Fall Harvest Salad

Fall brings with it so many colors, flavors, and, of course, the fall harvest. I wanted plenty of that to come through in this fall harvest salad. This dish is easy to make, and combines roasted sweet potato bites with arugula, spinach, apples, quinoa, pomegranate seeds, feta, almonds, and arugula. I have a section for substitutions and suggestions so you can pick your favorite produce and customize the salad to your preference.

All these are ingredients are tossed with a dressing made with lemon, thyme, honey, mustard, garlic, and olive oil. You can serve this salad with fresh bread, or this garlic parmesan bread.

This salad is great for lunch or dinner. And it’s also great for a dinner party or fall potluck. To keep things fall-themed, you could make it for a spread with this fall charcuterie board and this apple cider sangria.

Ingredients for the Salad

If you want to make this salad, you’ll need the following (for 6-8 servings):

Main Salad Ingredients

• Sweet Potato – 1 lb sweet potato
• Arugula – 3 oz arugula (85 grams)
• Spinach – 3 oz spinach (85 grams)
• Apple – 2 Granny Smith apples
• Quinoa – 1 cup cooked quinoa (see ingredient notes for cooking the quinoa)
• Pomegranate Seeds – 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (about half a pomegranate)
• Feta – 8 oz feta (225 grams)
• Nuts – 1/2 cup almonds

Salad Dressing and Seasonings

• Lemon – 1 lemon (1 tbsp lemon juice and zest from one lemon for the salad dressing + 1 tbsp lemon juice for the apples)
• Olive Oil – 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (3 tbsp of olive oil for the salad dressing and 1 tbsp for roasting the sweet potatoes)
• Garlic – 1 garlic clove
• Thyme – 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Mustard – 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Honey – 1 tsp honey
• Salt – a pinch of salt
• Pepper – a pinch of pepper

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Sweet Potato – Instead of sweet potatoes, you could use butternut squash or you can use a combination of sweet potato and carrots. If using butternut squash, add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time compared to sweet potatoes and if using carrots, add an extra 5-10 minutes compared to sweet potatoes.
• Apples – instead of Granny Smith apples, you could use other apples or pears.
• Quinoa – you could use cooked wild rice. The recipe calls for cooked quinoa – I cook mine at home in bigger batches to use in recipes like this quinoa salad (step 1 of the quinoa salad recipe details how to cook the quinoa). To get 1 cup of cooked quinoa for this recipe, you’ll need about 1/3 cup of dried quinoa (as quinoa generally triples in size when cooked) and 2/3 cup boiling water. Simmer the quinoa until the water has been absorbed. Then, take the pot with quinoa off the heat, place a lid over it and let it steam for about 10 minutes. Afterward, transfer it to a bowl and fluff it up with a fork. Let it cool completely before using it in this salad.
• Nuts and seeds – you can also use pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds.
• Feta – instead of feta, you can use soft goat cheese.
• Additional Items – to serve this as a main for dinner, you could add grilled chicken, grilled turkey, bacon, or pancetta.
• Dressings – instead of lemon you could also use apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar.

Directions with Photos

Step 1. Roast the sweet potato bites. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces or cubes. Toss them with 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Place them on a baking sheet or roasting tray (covered with parchment paper/baking paper for easier cleanup). Roast them until tender and the edges are just slightly charred (about 30 min). To test them, pierce a larger piece with a sharp pairing knife or a fork to see if they pierce easily and are soft/tender. Once you remove them from the oven, transfer them to a plate to cool.

Note: If using butternut squash cubes instead of sweet potatoes, add 5 minutes to the roasting time and if using carrots, add 5-10 minutes.

Step 2. Make the salad dressing. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, make the salad dressing by whisking together 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, the zest from one lemon, a pinch of salt, a pinch of ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp mustard, and 1 tsp honey.

Note: You can also shake all the ingredients in a jar with a lid instead of whisking. You’ll get the same result.

Step 3. Wash and dry the greens. Wash and dry the arugula and spinach. If the spinach leaves are large, chop them into smaller pieces.

Step 4. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Peel the apples, cut them in half, remove the core, and slice them, tossing them with 1 tbsp of lemon juice as you’re cutting them so they don’t turn brown.

Step 5. Combine all the ingredients for the salad. Before combining everything, make sure the roasted potatoes and cooked quinoa are not warm. If they’re warm, they’ll melt the feta and wilt the arugula and spinach. Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and top with the salad dressing. Toss until combined.

Step 6. Serve. Serve in a large serving bowl or on individual plates.

This salad has so much flavor. You get zest, sweetness, earthy notes, and a little tang depending on what you get in each spoonful. It also has some really comforting texture, with the crunch from the apple and the arugula complimenting the soft creaminess of the feta and roasted sweet potato.

If you made this salad and loved it, let me know in a review below. Also, what did you make it with? Let me know in the comments.

Other Salads to Try

Find plenty of salads here for any occasion. Some of my other favorite salads include this roasted vegetable salad, this couscous salad, and this quinoa salad.

Recipe Card

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If you want to make this salad now, and for when the fall ingredients are in season, don’t forget to save this recipe to one of your boards.