If you want to eat your greens in a way that says “fall is here!” this fall harvest salad recipe is what you’re looking for! Sweet and savory, combined with the fall flavors of sweet potato and apples with pecans, will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied for sure!
You know how much of a sweet tooth I have. I LOVE dessert. I hear people talk about how they don’t like sweet things, and I feel like… is that even possible?
HOWEVER, loving sweet stuff and eating healthy aren’t mutually exclusive.
I adore my gluten-free apple crisp (and every other dessert you can think of ????), but I also strive to eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables.
And we try to also eat seasonally to a large extent, which is why you saw my paleo Strawberry vinaigrette recipe this spring, and now you’re seeing this fall harvest salad recipe in October. They’re both good recipes any time of year, but they make more sense in a seasonal context.
Salads like this can make a great one-bowl lunch. Because it has sweet potatoes and quinoa in it for filling complex carbs, all you really need to do is add a protein such as grilled chicken either in the bowl or on the side.
And as for sweet tooth loving? We do have a sweet element here with the apples and cranberries. The apples also add a nice crunch and moisture. I’m all about having a nice chunky salad – no plain lettuce leaves for me, thanks!
Fall Harvest Salad Recipe
Here are some ideas for your salad making:
- This salad is really easy to make – you can customize the amounts of the different ingredients to your liking very easily.
- I like to use a nice, crisp, sweet-tart apple like Jazz or Cortland. This is really a personal preference, but you’ll definitely want to make sure it’s crisp enough to stick your fork into without falling apart.
- This is a great recipe to use up leftover roasted sweet potatoes, such as after you’ve made thyme-roasted sweet potatoes.
- You can also substitute roasted butternut squash (we have a great recipe for bacon-wrapped butternut bites btw).
- I like to use basic balsamic vinaigrette or make some honey-lime salad dressing for this recipe. They both have a very nice sweet-acid balance. Plus the oil helps balance out your macronutrients to make it very satisfying if you’re going for a one-bowl meal.
Fall Harvest Salad Recipe
A fall harvest salad is a healthy and delicious way to eat your greens.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, and diced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt
- 1/2 cut raw quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups salad greens
- 1 apple, cored, and sliced
- Vinaigrette salad dressing
Optional toppings:
- dried cranberries
- chopped pecans
- Feta cheese
- pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º
- Toss together sweet potato and olive oil on a baking sheet
- Spread evenly into a single layer and sprinkle with salt
- Transfer to center of oven and roast for 18 minutes until potatoes are tender
- Remove from oven and let cool completely
- While sweet potatoes are roasted, combine quinoa and water in a sauce pan
- Cover and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the water is absorbed and quinoa is tender
- Let cool
- In a large salad bowl, add salad greens, sweet potatoes, quinoa, apple slices, and salad dressing
- Divide salad into 3-4 portions, and serve with desired optional toppings
- Enjoy!
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