This Fall Harvest Salad is the perfect autumn salad ready in under 30 minutes. This salad works great for both family dinners and holiday gatherings.
Fall brings out my favorite weather and seasonal flavors. This Fall Harvest Salad features fresh greens, crispy bacon, candied pecans, apples, roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese all topped with a tasty homemade maple pumpkin dressing. The combination packs lots of flavor and is a hearty salad great for a dinner main or holiday side.
The entire autumn salad comes together in under 30 minutes and is simple to prepare. This salad is a must for Thanksgiving with the family or a fun Fall dinner party with friends. I hope you love this salad and have a wonderful Fall season!
Ingredient Notes
Greens: I used a spring mix containing leaf lettuce, baby spinach and red romaine. I enjoyed this combination and thought the flavor went well with the other ingredients. Some other green ideas would be kale, arugula or romaine lettuce.
Sweet Potato: I currently live in Japan where a lot of the produce available is seasonal and yams are difficult to find. Therefore, I used a Japanese style sweet potato for this salad recipe. A yam or variety of squash can be used as well.
Dressing: I LOVE using my Maple Pumpkin Dressing as a pairing for this Fall Harvest Salad. The sweet dressing compliments the salty bacon, and crisp apples perfectly. If you do not have this dressing available (or aren't a pumpkin fan) another great option would be my Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.
Why You'll LOVE this Salad!
Hearty & Healthy: This will Actually Fill You Up!
Ready in Under 30 Minutes
Versatile: Great for a Dinner Main, Side Salad , or as a Holiday Dish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Chop the sweet potato into small pieces and place onto the parchment paper.
- Sprinkle potatoes with all of the spices/seasonings and olive oil. Toss until well combined.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until soft, golden and cooked through. I like to toss mine halfway through.
- While the potato is roasting, thinly slice the radishes with a pairing knife or mandoline.
- Thinly slice (or chop) the apple. Set aside.
- Once the potato is finished roasted. Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl and gently toss together until everything is well distributed. Drizzle with Pumpkin Dressing (or dressing of choice) when ready to serve.
Storing Leftover Salad
I recommend storing the autumn salad without the dressing to extend the shelf life. When stored without the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Salad that is tossed in pumpkin dressing should be eaten immediately.
FAQS
An autumn salad features ingredients that are seasonal to the Fall season. This usually consists of apples, pecans, pumpkin or sweet potatoes. I made mine even heartier by adding some cooked bacon and goat cheese to round out the salad.
Salads can vary widely and will fall into the following categories: green salads, vegetable salads, pasta salad, legumes/grains, fruit salads, and mixed salads incorporating meat, fish or poultry.
The Harvest Chicken Salad is made with lettuce, grilled chicken, chopped red and green apples, dried cranberries, feta cheese, candied walnuts, and bacon and comes with an Apple Cider Vinaigrette according to Wendy's menu. This salad has always been a favorite of mine, and this Fall Harvest Salad is inspired by it!
Recommended Kitchen Tools
Salad Serving Spoons make it simple to serving this salad at parties and holiday gatherings. They also look stylish!
This Pairing Knife is my favoring and makes it easy to slice the fresh produce for this salad.
Pro Tips
Thin Slices: I like to slice my apples and radishes very thin. This ensures you will get the prefect bite and they aren't too cumbersome for a fork. If you wish you can dice the apple for more bite sized pieces.
Leave off the Dressing: I recommend adding the pumpkin salad dressing right before serving. This lets everyone add the amount of dressing they wish and the greens will stay crisp and not soggy. Additionally, it will allow you to store any leftover salad longer.
Time Save Tip: To save on time and prep you can roasted the sweet potatoes ahead of time and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can add them in cold, or warm them before adding to the salad.
Pairing Ideas
This salad is sure to compliment your holiday menu and table. I love serving this pumpkin apple salad at Thanksgiving paired with my Herb Butter Turkey, Sweet Potato Casserole and Cornbread Dressing.
For a more casual dinner, this apple and sweet potato salad pairs well with a hearty soup like Southern Ham and Bean Soup, a simple sandwich like my Bacon Tomato Grilled Cheese, or go pumpkin crazy with some Pumpkin Pasta.
You May Also Enjoy...
Fall Harvest Salad Recipe with Pumpkin Dressing
Ingredients
- 8 Cups Fresh Greens
- 1 Granny Smith Apple
- 2 Radishes
- ¼ Cup Dried Cranberries
- ¼ Cup Candied Pecans
- 4 Oz Plain Goat Cheese
- 2 tablespoon Pumpkin Seeds
- 4-6 Strips Bacon Cooked and Crumbled- About ½ Cup
- 1 Sweet Potato
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Thyme
- Maple Pumpkin Dressing
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Chop the sweet potato into small pieces and place onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, thyme and olive oil. Toss until well combined. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until soft, golden and cooked through. I like to toss mine halfway through.
- While the potato is roasting, thinly slice the radishes and apple with a pairing knife or mandoline. Set aside.
- Once the potato is finished roasted. Combine all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl and gently toss together until everything is well distributed. Drizzle with Pumpkin Dressing (or dressing of choice) when ready to serve.
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