This Fall Harvest Salad recipe is a vibrant and nutritious salad featuring crisp greens, roasted vegetables, and autumn fruits including apples and pomegranates. Delicious enough to feed a crowd and beautiful enough to serve as a showstopper on the table!
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The Best Harvest Salad Recipe
This harvest salad literally embodies the rich flavors of the fall harvest, with hearty sweet potatoes, juicy apples and nutty pecans! If I am going to eat a salad, it has to be seriously delicious. And it is totally possible to make a salad that is both nutritious and delicious! The variety of ingredients in this salad offer a variety of flavors and textures that make this salad an absolute pleasure to eat.
I would serve this on my Thanksgiving or Christmas menu in a heartbeat! It is gorgeous and full of color, and with so many different delicious ingredients, everyone is bound to love it!
You can substitute certain ingredients if you’d like to, making this harvest salad recipe super versatile! I know not everyone is a fan of blue cheese, so you can easily replace it with goat’s cheese or feta. Any crumbly, creamy cheese would be great!
Plus, this is a great make-ahead salad. You can make the dressing a few days in advance and a lot of the ingredients can be prepped beforehand, too!
Ingredients Needed
- Kale: I like to use kale in this salad, but you can use any greens that you prefer! Spinach or a spring mix would both be delicious.
- Pecans: For a crunchy and nutty addition! Make sure they are chopped!
- Blue Cheese: Use your favorite crumbly blue cheese. It can be roquefort or gorgonzola! Or, you can opt for goats cheese or even feta.
- Pomegranate Seeds: For a burst of tangy fruitiness!
- Apples: Apples are in season in fall, and I highly recommend making a fall harvest salad with the juiciest apples you can find.
- Sweet Potatoes: Roasted sweet potatoes make this salad extra hearty and fulfilling.
- Balsamic Dressing: To make a homemade balsamic dressing, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, honey, dijon mustard, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning!
How to Make Harvest Salad
- Cook Sweet Potatoes: If you are starting with uncooked sweet potato, a great way to cook them is in the air fryer!
- Assemble Salad: Once the sweet potatoes are cooked and slightly cooled, start by adding shredded kale to a large bowl.
- Add Toppings: Top with pecans, blue cheese, pomegranate seeds, sliced apples and sweet potatoes.
- Drizzle with Dressing: Drizzle with balsamic dressing and serve!
- To Make the Dressing: If you are making the homemade dressing, add the dressing ingredients to a mason jar, and shake to combine. Set aside until you are ready to use on your salad. Leftover dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips for Success
- Cheese: The cheese here is versatile! If you don’t like blue cheese, you can use goat cheese, feta cheese, or even parmesan cheese.
- Fruits: Apple makes this salad have an essence of fall, but you can definitely switch it out for pear if you would like!
- Nuts: If you or anyone you are serving this salad to has a nut allergy, simply switch out the pecans for pumpkin seeds.
- Dressing: I love making my own homemade version of balsamic vinaigrette, but if you have a favorite store bought version you can definitely use that!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this harvest salad ahead of time?
Definitely! You can make the dressing up a head of time and store in the fridge. Prep the individual parts of the salad, except for the apple. Then on the day that you want to serve it, simply slice your apple and toss everything together!
What should I serve with harvest salad?
Serve this salad up with a comforting pot roast for the perfect fall dinner. Or, if serving this harvest salad along with your holiday meals, it can go with roast turkey, gravy, and a green bean casserole! This fall harvest salad would also be a great accompaniment to you favorite soups like turkey meatball soup or chicken tortellini soup!
What can I put in my salad to make it more filling?
To make this salad a little more hearty, you can simply add some grilled chicken or salmon to the mix!
More salad Recipes to Try
Harvest Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 2-3 cups kale, chopped
- 1 tbsp pecans, toasted
- 2 tbsp blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 medium apples, sliced
Sweet Potatoes
- 1 large sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
Balsamic Dressing
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dijon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Cook Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. Spray the metal insert with non stick cooking spray.Add the cubed sweet potatoes, olive oil and seasonings to a large bowl and toss to combine.Spread the sweet potatoes in an even layer in the air fryer basket and cook for 10-15 minutes shaking the basket a couple times or until tender and crispy.
Assemble Salad
- Start by adding shredded kale to a large bowl. Top with pecans, blue cheese, pomegranate seeds, sliced apples and 1/4 cup sweet potatoes.
- Drizzle with balsamic dressing and serve!
Balsamic Dressing
- Add the dressing ingredients to a mason jar, cover and shake to combine.Set aside until you are ready to dress your salad. Leftover dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
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