• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Grits and Pinecones
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Easter
  • Cinco de Mayo
  • Mother’s Day
  • Memorial Day
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Grits and Pinecones » Recipes » Salads

    Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

    October 21, 2019 by Sharon Rigsby, Updated September 1, 2022 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pinterest pin for Fall Harvest Salad showing the salad.

    This irresistibly delicious Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Sweet Potatoes is as pretty as a picture and tastes as good as it looks! Full of roasted sweet potatoes, juicy sliced apples, and crunchy roasted pecans, this healthy salad will remind you of a cool crisp Fall day. 

    A large bowl with lettuce, sweet potatoes, apples, croutons and pecans for a Fall harvest salad.

    The holidays are just around the corner, and if your family is anything like mine, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. When you are short on time, it’s hard to eat healthily, but this hearty main-dish salad changes all of that. Your big and little kids will want to eat their veggies!

    Let’s talk a minute about what makes a good Fall Harvest Salad:

    • Fresh crisp lettuce
    • A delicious dressing that’s easy to make and compliments the other ingredients
    • Fresh fall produce 
    • A little crunch from nuts or croutons
    • And, last but not least, why cheese, of course! 

    Check, check, and check! Fall Harvest Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples checks all of the boxes!

    Let’s talk meal prep and meal kits: 

    Meal prep, which is preparing all of your meal components ahead of time, and meal kits, which come with everything you need to make a meal, are popular right now! And why wouldn’t they be? Both promise great taste in half the time, which I know is music to your ears! 

    To prep this salad ahead of time, so all you have to do is assemble it when it’s time to eat, only requires a few steps:

    • Rinse and chop or tear the lettuce. Store covered in your salad spinner or wrapped in a damp paper towel in the refrigerator
    • Chop up the sweet potato and roast in the oven. Store the roasted sweet potato in a small plastic bag in the fridge
    • Roast the pecans, if they are not already roasted 
    • Make the Citrus Vinaigrette and store it in the refrigerator

    If you decide to prep this dish ahead of time, ignore the times shown for making this salad in the recipe. Your time will be less than five minutes. It’s a win-win!

    What kind of apples work best in this salad?

    The best answer to this question is whatever kind your family likes or you happen to have on hand. I like Granny Smith apples, but I happened to have some Honey Crisp apples, so that’s what I used. They were wonderful.

    What kind of cheese should I use? 

    Again, it’s a personal preference. I used feta cheese in this salad, but crumbled goat cheese or even blue cheese or gorgonzola would be great too! You’ll want to use creamy cheese for this salad. 

    How about croutons and nuts?

    Croutons and nuts play a big part in adding the crunch, which makes this Fall Harvest Salad so delicious. I made my croutons because I had some leftover sourdough rolls. However, you can use purchased croutons, and they will work just fine.

    I also used roasted pecans because, well, I always use pecans in any recipe that calls for nuts. But you can substitute toasted walnuts or almonds too. The key here is to roast or toast the nuts. 

    How to make Fall Harvest Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples:

    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 

    Place the sweet potato cubes in a large bowl. Pour in the olive oil and add the salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Toss and ensure the potatoes are coated with the olive oil.

    Sweet potato cubes with olive oil and seasonings before roasting.

    Place the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and roast until tender, which should take about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

    To make the citrus vinaigrette, add all vinaigrette ingredients to a mason jar and shake well. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

    To assemble the salad, add the lettuce to a large bowl. Top with sweet potatoes, feta cheese, roasted pecans, cranberries, sliced apples, and croutons. 

    Fall Harvest Salad in a large white bowl with an apple in the background.

    Drizzle on the dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately. 

    Sharon’s Expert Tips:

    Wait until just before you are ready to serve the salad to slice the apples. They will turn brown if sliced and held too long before adding to the salad.

    If you would like to make homemade croutons, take several slices of stale sourdough bread or rolls and cut them into cubes. Add to a bowl along with ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper. Toss and spread the cubes out on a baking sheet. Toast in a 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes. 

    If you decide to make homemade croutons, make twice as much as you think you will need because it’s impossible not to snack on them.  Store the cooled croutons in an airtight plastic bag.

    Feel free to add in some protein if you like. Grilled fish, shrimp, or chicken would all be good choices. 

    This salad is very versatile. Try adding some cooked quinoa or pearl couscous if you need to make it stretch a little further.

    I used a baby spring mix of lettuce for this salad. You can substitute baby kale, romaine or arugula.

    More main-dish or hearty salad recipes:

    Shrimp Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

    Panzanella Salad Recipe and Panzanella Salad Dressing

    Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad with Cranberries

    Brussels Sprout Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette 

    Wild Rice Chicken Salad with Cranberries

    Healthy Black-Eyed Pea Salad

    Romaine Wedge Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

    Spinach, Apple, and Cranberry Salad

    Apple Pecan Salad Recipe with Dressing

    Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

    Need more recipes, check out all of my quick and easy salad recipes here.

    ★ If you make Fall Harvest Salad, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it! Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!

    A large bowl with lettuce, sweet potatoes, apples, croutons and pecans for a Fall harvest salad.

    Fall Harvest Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples Recipe

    Sharon Rigsby
    This irresistibly delicious Fall Harvest Salad with Apples and Sweet Potatoes is as pretty as a picture and tastes as good as it looks! Full of roasted sweet potatoes, juicy sliced apples, and crunchy roasted pecans, this healthy salad will remind you of a cool crisp Fall day. 
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Main Dish, Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 477 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Salad Ingredients:

    • 2 sweet potatoes peeled or unpeeled, cut into ½-1 inch cubes.
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 5 oz baby spring mix lettuce
    • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
    • ½ cup roasted pecans
    • ⅓ cup dried cranberries
    • 1 apple cored, unpeeled, and thinly sliced
    • 1 cup croutons

    Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients:

    • 3 tablespoon orange marmalade
    • 4 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • juice of ½ lime
    • pinch of red pepper flakes
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Directions:
    • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
    • Place the sweet potato cubes in a large bowl. Pour in the olive oil and add the salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Toss and ensure the potatoes are coated with the olive oil.
    • Place the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and roast until tender, which should take about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
    • To make the citrus vinaigrette, add all vinaigrette ingredients to a mason jar and shake well. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
    • To assemble the salad, add the lettuce to a large bowl. Top with the sweet potatoes, feta cheese, roasted pecans, cranberries, sliced apples, and croutons.
    • Drizzle on the dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

    Notes

    Sharon's Expert Tips:
    Wait until just before you are ready to serve the salad to slice the apples. They will turn brown if sliced and held too long before adding to the salad.
    If you would like to make homemade croutons, take several slices of stale sourdough bread or rolls and cut them into cubes. Add to a bowl along with ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper. Toss and spread the cubes out on a baking sheet. Toast in a 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
    If you decide to make homemade croutons, make twice as much as you think you will need because it's impossible not to snack on them. Store the cooled croutons in an airtight plastic bag.
    Feel free to add in some protein if you like. Grilled fish, shrimp, or chicken would all be good choices.
    This salad is very versatile. Try adding some cooked quinoa or pearl couscous if you need to make it stretch a little further.
    I used a baby spring mix of lettuces for this salad. You can substitute baby kale, romaine or arugula. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 477kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 6gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 893mgPotassium: 400mgFiber: 6gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 9503IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 141mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today! Mention @gritspinecones or tag #gritspinecones!

    More Salad Recipes recipes

    • Spinach salad topped with sliced apples, pecans and feta cheese in a white bowl.
      Simple Spinach Salad with Apples & Pecans
    • A bowl of chicken salad with cranberries on lettuce.
      Chicken Salad with Cranberries & Pecans
    • Wild rice chicken salad topped with cranberries.
      Wild Rice Chicken Salad with Cranberries
    • A blue and white bowl full of watermelon feta salad.
      Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil and Blueberries

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Linger

      October 23, 2019 at 10:32 am

      5 stars
      This “over-the-top” salad recipe looks so yummy!! And I absolutely love that you added sweet potatoes. FANTASTIC!

      Reply
    2. The Book of Food

      October 22, 2019 at 12:43 pm

      5 stars
      Super tasty, thank you.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Sharon Rigsby, blogger at GritsandPinecones.com

    Hello, I'm Sharon Rigsby, blogger, recipe developer, videographer, and photographer for Grits and Pinecones®. I have over 50 years of experience in the kitchen, and I like nothing better than developing and reimagining recipes for my family, friends, and you!

    More about me →

    Celebrate Easter with these easy recipes:

    • Two lamb chops cut from a rack of lamb on a cutting board.
      Roasted Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs
    • Pineapple cheese casserole topped with crushed Ritz crackers in a white baking dish.
      Baked Pineapple Cheese Casserole
    • A clear glass trifle dish with layers of angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream.
      Strawberry Trifle with Angel Food Cake
    • Baked Ham topped with pineapple rings and cherries.
      Baked Ham with Pineapple and Cherries
    • A rectangle white baking dish full of sweet potato casserole.
      Southern Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole
    • Fresh strawberry pie topped with whipped cream on a white plate.
      Old-Fashioned Strawberry Pie with Jello

    More Easter recipes:

    Most popular recipes:

    • A white bowl full of creamy potato salad topped with paprika.
      Classic Southern Potato Salad
    • Sliced baby back ribs on a cutting board.
      Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs and Dry Rub
    • Six hoecakes or fried cornbread on a white plate.
      Quick and Easy Hoe Cakes (Fried Cornbread)
    • Easy Baked Parmesan Grouper Fillets on a plate garnished with parsley and lemon
      Oven-Baked Parmesan Grouper Fillets Recipe – Quick and Easy
    • Fried shrimp and a bowl of cocktail sauce on a white plate.
      Easy Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp
    • Pan Seared Red Snapper fillet covered with Mango Salsa on a white plate.
      Easy Pan-Seared Red Snapper

    More popular recipes:

    Featured in Parade, The Today Show, Better Homes & Gardens, Greatist, and more.

    Footer

    More Recipe Categories

    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Cocktail Recipes
    • Condiments, Jams, Jellies, Sauces, and Salad Dressings
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Game Day and Tailgating Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes

    More…

    • Lunch Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Pork Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Southern Recipes
    • Southern Peas (Cowpeas) Recipes

    Grits and Pinecones

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Legal Disclaimer

    Copyright © 2023 Grits and Pinecones® · Privacy Policy · Legal Disclaimer

    • 50Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Yummly
    • Email
    236 shares