A fresh, crisp salad is a welcome contrast to heavy holiday fare. This red-and-green salad, finished with a creamy pesto dressing, is bright, colorful and light — ideal for the holidays or anytime you want a simple, festive salad that doesn’t weigh you down.
Red and Green Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing
I favor crisp iceberg lettuce in colder months because its crunch feels refreshing alongside winter meals. For color and a softer texture, this recipe also includes red leaf lettuce. Combining the two gives a pleasing balance of crunch and tenderness.
Good salad starts with good prep. Remove any wilted outer leaves and discard the tough cores so every bite is tender. Tear leaves into bite-size pieces rather than trying to eat a whole leaf. Washing is essential, but drying the leaves well is equally important — soggy lettuce dilutes the dressing and ruins the texture.
To dry lettuce, rinse leaves in a colander under cool running water and then lay them on a clean kitchen towel. Roll the towel gently and let the moisture soak in for several minutes. A salad spinner will speed things up and is one of the handiest tools for salad work.
For year-round freshness and a festive color palette, this salad uses crunchy vegetables you can find any time: cucumbers, radishes, celery and red bell pepper. I usually peel the cucumber in a stripe pattern so some peel remains for color and texture, then slice and halve the rounds for easy eating.
To balance the leafy and crunchy elements, add tender, sweet items such as grape tomatoes and thawed peas. Grape tomatoes bring juicy bursts of flavor, and peas add a bright, sweet pop of green that fits the holiday look.
Red and Green Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing
I like to serve this salad with a creamy pesto dressing for a bold lift of flavor. The herby pesto, combined with buttermilk and mayonnaise in the dressing, yields a tangy, creamy sauce that complements both the crisp lettuce and the sweeter salad components. Finish with homemade herb and garlic croutons if you like a crunchy topping.
I’ve made this salad repeatedly this season — it’s reliable, quick to prepare and festive on the table. If you try it, leave a note about how you served it and any tweaks you made.
Red & Green Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing
Equipment
- OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner (large) or similar salad spinner
- Wooden salad bowl
- Metal kitchen tongs for tossing and serving
- Sharp kitchen knives
- Cutting board
- Colander or strainer
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, torn, washed and dried
- 1 head red leaf lettuce, torn, washed and dried
- ½ large red bell pepper, julienned
- 2 celery ribs, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- ½ English cucumber, peeled in a stripe pattern, sliced and halved
- 3 large red radishes, halved and sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 15 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, prepared pesto, lemon juice, dried basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl until smooth and well blended.
- Prepare the salad ingredients: Tear and dry the lettuces; slice the cucumber, radishes, bell pepper and celery; halve the grape tomatoes and thaw the peas.
- Assemble: Layer or toss the lettuce with the vegetables in a salad bowl or arrange portions on individual plates.
- Serve: Offer the creamy pesto dressing on the side or lightly toss with the salad. Serve croutons separately so they stay crisp.
Notes
Nutrition information is for the salad only. The dressing adds approximately 117 calories, 12 g fat, 1 g carbohydrate and 1 g protein per serving. Croutons add roughly 67 calories, 5 g fat, 4 g carbohydrate and 1 g protein per serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 2 cups salad with 2 tablespoons dressing
Calories: 44 kcal (salad only)
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Protein: 3 g
Disclosures: The author was not compensated for the content of this post. The article may have contained affiliate links originally; affiliate commissions help support the cost of publishing recipes.