Fall Apple Pecan Mixed Green Salad with Feta Cheese
A fall apple pecan mixed green salad that celebrates fall flavors in the best way. Sweet potatoes, honeycrisp apples, crunchy pecans, fresh greens, and tangy feta create the most crave worthy salad of the season with a homemade maple Dijon vinaigrette that ties it all together. This delicious salad is the perfect way to use produce in season this time of year while creating a healthy salad you will actually enjoy. Sweet and savory flavors that work on your holiday table or as a simple salad for lunch. Full recipe card below!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
This easy fall apple salad is an explosion of flavor as a full meal for lunch or an easy weeknight dinner with grilled chicken breast. It works great with meal prep as it can be made ahead of time. This is the salad that makes fall feel like the best season for eating. It’s hearty without being heavy, sweet without tasting like dessert, and satisfying in a way that makes you actually crave fresh greens and crisp apple slices. Make it once and you will be adding it to the Thanksgiving menu and eating it once a week for lunch.
Fall Salad Ingredients
This easy fall salad has so much flavor and makes the perfect recipe for a healthy lunch or holiday side dish. With simple ingredients and 15 minutes, I only have a few notes on how to get the best results when making this easy salad recipe and where substitutions can be made.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Olive Oil – All vinaigrette style dressings use an oil in the base. For this dressing I used a little extra virgin olive oil. If you do not have olive oil, avocado oil has the most neutral flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Like most dressings, this one uses an oil and a vinegar. This adds acidity to the dressing giving it a tangy flavor and counterbalances the olive oil. You can use white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, white vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice as well but they will not tie into the fall theme the same way and may have a sharper taste.
- Maple Syrup – This key ingredient gives this dressing that signature fall taste and sweetness. Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup, which is mostly corn syrup and tastes fake. For this recipe I recommend using pure maple syrup if you can. It contains less sugar and more maple flavor than the imitation stuff. Pro Tip: When measuring maple syrup spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray first. The maple syrup will slide right off.
- Mustard – You want liquid Dijon mustard here. It adds sharpness and helps emulsify the dressing. Yellow mustard is too mild while stone ground mustard works but makes a gritty dressing.
- Pumpkin Spice – The ingredient that Starbucks made famous, haha! While it is typically used in pumpkin pie, it also adds a bit of extra cozy fall vibes to this dressing mix. I used a store bought version but you can make your own with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger.
Salad Ingredients
- Mixed Greens – A salad needs fresh greens. I used a mixed greens spring mix. While you can use whatever leafy greens you like, a blend with arugula, baby spinach, and maybe some radicchio for bitterness works well. Avoid iceberg or romaine, they’re too mild and watery for this. The greens should have some bite to stand up to the sweet potato.
- Sweet Potatoes – These are the anchor and bring the sweet and savory flavors together. I used microwavable sweet potatoes for an easy shortcut. You can find these in the freezer section at the grocery store. You can also use roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash but skip regular potatoes as they lack the sweetness needed here and are too starchy. NOTE: these microwaveable bags are usually not flavored and are relatively bland. I season mine with a little salt and pepper and let the dressing and other ingredients add the flavor.
- Honeycrisp Apples – The best apples chosen for their snap and sweet tart balance. Honeycrisps are my favorite apples and are in peak season in the fall. These offset the earthiness of the pecans and peppery arugula in the mixed greens. If you need to substitute these, I would use sweet apples like a pink lady or a gala apple. Granny Smith works if you want more tartness, but honeycrisps are sweeter, juicier, and don’t brown as fast.
- Red Onion – Red onions add a bit of extra bite to offset the sweet flavors of the apples and sweet potatoes. It is also my first choice for raw onion applications.
- Feta Cheese – Adds salty, tangy flavor that balances out the other ingredients. Soft goat cheese works as a substitute if you want something creamier with a tangy taste. For a funkier bold bite, go with gorgonzola cheese.
- Dried Cranberries – To add a bit more sweetness to this autumn salad I also used dried cranberries, aka, Craisins. They not only add flavor but a little bit of texture and aesthetic making it a great recipe for a special occasion like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Pecans – To add a little bit of crunch and elevate the fall flavors I added pecans. They are an optional ingredient especially if you have a nut allergy, but they add a wonderful crunch and earthy flavor. Walnuts work in a pinch, but pecans are less bitter in my opinion and an obvious choice in fall staples like pecan pie.
- Salt & Pepper – Worth a pinch or two, elevating the natural flavors of each ingredient.
- Additions – If you are making this salad as a main dish, feel free to add your favorite protein for a more filling meal.
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Fall Apple Pecan Mixed Green Salad with Feta Cheese
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Description
This isn’t a sad desk lunch. This fall apple pecan mixed green salad is a takeout worthy meal packed with seasonal flavors you will look forward to eating. Sweet potatoes, honeycrisp apples, crunchy pecans, fresh greens, and tangy feta with a homemade maple Dijon vinaigrette that ties it all together. This is the salad that converts people who claim they don’t like salad. Sweet and savory flavors that work on your holiday table or as a simple salad for lunch or weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Dijon Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Spice
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Pepper
Salad
- 5 cups Mixed Greens
- 10 oz Bag Microwavable Sweet Potatoes
- 1 Honeycrisp Apple sliced
- 1/2 Red Onion sliced
- 1/2 cup Pecans
- 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries
- 3 tbsp Crumbled Feta
Instructions
For the Dressing
- In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and seasonings until combined.
For the Salad
- Microwave the sweet potatoes according to package directions making sure you allow enough time for them to cool. Once cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Wash and dry the mixed greens. You want to make sure all the produce is dry before assembling the salad or it may be soggy.
- Slice the apple and the onion. To speed up the chopping process I use this slicer.
- Toss mixed greens, apple, onion, sweet potatoes, and pecans in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle the top of the salad with crumbled feta cheese.
- Add as little or as much dressing as you like right before serving.
- Store undressed salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
- This makes 2-4 servings depending on size.
- If you like a lot of dressing, double the batch. I find that one batch works for us.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
More Salad Recipes to Try
- Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad
- Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
- Spinach Apple Pecan Salad with Blue Cheese Crumbles
More Fall Recipes to Try
- Fall Maple Quinoa Sweet Potato Bowls
- Brown Sugar Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Pumpkin Spice Maple Cornbread Muffins
Storage
This fall salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For best results, store pecans separately to prevent them from getting soggy. To keep sliced apples from browning, dip in water, lemon juice, or lime juice.
When to Make Apple Pecan Salad
This autumn apple salad is bold enough to stand on its own, but also plays well with others for holiday meals as a side salad. The best part is how flexible it is. You can double it for a crowd, pack it for weekday lunches as the main event, or serve it with holiday dinners as a side dish. This is one of my favorite ways to squeeze fall flavors and fresh apples into a nutritious meal.
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