Food Recipe Collections & Favorites 12 Winter Salad Recipes Featuring In-Season Produce Can salad be comfort food? These hearty but healthy salads starring winter fruits and vegetables make a strong case. By Real Simple Editors Real Simple Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter An article attributed to "Real Simple Editors" indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The REAL SIMPLE team strives to make life easier for you. They are experts in their fields who research, test and clearly explain the best recipes, strategies, trends and products. They have worked for some of the most prestigious brands in lifestyle journalism, including Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, the Food Network, Good Housekeeping, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, POPSUGAR, Rachel Ray Every Day, and Vogue. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 8, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Winter is generally the season of comfort foods—cozy stews and soups, and low-and-slow oven roasts. But with the right in-season ingredients, winter salad recipes can be your ticket to a hearty and healthy meal—often in just a few minutes. Here's how to pull together a perfectly delicious winter salad for lunch or dinner today. 12 Roasted Vegetable Recipe Ideas 01 of 12 Every-Citrus Salad With Almonds and Manchego Caitlin Bensel Get the recipe Bitter radicchio pairs perfectly with the sweet-tart mix of citrus (orange, blood orange, and grapefruit), and a touch of salt from the manchego cheese and almonds. 02 of 12 Kale and Roasted Cauliflower Salad Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil for a great all-purpose dressing in this Middle Eastern-inspired dish. Get the recipe. Christopher Baker A tangy lemon and tahini salad adds a refreshing touch to a kale and cauliflower salad. 03 of 12 Arugula and Pear Salad With Maple Vinaigrette Peppery arugula pairs well with tangy blue cheese and juicy pears. Get the recipe. Sang An Sweet pears and a maple-infused dressing balance out the peppery arugula in this peppy winter salad recipe. 04 of 12 Roasted Vegetable and Wild Rice Salad With Almond-Parsley Sauce Charles Masters Pre-roast your vegetables so you can easily pull this salad together for a weeknight meal. 05 of 12 Chopped Winter Salad With Butternut Squash Yunhee Kim This colorful salad features apples, butternut squash, radicchio, and olives—with chickpeas and feta to help elevate it to main dish status. 06 of 12 Citrus Endive Salad In the colder seasons, it’s hard to make a colorful, fresh salad with seasonal ingredients. This dish, made with Belgian endive, grapefruit, and red onion does it all. Even though there’s a tablespoon of honey mixed into the salad dressing, the starter is more bitter and citrusy than sweet. It goes fantastically with rich Thanksgiving meals. Think of it like a palate cleanser. Cut the endive right before serving, but it’s entirely possible to segment the citrus the day before. Here’s how: with a sharp chef’s knife, cut the top and bottom off the grapefruit. Resting the grapefruit on one of the flat ends, slice down with the chefs knife to remove the peel of the grapefruit in strips. When you’re finished, cut along both sides of each grapefruit segment along the membrane. The segments can be stored in their juice overnight in an airtight container. Get the recipe:Citrus Endive Salad. Romulo Yanes Belgian endive, grapefruit, and red onions create a fresh side salad for a winter night. 07 of 12 Shrimp, Escarole, and Fennel Salad With Olive-Herb Dressing The curly, slightly bitter green leaves of escarole make the perfect crevices for the meaty, briny olives in the dressing. Endive and anise-like fennel add texture and brightness to this shrimp salad. Get the recipe:Shrimp, Escarole and Fennel Salad With Olive-Herb Dressing. Greg DuPree The curly, slightly bitter green leaves of escarole make the perfect crevices for the meaty, briny olives in the dressing. Endive and anise-like fennel add texture and brightness to this shrimp salad. 08 of 12 Steak and Beet Salad Vibrant and tender beets are a sweet contrast to the meaty steak pieces. The torn leaves of radicchio are slightly bitter, but mellow out with the creamy yogurt. Don’t skimp on the pepitas and freshly cracked pepper for the ultimate finishing touch to this satisfying salad. Get the recipe:Steak and Beet Salad. Greg DuPree Get the recipe Vibrant and tender beets are a sweet contrast to the meaty steak pieces in this stunning salad. The torn leaves of radicchio are slightly bitter, but mellow out with the creamy yogurt. Don't skimp on the freshly cracked pepper, and the toasted pepitas, which make for a crunchy finish. 09 of 12 Seven-Layer Salad A classic dip made into a comforting, elevated salad the family will love. So much flavor packed into one dish you won’t know where to start. The tangy, cumin-spiced dressing is one you’ll want to keep drizzling on everything. Serve with some warm tortillas for an added bonus. Get the recipe:Seven-Layer Salad. Greg DuPree We transformed a classic dip into a comforting, elevated salad the whole family will love. There's so much flavor packed into one dish, you won't know where to dig into first. The tangy, cumin-spiced dressing is one you'll want to keep drizzling on everything. Serve with warm tortillas for an added bonus. 10 of 12 Crispy Pork and Bok Choy Larb This striking salad with a kick hits all the right notes with perfectly browned ground pork and the zesty lime juice mixture that seasons it. Ribbons of rainbow carrots not only add a nice crunch (so do the salted peanuts!) but also look absolutely beautiful. Get the recipe:Crispy Pork and Bok Choy Larb. Greg DuPree Get the recipe This striking salad with a kick hits all the right notes with perfectly browned ground pork and the zesty lime juice mixture that seasons it. Ribbons of rainbow carrots not only add a nice crunch (so do the salted peanuts!) but also look absolutely beautiful. 11 of 12 Grapefruit and Feta Fregola Salad Fregola is a small, toasted pasta from Sardinia. We also call for Israeli couscous which is very similar and just as delicious. This salad, tossed with quick-broiled onions, fresh grapefruit, briny feta, and irresistible hazelnuts will be on your dinner rotation all winter (and beyond!). Get the recipe: Grapefruit and Feta Fregola Salad. Greg DuPree Get the recipe Fregola is a small, toasted pasta from Sardinia, but if you can't find it, you can use Israeli couscous—very similar and just as delicious. This salad, tossed with quick-broiled onions, fresh grapefruit, briny feta, and toasted hazelnuts, will be on your dinner rotation all winter long. 12 of 12 Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad With Creamy Tahini Dressing Post-holidays and come winter we’ve had plenty of roasted veg, especially roasted Brussels sprouts and wilted kale. Get a fresh kick with shaved sprouts and torn Lacinato kale. Miso and tahini come together for a stellar, creamy dressing to coat every bit of this salad. Swap tofu in for the chicken if you’re looking for a vegetarian- friendly option. Get the recipe:Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad With Creamy Tahini Dressing. Greg DuPree Get the recipe Post-holidays and come winter we've had plenty of roasted vegetables, especially Brussels sprouts and wilted kale. To switch it up, we opted for shaved sprouts and torn, raw kale. Miso and tahini come together for a stellar, creamy dressing to coat every bit of this salad. Swap tofu in for the chicken if you're looking for a vegetarian-friendly option. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit