This rustic winter panzanella salad is full of cold-weather flavors

Hey, salads aren’t just for summertime! With a few simple ingredient tweaks, you can create hearty, filling salads that are totally winter worthy.

In this easy recipe, I used romaine and red leaf lettuce that I chopped very fine. I tossed in some croutons and my favorite dressing, and then layered it with fun winter ingredients. The roasted peppers really add a depth of flavor, while the pomegranate gives the salad a bit of crunchy tartness and the feta a nice, creamy tang.

Winter panzanella salad recipe

Chopped greens and croutons are dressed in your favorite salad dressing and topped with rustic, winter-inspired flavors like roasted pepper, feta, pomegranate, seeds and nuts. You can make this ahead of time; just don’t dress it until you are ready to serve.

Serves 4

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup chopped red leaf lettuce
• 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought croutons
• 1/4 cup salad dressing of choice (I recommend balsamic or Italian), plus extra if desired
• 1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
• 2 tablespoons walnuts
• 2 tablespoons toasted pepitas
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. To a large bowl, add the chopped romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce and croutons.
2. Pour the 1/4 cup of the salad dressing over the greens, and gently toss with tongs or forks. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes to allow the croutons to absorb the dressing.
3. Top the dressed greens with roasted red peppers, red onion, crumbled feta, pomegranate, walnuts, pepitas and the shredded Parmesan cheese.
4. Divide among serving plates, and serve immediately.

More winter recipes

Rustic winter rice pilaf
Comforting winter-inspired stews
Winter desserts