There’s a lot of discussion around whether or not Thanksgiving calls for a fresh salad, and in my opinion, it’s absolutely needed! This Cranberry & Radicchio Salad is the palette cleanser that everyone needs. The fresh crunch and bitterness of radicchio is a nice break in between all of the heavy foods, like the stuffing and casseroles. The acidity of the dressing is also a refresher in the meal, and the toppings play into the festivity of the season.
A salad that uses cranberry sauce as the dressing? You heard me right, and honestly, it’s one of my better salad dressings! Cranberry sauce is naturally sweet, so it ends up doing what honey or other sugars do in a dressing, while also carrying in some bright acidity that makes you come back for more.
But there are not too many ingredients in this salad, either. On Thanksgiving, the last thing you want to do is spend thirty minutes chopping ten ingredients for a salad. For this, you just need good vegetables, great herbs, some (frozen) goat cheese and toasted nuts. It’s simple but perfect. This salad is a staple for my Thanksgiving, and if you give it a try, I bet it will become a staple for yours too!
Table of contents
What is radicchio, and why serve it on Thanksgiving?
Radicchio is a magical leaf vegetable that doesn’t get enough time in the spotlight. It’s crisp, light and slightly bitter and has a beautiful purple/red color. Radicchio is seen in a lot of Italian cooking, where it’s usually served with high-quality olive oil either raw or grilled. As delicious as this is, radicchio has so much more potential for greatness, like in this salad.
Now, I’m going to sell you on why you should serve radicchio for Thanksgiving. First of all, it’s typically harvested in late autumn, which makes it so special for this time of year. Radicchio is quite literally ready just in time for Thanksgiving. As the colder months roll in, radicchio’s bitter edge is mellowed, but not altogether gone. This slight bitter edge cuts through the richness of the buttery side dishes of Thanksgiving. Having a palette cleanser on the table will ensure that you don’t get bogged down too quickly. Finally, it’s visually stunning. Radicchio is a great ingredient to give some color to your table. It’ll look irresistible next to the casseroles and the turkey, so don’t skip this cranberry and radicchio salad this year!
How to make the canned cranberry sauce dressing
The canned cranberry sauce dressing is what brings this salad to life. It’s sweet but balanced with the dijon mustard and vinegar. Plus, this cranberry dressing will pair wonderfully with the turkey and other sides! Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup canned cranberry sauce (see notes for substitutions)
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
To make the dressing, all you have to do is put all of the ingredients in a bowl or jar, then whisk (or shake!) everything together. Do this until the dressing is completely smooth and there are no flecks of cranberry sauce left. Then add more vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
It’s so simple but completely addicting. Not only is this dressing perfect for Thanksgiving, but I think it’s a good one to have around at any time of year (especially Christmas)!
The salad toppings, and topping alternatives
The toppings for this salad are what tie everything together and keep things interesting. Everything is easy to come by, so don’t stress about having a long extra grocery list this year. These toppings are simple but make the salad shine. Here’s what you’ll need for the entire salad:
- 2 radicchio heads
- 2 endive heads
- 1/2 cup crushed pecans
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 3 ounces goat cheese, frozen
- 1 large pomegranate
A key component of this salad is toasting the pecans. They add such a nice nutty flavor to the sweet dressing. I also toss some pomegranate wedges on this salad, which guests can break/pick at as they please. A big hunk of pomegranate looks vibrant and super festive.
And if you want to swap out these topping for some other alternatives, here are some suggestions:
- Pecans- try walnuts or pine nuts (toasted, of course!)
- Mint- basil or parsley
- Goat cheese- use feta or parmesan
- Pomegranate- dried cranberries or thinly sliced apple
Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes?
It’s that time of year, and I got you!
And that’s everything for this Cranberry & Radicchio Salad!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Cranberry & Radicchio Salad
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce Dressing
- 1/4 cup canned cranberry sauce see notes for substitutions
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 2 radicchio heads
- 2 endive heads
- 1/2 cup crushed pecans
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 3 ounces goat cheese frozen
- 1 large pomegranate
Instructions
- Either in a jar or bowl, whisk (or shake!) together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Do this until the dressing is completely smooth and there are no flecks of cranberry sauce left. Add more vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Quarter the radicchio heads lengthwise. Halve each quarter, removing the rough bottom of the core and creating eight wedges per head.
- Halve the endives lengthwise and cut them into long strips. Add these to a bowl with the radicchio.
- Toast the pecans in a dry pan over medium heat. Toast for 4-5 minutes or until they smell nutty and fragrant.
- Dress the radicchio and endive wedges with the dressing. Toss with clean hands, add the mint leaves and pecans and give a few more big tosses.
- Plate the salads on eight small plates and use a rasp-style grater to grate the frozen goat cheese over each serving.
- To finish, cut the pomegranate into wedges and garnish each salad with a wedge. Serve right away!
I made this salad for my Thanksgiving gathering and I’m glad I tested it out beforehand. I’ve never had radicchio or endives before and I was intrigued! I didn’t end up loving the radicchio as it was way too bitter for my liking. I did however like the texture. I’ve never been a fan of cranberry sauce but this dressing was amazing! I substituted the white wine vinegar with red wine vinegar since that’s what I had in my pantry and it worked out just fine. I still made a variation of this salad by using a lot less radicchio/endives (chopping it into smaller pieces) and throwing in a lot of arugula. This helped balance out the bitterness for me. Thank you for the recipe Justine