Festive Starry Christmas Salad
If you’re looking for festive Christmas salad ideas, give this beet noodle salad with starry croutons a try! It’s the best Christmas salad for the host or hostess who wants to serve a little Holiday cheer!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 160kcal
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 mixing bowl & mixing spoon
- 1 foil-lined baking sheet
Ingredients
- 3 slices sourdough bread
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cucumber
- 1 shallot
- 1 cup beet noodles
- 5 oz. salad greens - I used spring mix
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- 1½ tbsp. olive oil
- garlic powder - a small sprinkle
- onion powder - a small sprinkle
- salt & pepper - a small sprinkle
- Italian seasoning - a small sprinkle - optional
- apple cider vinaigrette - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. 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.
- 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. Lay stars flat on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 F. for 5-10 minutes. Place croutons in an uncovered bowl to cool.
- Slice 1 cup cherry tomatoes. Slice ½ cucumber into quarters. Slice 1 shallot into thin rings, then gently pull the little rings apart. 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.
- Lay 5 oz. salad greens on a platter. Evenly distribute beet noodles throughout the salad, under some leaves and above others. Evenly distribute cucumbers and shallots on top, then add the cherry tomatoes.
- 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.
Notes
The distance of the baking sheet from the top of the oven will determine how fast they 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.
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.
If you want to make the star croutons up to 24 hours ahead, place them in an uncovered bowl, or loosely covered 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 loose their crunch.
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 442IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg