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This Fall Harvest Salad is full of autumn flavors from roasted butternut squash, toasty pecans, crispy bacon, apples, dried cranberries, and a maple vinaigrette that’s so good you could drink it. Inspired by a classic cobb salad, can be served as an entrée or smaller serving as a side salad.
In keeping with tradition, this salad does still feature roasted chicken and bacon—but it would also be delicious with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Other than that, almost every other component has been turned on its head.
The creamy dressing has been ditched in favor of a flavorful white balsamic vinaigrette and all of the topping are fall-forward. And while this is an all-in-one meal, it would also pair wonderfully with a creamy vegetarian soup (like this sweet potato carrot soup).
Ingredient Notes
These are just a few of the ingredients. Jump down to the recipe for the full ingredient list with amounts.
- Butternut squash: You’ll need 4 cups cubed squash. Sweet potato can also be used.
- Chopped kale: I like to use Lacinato kale (also called Dinosaur kale) for the best texture.
- Mixed spring greens: you’ll also need about 6 cups of spring greens, or a 5-ounce container.
- Cooked shredded turkey or chicken: I have a great pan-seared chicken recipe you can use. Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or rotisserie chicken also works great.
- Honeycrisp or Jonathan apple: any sweet red apple will work here. Or use Granny Smith for a bright, tart crunch.
- Pecans: toasted pecans add tons of flavor. Toast them in the already-heated oven for about 8 minutes or until fragrant.
- Dried cranberries: these add a pop of sweetness and color. Golden raisins, dried figs and diced dried apricots are all great options.
- Manchego or Parmesan: either are delicious here. I love the nuttiness of Manchego but Parmesan adds a nice saltiness.
- White balsamic vinegar: this is the secret ingredient that makes this dressing so addicting. It’s tangy with a hint of citrusy sweetness all in one bite.
How to Toast Nuts
The best way to toast nuts is to arrange them on a baking sheet in an even layer and toast in a 350°F oven. Depending on the type of nut, it can take anywhere from 5–10 minutes, pecans will take about 8 minutes.
I prefer the oven method over the stove-top method because it’s quicker, the nuts toast more evenly, and it’s easier to avoid burning the nuts.
Cooking with Kale
- Be sure to remove the stems of the kale leaves prior to chopping. Kale leaves are tough enough without the stem!
- If you’re using curly kale or lacinato kale, give it a quick 30 seconds of massaging plain. This softens and tenderizes the leaves.
- If regular kale is just too tough for you, opt for baby kale is tender enough to eat straight from the box, so use this instead!
Variations on the Harvest Salad
Here are a few ways you can riff on this salad:
- Swap some of the oil in the vinaigrette for a few tablespoons of warm bacon drippings.
- Swap the butternut squash for acorn squash, pumpkin or sweet potato.
- Swap the pecans for pumpkin seeds.
- Swap the chicken or turkey for white beans or lentils to make it vegetarian (leave the bacon out).
- Make it more “fall” and use apple cider vinegar for the vinaigrette.
What to Serve with This Fall Harvest Salad
More Autumn-Inspired Salads
Fall Harvest Salad
Description
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Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 slices bacon
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 6 cups mixed spring greens
- 2 cups cooked shredded turkey or chicken (8 ounces)
- 1 Honeycrisp or Jonathan apple, cored and diced
- ⅔ cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup peeled Manchego or Parmesan (2 ounces)
Maple Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400ºF (204ºF).
- Add squash, 1 tablespoon oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to a baking sheet. Toss to coat then arrange in an even layer and roast until tender, 25–30 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and discard drippings; chop bacon.
- Add kale to a large serving bowl or platter and briefly massage to soften. Add greens and toss to combine.
- Arrange roasted squash, chopped bacon, shredded turkey or chicken, apple, pecans, cranberries, and Manchego over top.
- Whisk together ¼ cup oil, vinegar, shallot, maple syrup and Dijon in a small liquid measuring cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine; season salad with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
made this last night for dinner on the patio and it was a hit with the entire family, the kids even asked for seconds!! thank you!
I never comment on recipe blogs but this one deserves it. Wonderful salad that I’ll definitely crave in the weeks to come. Full of flavor and well balanced. Perfect dinner.
Hi Kaitlin, thanks for trying the recipe and leaving a review. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the salad!
One of the most incredible salads I’ve ever made. Fall just started and I could eat this everyday for week. Amazing flavor and actually fills me up. Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this salad, Katelyn!! This is one of my favorites as well, so glad you found it! Thanks for the coming back and leaving a comment, it means a lot!