This Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette is tangy, sweet and full of all the amazing flavors of fall. Crisp apples, roasted butternut squash and juicy pomegranates combine with your favorite greens to make the best autumn salad. Make it as a side or add chicken to make it a complete meal.
Besides tasting amazing this salad is just so damn pretty. The colors from the butternut squash and pomegranates come together beautifully. The best part is it is super easy to make. This salad is sure to make you look like you put much more effort than you did when you need to make something for your next dinner party.
The dressing in this salad really makes it. Honey, apple cider, apple cider vinegar and olive oil create a sweet and tangy dressing that ties everything together. Plus you now have an excuse to make a hot apple cider with bourbon with all the extra cider 
How to make a Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Roast the butternut squash. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. Line aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Place the cubed butternut squash on the cookie sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes until softened.
- Toss the salad. Add the greens, arugula, butternut squash, apples, feta cheese, sliced onions, pomegranate arils and pralines to a large bowl and toss together.
- Make the vinaigrette. To a blender add the honey, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. With the blender running slowly add the olive oil. Add a desired amount of dressing to the salad and serve.
Tips and Tricks
- Buy pomegranate arils and not a whole pomegranate. You totally can use a whole pomegranate, but it’s such a mess and not worth it to get juice all over your kitchen. Lesson learned, especially if you are low on time.
- Buy quality greens. My favorite combo with this salad is arugula and and mixed greens.
- Don’t skip the pralines! They are on the expensive side but SO worth every penny in this salad. I tried skipping them once and it was just not the same.
Harvest Salad with a Apple Cider Vinagrette
Ingredients
Harvest Salad
- 3 cups of mixed greens
- 1 cup arugula
- ½ butternut squash, cubed
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 pink lady apples, cubed
- 1 cup pralines
- 1 cup (8oz package) pomegranate arils
- 6 oz package feta cheese, crumbled
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup apple cider
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- a couple rounds of fresh black pepper
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Add the cubed butternut squash to the cookie sheet and toss with a few dashes of olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast the butternut squash in the oven for 20 minutes until soft. Allow the squash to cool and set aside.
- Add the greens, arugula, butternut squash, apples, feta cheese, sliced onions, pomegranite arils and pralines to a large bowl and toss together.
- To a blender add the honey, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. With the blender running slowly add the olive oil.
- Add a desired amount of dressing to the salad. Toss and serve.
Looking for more fall recipes? Try my Pumpkin Sage Alfredo or Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos with Spicy Serrano Sauce