Fall Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
This easy Fall Harvest Salad recipe combines roasted butternut squash with apples, pecans, cranberries, and feta, all tossed in an lively apple cider vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Butternut Squash
- 3 cups ½"-diced butternut squash (peel squash and remove seeds first)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 5-8 ounces baby spinach (or arugula)
- 1 large crisp, juicy, sweet-tart apple, cored and thinly sliced (see Notes below for variety suggestions)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries, blueberries, or raisins)
- ½ cup roughly chopped roasted & salted pecans (I like Trader Joe's brand)
- 4 ounces ½"-diced block feta
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Butternut Squash
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Add diced butternut squash to a rimmed baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle fairly generously with salt & pepper. Fold to coat evenly.
- Roast for 15 minutes, or until tender, flipping halfway through.
- Remove pan from oven and let squash cool completely.
Assemble the Salad
- Make the Apple Cider Vinaigrette; set aside.
- Add half the spinach to a serving bowl. Then layer on half the squash, apple, dried cranberries, pecans, feta, and onion. Add the remaining spinach, followed by the remaining rest of the ingredients. Finish with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Serve the Apple Cider Vinaigrette on the side, for individuals to add to their own portion as much as they like.
Notes
Apple varieties: I most often use Minnesota’s Honeycrisp or Haralson apples, but any crisp, sweet-tart, juicy apple will be great. Cosmic Crisp is another favorite.
Make Ahead & Storage:
- Roast the butternut squash in advance. You can batch-roast the butternut squash and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just allow it to thaw before assembling the salad.
- Make the dressing in advance. You can make the apple cider vinaigrette a day or two in advance as well. Store in the fridge in a tightly sealed glass jar.
- Prep & measure other ingredients. If desired, chop and measure out the pecans, and place them in an airtight container. Do the same with the cranberries. Chop the feta, place in an airtight container, and then refrigerate.
- Store the salad. Leftover salad can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just be aware that the longer it sits, the less crisp the ingredients may be. If you plan on having leftovers, I recommend serving the vinaigrette on the side and adding it to the individual salads.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.