holiday season. But no one wants to feel deprived of good food around the holidays, so now you don’t have to! This winter pasta salad is the perfect solution to your heavy holiday food woes. 

You can bring the party in a bowl with this Christmas pasta salad. Festive hues of red and green that even the Grinch can’t resist! And thanks to big explosions of flavor, your tastebuds will never know it’s a low-calorie meal! 

Holidays are never complete without finishing it off with a good Christmas Fruit Salad.

Why Make This Recipe

• It’s light – Around the holidays, we need a lighter meal to balance the rich food, and this fits the bill. 
• It’s tasty – This holiday salad has so many rich flavors that you won’t even miss the heavier foods!  
• It’s festive – Shades of reds and greens make this pasta salad look like a party! 

Do you love fresh salads? Check out all of my salad recipes I have a great selection for you to choose from.

Ingredient Notes

• Rotini pasta – This cooked spiral pasta holds onto dressings and seasonings well without getting mushy. You can also use farfalle, penne, or fusilli. 
• Sundried tomato – Sun-dried tomatoes are dehydrated ripe tomatoes. Dehydrating concentrates their flavor, producing a rich, sweet-tart taste with a chewy texture. Use the version packed in oil so we can use the oil in the dressing.
• Baby mozzarella – It is characterized by its small, round shape and mild, slightly tangy flavor. It is typically sold in small, bite-sized balls about the size of cherry tomatoes.
• Salami – Salami is typically seasoned with garlic, black pepper, fennel seeds, and paprika, which gives it its signature savory, slightly spicy flavor.
• Baby artichokes – Baby artichokes are typically about the size of a golf ball or smaller. They have a rounded shape, tightly packed leaves, and a small, tender heart. Compared to their larger counterparts, they have a milder, sweeter flavor. 
• Green olives – Green olives are a type of olive picked before they’re ripe, giving them a characteristic green color. They are slightly bitter compared to ripe olives, so feel free to sub-black olives if you like.
• Mache lambs lettuce – Also called corn salad, this is a small, herbaceous flowering plant used for a winter salad crop. You can also use baby spinach leaf lettuce or Boston bibb lettuce. 
• Roasted bell pepper pesto – It is a flavorful sauce made from roasted red bell peppers, garlic, nuts, olive oil, and other seasonings. It’s a delicious variation of traditional basil pesto.
• Sun-dried tomato oil – This is leftover from our sun-dried tomatoes and is used to add additional oil to the dressing. 
• Minced garlic — Minced garlic is finely chopped garlic cloves that bring an aroma and savory taste to the dish.

How to Make Christmas Salad

Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card further below.

Expert Tips

• To prevent the pasta from getting mushy once it’s mixed in the salad, cook it just until al dente. Then, rinse it under cold water to cool it quickly. This step will also stop the cooking process and cool the pasta down quickly.
• If needed, you can substitute the rotini with another pasta that will hold up well with the other ingredients and the dressing. Examples are penne, fusilli, or farfalle.
• Toss the cooked pasta with a small amount of dressing while it’s still warm. This helps the pasta absorb the flavors better.
• If you are swapping out ingredients, aim for a balanced mix of pasta, vegetables, proteins, and dressing. Ensure the salad has various colors, textures, and flavors for a more satisfying salad. 
• To add visual appeal and extra flavor, garnish the pasta salad with fresh herbs, grated cheese, or additional toppings just before serving.

Delicious Variations 

• Southwestern Pasta Salad – Combine cooked pasta, black beans, corn kernels, diced bell peppers (red, green, or yellow), cherry tomatoes, avocado chunks, chopped cilantro, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and a drizzle of ranch dressing in a bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the top and sprinkle with cumin and chili powder. Toss gently to coat everything evenly. Chill before serving.
• Caprese Pasta Salad – In a bowl, Mix cooked rotini pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic glaze, then season with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.
• Greek Pasta Salad – Combine cooked rotini pasta, diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, chopped fresh parsley, and Greek dressing in a bowl. You can use homemade or store-bought dressing. Chill the pasta for at least 30 minutes, long enough for the flavors to meld and get cold.

Prep And Storage

• Prep Ahead – It can be prepared ahead of time for up to three days with dressing added, and if the ingredients are chopped/cooked and kept separate, it could last as long as five days. 
• Store – Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Freeze – It’s not recommended to freeze this salad. 

FAQs 

Similar Recipes

Looking for more EASY, delicious, and flavorful recipes? I’ve got you covered. Check out my full collection of salad recipes, or start a few of my most popular recipes:

• Italian Chopped Salad
• Christmas Fruit Salad
• Broccoli Cranberry Salad

Serve with:

• Baked Picnic Ham with Cinnamon Honey Glaze – This sweet and savory ham is the perfect centerpiece for your holiday dinner. Its rich flavors contrast beautifully with our Christmas Salad’s light and refreshing taste.
• Christmas Chicken in the Air Fryer – Cooked to perfection in the air fryer, this hassle-free dish pairs wonderfully with the crisp freshness of the salad.
• Instant Pot Lamb Shoulder – Tender, juicy, and flavorful, this lamb shoulder is effortlessly cooked in the Instant Pot, making it a stress-free addition to your holiday menu.

Recommended Tools

• A large mixing bowl works well for combining ingredients a breeze.
• Sharp knives make prepping the ingredients easy.
• A sizeable airtight storage container for keeping the salad fresh.
• For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.

Thank you for reading my Christmas Salad recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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