Festive Starry Christmas Salad

With its spiraled red ribbon-like beets, “Christmas ornament” cherry tomatoes, snowy crumbled feta, and charming, easy-to-make star-shaped croutons, this salad will delight your whole family!

While this salad was passed around at my Christmas dinner party this year, the little star croutons got such sweet “Oohs!” and “Ahhs!” It was my most Instagrammed recipe of the evening!

Last year, I made a Christmas salad in the shape of a wreath that, I think, was a bit cuter than this one, but it didn’t have any crunchy, tasty star croutons. Suffice it to say, if you’re looking for Christmas wreath vibes, sparkly star Christmas vibes, or more rustically elegant winter salad vibes, I’ve got you covered!

I served this salad with a delicious red wine shepherd’s pie and roasted Brussels sprouts. I added some candied pecans to the sprouts and oh! It was such a cozy, beautiful Christmas dinner! I also made a simple apple cider vinaigrette to go with the salad that takes no time to make!

To make the croutons, all you need is a tiny star cookie cutter. I used the 1.25-inch star from this cookie cutter set. I just cut the little stars, tossed them in olive oil and a few spices, popped them in the toaster oven for 5 minutes, and they came out so perfect, and crunchy too!

The Simple Process

First, we’ll cut and toast the croutons.

Next, we’ll slice tomatoes, cucumbers, a shallot, and beet noodles.

Then, we’ll lay the salad greens on a platter and distribute beat noodles between the leaves.

Finally, we’ll add cucumbers, tomatoes, shallots, and feta (in that order) and pop the little star croutons on top.

Ingredient Notes

salad greens – I used a colorful spring mix, but feel free to use any salad greens you like.

feta – Feel free to flagrantly add more feta than my recipe calls for. As a food blogger, I have to give the appearance that I’m not a cheese addict, but you – you do not.

bread – I found a sliced sourdough that was perfect for the stars, but feel free to use just about any kind of bread that you like. You’ll want it to be sliced about 1 – ½ inch thick.

cherry tomatoes – It’s nice to use a mix of colors to give that colorful “Christmas ornament” effect in the salad, but red ones alone will do nicely.

beet noodles – My food store carries beet noodles pre-made, but if yours does not, and you want to make them yourself, you can use a spiralizer like this one.

shallot – I like shallots for this salad because they aren’t as strong as onions and they make the prettiest, tiniest rings, but if you can’t find a shallot, feel free to use very thinly sliced red onion.

How to Make This Salad – Step by Step

1. Use a 1.25-inch star cookie cutter to cut about 15 stars from 2-3 slices of sourdough bread. Place the cookie cutter on the slice, and use your body weight to press it all the way through. I find it also helps to hold and shimmy it a little to ensure it’s cleanly sliced all the way to the bottom.

2. Place bread stars in a mixing bowl with 1½ tbsp. olive oil and gently stir until all stars are coated. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and optionally with a little Italian seasoning.

3. Lay stars flat on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 F. for 5-10 minutes.

4. You don’t want the croutons to be much darker than the image above, otherwise they’ll get lost a little in the salad. Place croutons in an uncovered bowl to cool.

5. Slice 1 cup cherry tomatoes.

6. Slice ½ cucumber into quarters.

7. Slice 1 shallot into thin rings, then gently pull the little rings apart.

8. If your 1 cup of beet noodles are very long, you’ll want to slice them in half so they’ll be easier to distribute in the salad.

9. Lay 5 oz. salad greens on a platter.

10. Evenly distribute beet noodles throughout the salad, under some leaves and above others. 

11. Evenly distribute cucumbers and shallots on top, then add the cherry tomatoes. I try to place them with the sliced side down so they look like little Christmas ornaments.

12. Sprinkle the salad with ¼ cup crumbled feta, then place the little star croutons on top. Drizzle with optional apple cider vinaigrette, or your favorite dressing, and serve.

1. The distance of the baking sheet from the top of the oven will determine how fast the croutons will toast. If they’re in a toaster oven, very close to the heating element on the top, they’ll be done in just about 5 minutes.

If they’re in a large oven, even on the top rack, they may take close to 10 minutes or even a few more, so check your stars after 5-7 minutes if using a large oven, and add more time accordingly if needed.

2. To make this salad up to a day ahead, slice and assemble all of the vegetables and feta onto the platter, and cover with cellophane. Do not add the dressing or croutons until ready to serve.

3. This is the platter that I used. I love it for everything from serving salads to Cornish game hens!

4. This is the cookie cutter set that contains the exact star cookie cutter that I used. I used the 1.25-inch star in the set.

5. If you want to make the star croutons up to 24 hours ahead, place them in an uncovered bowl, or cover them loosely with cellophane. You want them to continue to dry out a bit, and if you place them in a container with a lid, they’ll lose their crunch.