There might only be 10 recipes on the list, but somehow, they manage to include almost everyone’s fall favorites. It doesn’t matter which fall staple you like best – sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apples, walnuts, cranberries, maple syrup, or something else. I guarantee you one of these salads includes it. And don’t worry; you’ll find some cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, and other autumn spices on the list as well. It just wouldn’t be fall without those aromatic scents wafting through the house. Now, let’s see if I can get through this entire list without having to stop for a snack break or two.
1. Autumn Chopped Chicken Salad
This delightful chicken salad is a chicken salad in the lettuce, veggies, and dressing sense of the words, not the “spread it on bread or crackers” version. It’s cool, crisp, and the ideal combination of sweet, tangy, and savory. The tender chicken breast packs the perfect garlic punch with every bite, and the spicy Dijon mustard balsamic adds its own garlic-y flair. The pears, pecans, cranberries, and feta cheese complement the rest of the ingredients flawlessly, giving you a protein-packed salad that’s relatively low in carbs and calories.
2. Autumn Fruit Salad
If you’re looking for a salad that’s less savory and a lot more fruity, this recipe is the one for you. It takes 15 minutes to make, and there’s no cooking required. Simply wash and dice your fruit – the recipe calls for Bartlett pears, Honeycrisp apples, and grapes, but you can use your favorites. Then toss the mixture in a tartly sweet dressing of yogurt, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It’s a phenomenal combination. Add pecans (or walnuts) to the top for added nuttiness and crunch.
3. Autumn Kale Salad with Fennel, Honeycrisp, and Goat Cheese
Of the seven ingredients in the dressing for this salad, two of them are maple syrup and Dijon mustard. They provide the sauce with a rich, robust flavor that’s just a bit zestier than it is sweet. The salad itself contains only six ingredients – kale, apples, fennel, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds (or pecans). It’s refreshing, crunchy, and full of things that are good for you. And since it only takes 20 minutes to make (less if you pre-make your dressing), it’s the ideal on-the-go lunch option.
4. Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad
This 30-minute salad mixes elements from traditional, leafy green salads, a zesty, homemade dressing, poppy seeds, spinach, celery, and pecans with pasta for a leafy green pasta salad! There are also apples, cranberries, mandarin oranges, and lemon juice, so you could make an argument for fruit salad, as well. It’s hard to beat a three-in-one plate of deliciousness, especially once you sprinkle feta cheese across the top.
5. Autumn Glow Salad
I’m not sure why this is called a glow salad. My guess is that it’s either: A.) Because it’s full of yellow, orange, and white ingredients, all the colors associated with glowing suns, moons, and stars. B.) Because it’s rich and comforting, and it makes you glow when you eat it. Both are good guesses, but I’m leaning toward option B. Nothing gives you that “coming home, feel-good” glow like sweet potatoes, apples, dried spices, quinoa, olive oil, and cauliflower. The tart and zesty lemon dressing doesn’t hurt either. In short, this salad is incredibly filling, has nearly seven grams of fiber, and substantial amounts of vitamins C and A.
6. Autumn Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Maple Cider Vinaigrette
Speaking of rich, savory, and comforting salads, this one is high up on that list. It takes about 50 minutes to make, and there is some cooking involved (baking the sweet potatoes), but it’s worth it. With its Dijon mustard, maple syrup, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, the dressing is like fall in a bottle. The salad has plenty of fall staples, too. In addition to the sweet potatoes, there are also apples, pecans, bleu cheese, bacon, and spring mix. This is the kind of salad you’d pay big bucks for at a chic cafe, but you can make it at home for a little of nothing.
7. Autumn Apple Salad
I love this sweet salad because it tastes marvelous and is colorful and gorgeous to boot. It’s primarily sweet, but the bacon, feta cheese, and spinach help tone that down a bit. The cranberries and maple Dijon vinaigrette also add a bit of tartness and tang. All in all, it’s a pretty great combination.
8. Fall Harvest Spinach Salad
This vibrant salad features plenty of greens, oranges, and brownish-reds, and it’s full of flavorful fall ingredients. Containing butternut squash, cooked quinoa, pumpkin seeds, apples, dried cranberries, and spinach, it’s hearty, healthy, and high in protein and fiber. Plus, the zesty tahini apple cider vinegar dressing might just become your new favorite condiment.
9. Autumn Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette
The hardest part of making this salad is mixing up the balsamic vinaigrette dressing, but you can do that early and eliminate most of your work. Like many others on the list, this salad perfectly balances sweetness with tanginess, but you’ll need to enjoy pears for this one. Other than the dressing, that’s the taste that really comes through. There are also walnuts, spring greens, parmesan, and brown sugar, but mostly, you’ll taste the sweet, juicy pears.
10. Autumn Pearl Couscous Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
This salad is dense and filling and somehow manages to be both sweet and full of garlic and herb flavor simultaneously. Surprisingly enough, it works! Since I’ve never thought that garlic and onions go well with cranberries, orange juice, and honey, I’m not sure how it works, but trust me when I tell you that it does. If you’re looking for something that tastes delicious and makes your table look nice, this salad is the one you want. It’s exceptionally colorful, and it has plenty of crunch. Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1 No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
Share on social media: Let us improve this post!
