Earlier this week I made a delicious Fall Harvest Salad for family dinner that is definitely going to be on repeat for us this season! It’s simple to throw together and is hearty, healthy, wholesome, and delicious. Oh, and it’s pretty too!
Fall Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
This colorful salad is loaded with texture and seasonal flavor.
It’s packed with sweet crunchy apples, warm wholesome grains, perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, tangy feta, and crispy almonds– all on a bed of fresh kale tossed in a delicious apple cider vinaigrette.
Fall Harvest Salad Ingredients
- Microwave Quinoa: As a busy mama on a mission to quickly get dinner on the table after soccer practice, I swear by microwave quinoa. It takes 90 seconds to make and is consistently perfect. Our favorite brands are Seeds of Change (available on Amazon / Walmart / Target) and Ancient Harvest (pictured in this salad).
- Honeycrisp Apples: As soon as fall arrives, I cannot get enough Honeycrisp apples. They are so delicious. However, you can use any apple flavor — Gala, Fuju, Golden Delicious, etc. And if you don’t like apples, try pears!
- Sweet Potatoes: Another time saver — frozen sweet potatoes. I used fresh in this recipe but you better believe my freezer is packed with frozen potatoes. You can slow roast them in the oven, but I’ve found the air fryer works magic on potatoes. I toss mine in extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper on toss them in my air fryer on the french fry setting (400 degrees for 15-20 minutes). And they turn out perfect every time!
- Feta: I like the salty kick of feta cheese, but you can swap it out for goat cheese if you prefer.
- Sliced Almonds: I toss my almonds in a skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil and salt, and slowly toast them over low heat. This gives them the most delicious flavor and only takes a few extra minutes. Don’t skip this step — trust me!
- Kale: If you don’t already own the kale stripper, you need one! This is a kitchen gadget I use ALL the time and it makes kale salad prep so much easier and faster. You can use it to strip kale, collard greens, chard, and herb leaves from stems in seconds! It also works well with woody herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme, and taragon.
Fall Harvest Salad Apple Cider Vinaigrette
I know making your own salad dressing may seem like a lot of work, but I PROMISE you this is super easy to whip up, requires minimal ingredients, and is much healthier than a store-bought dressing (no artificial flavors or preservatives).
Storing Leftovers
The salad leftovers hold up well in an air-tight container for lunches. In my opinion, the longer the kale sits, the more flavorful it gets. You can stretch the leftovers across two days before it starts to get a little soggy (the almonds will get soggy the earliest).
Don’t forget to check out My favorite salad tools post!
Fall Harvest Salad
This colorful salad is loaded with texture and seasonal flavor. It’s packed with sweet crunchy apples, warm wholesome grains, perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, tangy feta, and crispy almonds– all on a bed of fresh kale tossed in a delicious apple cider vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1 large Honeycrisp apple, diced
- 1 large sweet potato (about 3 cups), peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup almonds, sliced
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, place the kale and massage the dressing in. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it will be.
- Roast your sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes in the oven or your air fryer. If you use the air fryer, you can just hit the french fry setting!
- While the potatoes are roasting, make the salad dressing and roast your almonds over low heat in a pan with a splash of olive oil until they are golden and fragrant (just a few minutes).
- Add the sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients to the salad - quinoa, apples, feta cheese, and almonds. (If you plan to store leftovers, I recommend not tossing the almonds in until you're ready to eat it).
- Toss the salad together and serve!
Other Salads You May Like:
- The Best Chicken Cobb Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
- The Jennifer Aniston Friends Salad
- Mexican Chopped Salad (Dairy-Free)
- Easy Black Bean Taco Salad (Dairy-Free & Vegan)
- Nicoise Salad (Vegan, Dairy-Free)
- Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad
This Fall Harvest Salad is packed with sweet crunchy apples, warm wholesome grains, perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, tangy feta, and crispy almonds– all on a bed of fresh kale tossed in a delicious apple cider vinaigrette.
You can, but you should make it! I know making your own salad dressing may seem like a lot of work, but I PROMISE you this is super easy to whip up, requires minimal ingredients, and is much healthier than a store-bought dressing (no artificial flavors or preservatives).
The salad leftovers hold up well in an air-tight container for lunches. In my opinion, the longer the kale sits, the more flavorful it gets. You can stretch the leftovers across two days before it starts to get a little soggy (the almonds will get soggy the earliest).
