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Justine Doiron

just real good food

Gluten Free, Recipes, Salads + Soups, Special Diets, Vegetarian · November 16, 2023

Cranberry & Radicchio Salad

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finished Cranberry & Radicchio Salad

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?
  • How to make the canned cranberry sauce dressing
  • The salad toppings, and topping alternatives
  • Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes?
  • Watch the recipe here
Cranberry & Radicchio Salad in bowl

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!

Cranberry & Radicchio Salad in bowl

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)!

finished Cranberry & Radicchio Salad

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
finished Cranberry & Radicchio Salad

Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes?

It’s that time of year, and I got you!

Bay Leaf Butter Rolls
These buttery-soft, extra golden rolls are topped with bay leaf brown butter and swirled with a mixture that I can only describe as everything-bagel-meets-the-holidays. It's a wonderfully festive dinner roll, and the herby, cozy flavor takes them from your average roll and makes them perfect for the holidays.
Check out this recipe
Salted Sticky Toffee Pudding Pumpkin Pie
This pie is a pumpkin pie for people who don't love pumpkin pie. It's got texture, a sticky bourbon toffee on both the bottom and top, and a salty, butterscotchy flavor profile that will knock you off your feet. It's a Thanksgiving classic but with a few big twists.
Check out this recipe
Crispy Sage Tofu
If you are looking for what to make on Thanksgiving for the vegans and vegetarians in your life – this shallow fried crispy sage tofu is it. It tastes like fall, crisps up perfectly, uses none of your precious oven space, plus it will even make some turkey eaters a little bit jealous 😉
Check out this recipe

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

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.

Cranberry & Radicchio Salad

3 from 1 vote
This salad uses one secret ingredient: canned cranberry sauce. Ok ok, you can also use any cranberry juice or jam of your choice, but the cranberry sauce was where the recipe started. The dressing is zippy and bright and finished with a smattering of frozen goat cheese, making it creamy, acidic and sweet all rolled into one.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:15 minutes mins
Total Time:15 minutes mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, Fusion
Keyword: endive, goat cheese, pecans, radicchio, salad, salad dressing
Servings: 8 servings

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!

Notes

Notes: If you don’t have cranberry sauce on hand, you can also use any jam you prefer (I love fig jam for this), or two tablespoons of cranberry juice and one tablespoon of honey, or any cranberry preserves you have around! And if you have that delicious, chunky homemade cranberry sauce, that works AMAZINGLY well, too. 

Posted In: Gluten Free, Recipes, Salads + Soups, Special Diets, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Daejah says

    November 27, 2023 at 4:26 pm

    3 stars
    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

  2. Sara says

    December 11, 2023 at 1:28 pm

    This salad turned out great! I didn’t have cranberry sauce so I used cranberry blueberry jam and it was delicious 😊

    • Justine says

      December 11, 2023 at 9:14 pm

      I’m so thrilled you liked it! All jams for the win 🙂

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