This vibrant Fall Harvest Salad is loaded with Autumn flavors and elements: roasted butternut squash, apple, pear, crunchy pecans, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, spinach, feta cheese, and do-it-yourself maple French dressing dressing. Impress your loved ones and buddies by serving it as a facet, lunch, or a easy weeknight meal on chilly Fall and Winter nights. Make this crowd-pleasing salad for the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) or carry it to picnics, potlucks, and events.
Fall harvest salad
This Fall Salad is a scrumptious combo of candy, savory, and tangy flavors. The butternut squash is roasted within the oven till crispy and smooth. Toasted pecans and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) present a crunchy texture. Apple, pear, and pomegranate arils add candy and tart flavors. Feta cheese creates creaminess. All these elements are tossed along with contemporary child spinach, chopped bacon, and maple-lime dressing to create essentially the most scrumptious Fall harvest salad that a complete household can take pleasure in. It is easy to assemble and makes an easy stunning presentation for the vacations (Thanksgiving and Christmas) or by means of the Autumn and Winter seasons. Serve it as a facet, or add protein to show this into a whole meal on a busy weekday. My 2 different favourite Autumn salads for the vacation season are roasted candy potato and spinach salad and easy apple spinach salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and maple-lime mustard dressing.
Why make it
- Recent salad. This recipe is full of contemporary elements, comparable to spinach, butternut squash, apple, pear, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and pomegranate. I additionally used bacon so as to add a savory and salty taste however you may simply omit it if you happen to like.
- Showstopper facet dish for the vacations. This Fall harvest salad has this “wow” issue that may have your visitors going again for seconds. This recipe is of course vibrant and colourful because of the brilliant and festive elements. It would match properly with conventional Thanksgiving sides.
- Nice for meal prep. Many elements could be made prematurely and saved refrigerated for a day or two earlier than the ultimate meeting. An ideal recipe for a busy weeknight or to carry to events, picnics, potlucks, and different gatherings with family and friends.
- Versatile recipe. Customise it along with your favourite greens, veggies, fruit, nuts, cheese, or different add-ins or substitutions.
Conventional vacation elements
The elements on this easy Fall harvest salad are festive and colourful, and we frequently affiliate them with the Fall and Winter seasons, in addition to holidays, comparable to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New 12 months’s Eve.
- Butternut squash is a superb supply of nutritional vitamins A, B6, C, and E, in addition to a number of minerals, together with magnesium, manganese, and potassium. Butternut squash can also be wealthy in dietary fiber. This scrumptious vegetable is thought for its subtly candy and nutty taste.
- Pecans are full of fiber and are wealthy in lots of vitamins. This consists of zinc and Vitamin B1. These tasty nuts add crunch and texture to any Fall salad. I wish to calmly toast them within the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes so as to add extra crunch.
- Pumpkin seeds add crunch and texture. I wish to toast them briefly for about 10 minutes within the preheated oven at 350 F. Watch the seeds fastidiously to verify they do not burn.
- Spinach is full of vitamins and antioxidants. It’s excessive in fiber and a superb supply of many nutritional vitamins and minerals. Spinach is a good supply of nutritional vitamins A and C, in addition to folic acid, iron, and calcium. I used child spinach.
- Pomegranate. Sprinkle the salad with the last word Autumn and Winter fruit, the pomegranate seeds (or arils). They add tangy and candy taste in addition to create a lovely presentation.
- Feta cheese provides a salty and tangy taste. This brined cheese is normally constructed from sheep’s milk or from a mix of goat and sheep’s milk. It is easy to crumble and works nice in salads.
- Bacon – use chopped, cooked bacon. It is easy to prepare dinner the bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet within the oven at 350 F for about 20 or Half-hour. Drain all grease from the bacon utilizing paper towels.
- Salad dressing elements embrace additional virgin olive oil, maple syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice, and Dijon mustard.
roast pecans and pumpkin seeds
- In the event you bought uncooked nuts and seeds, I extremely advocate roasting them within the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes till the pecans get just a bit bit darker, and the pumpkin seeds flip a bit bit brown from inexperienced.
- In the event you bought roasted nuts and seeds (or salted ones), you do not have to roast them, however roasting them briefly and punctiliously will definitely freshen them up!
roast butternut squash
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- In a big bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and contemporary herbs (optionally available). Unfold the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer, with out overcrowding.
- Roast within the preheated oven on the center rack at 400 F for Half-hour.
stop sliced apples and pears from browning
- Possibility 1. Toss the apples and pears in lemon juice (or equal components lemon juice and water) to maintain them from browning.
- Possibility 2. Toss sliced apples and pears in apple juice.
- Possibility 3. The perfect resolution, although, is to cut them up proper earlier than serving the salad. It does not take a lot time, particularly if you happen to prepped the remainder of the elements as described within the part under. ⬇️
make it forward
A number of elements could be prepped prematurely for this Fall harvest salad so that you could spend much less time within the kitchen and extra time with your loved ones and buddies throughout Thanksgiving. Listed below are some ideas:
- Roast butternut squash as much as 3 days prematurely. Maintain it refrigerated in an hermetic container and heat it up barely when prepared to make use of.
- Cook dinner and chop bacon as much as 3 days prematurely. Maintain it refrigerated in the identical container with roasted butternut squash.
- Roast pecans and pumpkin seeds within the oven as much as 3 days prematurely. Cool them utterly and maintain them separate from different elements to stop them from getting soggy. Retailer them in a Ziploc plastic bag.
- Put together the salad dressing as much as 3 days prematurely and retailer it refrigerated in a glass mason jar.
- Take away pomegranate arils from the shell. Maintain them in a Ziploc plastic bag.
- The meeting ought to take solely 10 minutes earlier than serving for the most effective outcomes and freshness.
- Tip: do not add the pecans, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), feta cheese, and salad dressing till proper earlier than serving to maintain the salad contemporary and to stop the nuts and the seeds from getting soggy.
Variations, substitutions, add-ins, and useful ideas
You’ll be able to simply customise this Fall harvest along with your favourite greens, veggies, fruits, nuts, cheese, or different add-ins or substitutions.
- Veggies. If you cannot discover butternut squash, you need to use candy potatoes as an alternative. Candy potatoes are normally accessible year-round so you may make this salad even when the butternut squash is out of season!
- Buy peeled and pre-cut butternut squash at your native grocery shops. Many shops carry it through the vacation season and likewise within the Fall and Winter. It will prevent a ton of time in prepping this recipe.
- Greens. Use your favourite greens – spinach, arugula, blended greens, backyard greens, and lettuce.
- Fruit. I used apples and pears. You’ll be able to add diced mango, orange slices, or mandarin oranges. They may add not solely taste but additionally a festive look to your Fall harvest salad!
- Nuts. I like to recommend utilizing pecans, cashews, walnuts, or almonds. If utilizing uncooked nuts – toast them briefly within the oven to make them crunchy. You may as well purchase candied nuts or flavored nuts (salty, roasted, and so on.).
- Seeds. Add pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds. If utilizing uncooked seeds, toast them briefly within the oven to make them crunchy.
- Cheese. I like to recommend utilizing the next varieties: feta cheese, goat cheese (any taste), gorgonzola, and crumbled blue cheese.
- Bacon. Use common bacon, turkey bacon, or bacon bits. Toasted (crisped up) prosciutto or pancetta will work nice, too.
- Purchase pomegranate arils in a container at a grocery retailer. It will prevent time and you’ll not need to take away the seeds from a complete pomegranate.
- Salad dressing. This recipe makes use of maple syrup, mustard, olive oil, and lime juice. You may as well use honey and lemon juice.
- Add protein, comparable to hen, steak, shrimp, or salmon to show this harvest salad into a whole meal. Grilled hen, leftover hen, and rotisserie hen work particularly properly.
What to serve with it
This festive Fall Harvest salad pairs properly with any vacation most important course for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is an excellent sidekick for the Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, or vacation prime rib. You may as well add easy but deliciously ready protein, comparable to hen or shrimp to raise this salad to an entire meal for a easy weeknight dinner. Listed below are some tasty recipes you could make in simply Half-hour so as to add as a topping to your Fall harvest salad:
Different Fall salads you may like
If you wish to uncover different colourful and vibrant Fall harvest salads for Thanksgiving and Christmas, try these recipes:
- Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries
- Arugula Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Pecans
- Christmas Inexperienced Beans
- Roasted Candy Potato Salad with Spinach, Apples, Cranberries, Pecans, Pumpkin Seeds, and Feta Cheese
- Christmas Salad with Spinach, Pecans, Mandarin Oranges, Pomegranate Seeds, and Cranberries
Fall Harvest Salad
This vibrant Fall Harvest Salad is loaded with Autumn flavors and elements: roasted butternut squash, apple, pear, crunchy pecans, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate, spinach, feta cheese, and do-it-yourself maple-lime French dressing dressing. Impress your loved ones and buddies by serving it as a facet, lunch, or dinner on chilly Fall and Winter nights. Make this crowd-pleasing salad for the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) or carry it to picnics, potlucks, and events.
Elements
Roasted butternut squash
- 1 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
Salad dressing
- ⅓ cup additional virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 giant lime (or lemon) – juice freshly squeezed
Salad elements
- 1 cup pecan halves toasted, a few of them chopped finely
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds toasted
- 1 pink apple cored and sliced
- 1 pear cored and sliced
- 6 oz child spinach
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup pomegranate arils or extra
- 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
Directions
roast butternut squash
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Preheat oven to 400 F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Toss cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded) and 1 tablespoon of olive oil collectively on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
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Organize butternut squash in a single layer (with out overcrowding) on the baking sheet. Roast for 20-Half-hour, till softened.
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Proceed with the remainder of the recipe whereas the butternut squash is within the oven.
Meeting – Possibility 1
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I favor to rearrange the salad in particular person bowls for presentation functions.
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Add spinach to every particular person salad bowl. High with the remaining salad elements, together with roasted butternut squash.
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Drizzle with the salad dressing.
Meeting – Possibility 2
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Alternatively, you may mix all of the salad elements in a big serving bowl, add the dressing, and toss to mix.
Meeting – Possibility 3
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Alternatively, organize the salad as proven within the picture instantly under this recipe card (layering every ingredient individually on prime of the mattress of child spinach) ⬇️ in a big salad serving platter. Use tongs to mix every thing collectively when serving. Serve salad dressing on the facet.
Notes
- Roast butternut squash.
- Toast pecans and pumpkin seeds within the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes. That is particularly beneficial for uncooked nuts and seeds. However even if you happen to purchased already roasted or flavored nuts, freshen them up by toasting them for about 5 or 10 minutes.
- Cook dinner bacon within the preheated oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes. Drain all fats with paper towels. Chop it up.
- Take away the pomegranate seeds from the shell.
Vitamin
Vitamin Data
Fall Harvest Salad
Quantity per Serving
% Each day Worth*
* P.c Each day Values are based mostly on a 2000 calorie eating regimen.
The dietary data on this web site is simply an estimate and is supplied for comfort and as a courtesy solely. The accuracy of the dietary data for any recipe on this web site will not be assured. It shouldn't be used as an alternative choice to knowledgeable nutritionist’s recommendation.
