Fall Harvest Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples Recipe
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.
2sweet potatoespeeled or unpeeled, cut into ½-1 inch cubes.
1tablespoonolive oil
½teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonground black pepper
¼teaspoonground cinnamon
5ozbaby spring mixlettuce
½cupcrumbled feta cheese
½cuproasted pecans
⅓cupdried cranberries
1applecored, unpeeled, and thinly sliced
1cupcroutons
Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients:
3tablespoonorange marmalade
4tablespoonapple cider vinegar
4tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
juice of ½ lime
pinchof red pepper flakes
½teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonground 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.