Fall Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
This Fall Harvest Salad is full of seasonal flavors from hearty veggies, greens, and fruit, then tossed in a tangy apple cider vinegar dressing. It’s as beautiful as it is delicious and makes an excellent weeknight dinner or dish for your holiday spread.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups sweet potatoes cubed - about 1 lb (1 large or 2 small)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 4 cups lacinato kale thinly sliced, or arugula
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded *See notes for vegetarian option
- 1/2 honeycrisp apple cut into 1/2 inch cubes or thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 1/2 pomegranate seeds
Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Air fryer method: Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil and salt and cook in an even layer in the air fryer for 12 minutes, shaking the pan or basket halfway through.Oven method: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the sweet potatoes to the prepared baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt. Spread in an even layer and roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.4 cups sweet potatoes, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp sea salt
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, place sliced kale in a large bowl.4 cups lacinato kale
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then add 2 tbsp of the dressing to the kale. Use your hands to massage the kale until the leaves are softer and reduced to half the size.1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Once the sweet potatoes are done, add over the kale - along with chicken, apple, feta, pecans, and pomegranate seeds.3 cups cooked chicken, 1/2 honeycrisp apple, 1/2 cup feta cheese, 1/2 cup pecans, 1/2 pomegranate seeds
- Add the rest of the dressing and toss to combine. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- To make this vegetarian, you can roast cooked chickpeas with the sweet potatoes to crisp them up before adding them to the salad.
- There are so many ways to customize this harvest salad to your specific taste preferences. Here are some fun substitutions to make this salad your own:
- Swap the Honeycrisp apples for another sweet apple: Pink Lady, Fuji, Ambrosia, or your favorite variety.
- Instead of tangy feta cheese, use creamy goat cheese or blue cheese crumbles.
- Add crispy bacon to the top for extra protein, crunch, and a savory addition.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup in the dressing.
- Garnish your salad with roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Swap the sweet potato for cubes of butternut squash.
- Add additional veggies as you desire: red onion, carrots, and beets would be great additions.
- In addition to or instead of chopped kale, use arugula or your favorite spring mix.
- Leftovers can be enjoyed within 4 days. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- I recommend mixing just what you'll enjoy right away, and storing the kale and pecans separately to keep them from wilting and softening. However, if you already mixed everything, it's fine to store everything together as well.
- Store leftover vinaigrette in a mason jar or a small container with a lid in the fridge for up to a week. Shake and serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving - makes 8 | Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 646mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 10562IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 2mg