Radicchio Salad

This festive Radicchio Salad recipe is perfect for winter gatherings! Made with pear, red onion, walnuts, and shaved pecorino cheese, tossed in a flavorful champagne vinaigrette dressing.  A delicious holiday salad!

Why you’ll love this Radicchio Salad recipe!

This vibrant Radicchio Salad is easy, healthy, and very adaptable. It is a deliciously festive salad to bring to special gatherings or the holiday table.

The one thing I’ve been craving lately is bitter greens, and a version of this Radicchio Salad has been on rotation in some form or another this past month. I’m finding that the bitter greens, or in this case, bitter “magentas,” seem to counterbalance all the holiday indulging. I feel my liver sending up prayers of gratitude. 🙏 Haha!

What is Radicchio?

Radicchio (pronounced ruh-dee-kee-o) is a bitter leafy lettuce in the Chicory family.  Typically burgundy, magenta, or pink in color, it is closely related to endive and escarole and is in its peak growing season mid-winter through spring. That is why it makes the perfect winter salad recipe!

What does Radicchio Taste Like?

Raw Radicchio has a unique bitter flavor with subtle peppery notes, making it an ideal companion to stronger cheeses like pecorino or blue cheese, sweet fruits like pears, apples, or citrus, and toasty flavored nuts.

Varieties of radicchio

Four common varieties of Radicchio are each named after a region in Italy. Any of these will work beautifully in this salad recipe!

1. Radicchio di Chioggia- a round, burgundy-hued version, like a small cabbage, most common here in the States and used in this recipe. 
2. Radicchio Rosso di Treviso -an oblong shape with rose-colored hues, white veins and stems.
3. Radicchio di Castelfranco -red speckles on green or yellow leaves.
4. Radicchio di Tardivo- oblong leaves with dark red/burgundy hues.

Ingredients in Radicchio Salad

• Radicchio– Radicchio is a bitter leafy veggie or lettuce in the chicory family, usually burgundy, magenta or pink in color, closely related to endive and escarole, in peak growing season mid-winter through spring.
• Pear or Asian Pear –  the fruit adds a lovely sweetness to the salad.
• Nuts- We’ve used toasted walnuts here, but toasted hazelnuts or pecans would also work well.
• Cheese- Pecorino is optional here but adds delicious umami and earthiness to the salad.
• Vinaigrette- what makes this dressing unique is Champagne Vinegar ( see notes for substitutes) and a hint of truffle oil.
• Optional Additions: use pomegranate seeds if in season and fresh herbs to elevate.

Step two: Add thinly sliced red onion, sliced pear, toasted walnuts, pecorino cheese, and, for color and crunch, pomegranate seeds when in season. At this point, you could store it in the refrigerator, covered with a damp paper towel, for a few hours until ready to serve. 

Step three: Toss the radicchio salad with the delicious champagne vinaigrette a little at a time until all the leaves are lightly coated, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Storing Radicchio Salad

The nice thing about this Radicchio Salad is it holds up well and doesn’t wilt easily. I even find that leftovers don’t get overly soggy. It is best served the day it is tossed with the dressing, but store any extras in an airtight container for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Any leftover dressing will keep up to 4 days, in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the Radicchio salad with richer meals to help “cut” the fat- think roasts, rich pasta dishes, casseroles, stews, or other hearty winter comfort food. We love this salad with Pastitsio (Greek Pasta Bake), Moussaka,  and our Truffle Mac and Cheese. 

More Favorite Winter Salad Recipes 

• Persimmon Salad with Shaved Fennel and Pomegranate
• Toasted Farro with Pear, Hazelnuts and Arugula
• Palouse Caviar (Lentil Pomegranate Salad)
• Fig and Arugula Salad, w/ Goat Cheese &  Pecans
• Citrus Salad with Dates & Pistachios
• Beet Salad with Feta & Pistachios

Hope you enjoy the radicchio salad. -xo

Sylvia

Radicchio Salad Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home
• Prep Time: 20
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4
• Category: salad, vegetarian
• Method: tossed
• Cuisine: american
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

A simple, festive Radicchio Salad with pear, walnuts, red onion, and shaved pecorino cheese in a delicious champagne vinaigrette.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• one 4-inch round radicchio ( size of a softball)
• 1 large pear or Asian pear, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red onion, very thinly sliced (soaked in water if sensitive; see notes)
• 1/4 –1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts , hazelnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup thinly shaved pecorino cheese (or manchego)
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs – flat-leaf parsley or basil leaves, chopped or hand torn.
• Optional garnish: 1/4- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Champagne Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar or sub sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon shallot ( finely minced) or sub 1 garlic clove, grated.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Optional: 1 teaspoon truffle oil (tasty!)

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Instructions

1. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a small jar or bowl.
2. Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl- radicchio, sliced pears, red onion, walnuts, shaved pecorino, herbs, pomegrante seeds, and orange zest.
3. Toss with a little dressing at a time until all the leaves are lightly coated. Start conservatively, then add more as needed – you may not need to add all depending on the size of your radicchio.
4. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Tip: If you leave out the pecorino, you will most likely need more salt.
5. Garnish with a few more pomegranate seeds, pecorino and nuts.

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Notes

Storage: Salad is best served within 30 minutes of being tossed, but leftovers keep surprisingly well.  I find them totally fine (just a bit wilted) the next day, as radicchio holds up pretty well.

If sensitive to onions, soak in cold salted water to remove bitterness for a minimum of 15 mins, or overnight.

If making ahead, layer the ingredients in a bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Toss with dressing right before serving.

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 207
• Sugar: 5.4 g
• Sodium: 257.8 mg
• Fat: 17.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 3.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 10.9 g
• Fiber: 2.3 g
• Protein: 4.3 g
• Cholesterol: 7.4 mg