This Fall Harvest Salad is filled with all of the very best flavors of autumn. It starts with a base of arugula and kale, and then gets topped with honeycrisp apple, red onion, roasted fennel and butternut squash, avocado, pomegranate, toasted pecans, and fried sage leaves! To finish, this dreamy fall salad gets tossed with a ridiculously flavorful maple dijon vinaigrette!
I’m back yet again with another fall salad because I truly can’t get enough of them! The flavors of fall are tough to beat, and they just make me the happiest. This one is filled with everything I love about fall, from maple roasted butternut squash, to pomegranate seeds, to roasted fennel, to honeycrisp apple, and finally, fried sage leaves. Only my favorite thing in the whole world!
If you’re looking for a fall salad that will please everyone, this is it. The maple dijon vinaigrette is SO good, and all of the textures and flavors really pop. I used a base of arugula and kale, so it’s on the heartier side and can stand alone as a main dish! You could totally add whatever protein you love, and/or some crumbled feta or goat cheese to bulk it up a little bit!
The roasted fennel really adds something special, so don’t skip it! It literally ends up tasting like candy. I could eat the entire sheet pan of roasted fennel in minutes – it’s the best! So underrated.
And the maple roasted butternut? It can’t be beat. That’s truly like candy to me too!
For the rest of the salad, we’ve got:
- a base of arugula and kale (but feel free to use whatever greens you love!)
- honeycrisp apple
- super thinly sliced red onion
- maple roasted butternut squash
- roasted fennel (literally one of my favorite things ever – you need to try it!)
- avocado (I know, I know, what salad do I not add it to?!)
- toasted pecans (candied pecans would also be super delicious here if you like a sweeter salad)
- pomegranate arils
- fried sage leaves (I also have a hard time not adding these to every single I make during the fall months)
- the most delicious maple dijon vinaigrette (it will be a staple in your fridge!)
If that’s not a fall salad, I don’t know what is! But I do have a pretty fantastic one in my cookbook
This salad does have several moving parts, but it truly is super simple to make.
While the butternut squash and fennel is roasting, you can chop everything and whisk up your vinaigrette, and right before serving, fry up your sage leaves! It takes thirty seconds and your house will smell like absolute heaven.
And if you’re looking for more recipes with fried sage, I’ve got you covered. This autumn harvest pizza and this autumn loaded guac are INCREDIBLE. That pizza might be my favorite thing I’ve ever created – such an oldie (literally from 2015! and omg – just realized – I posted that recipe exactly 4 years ago today!!), but SUCH a goodie.
We’re so bombarded with cozy comfort foods this time of year, which don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love, but sometimes I just want something fresh. This is exactly that. A feel-good fall recipe.
And how could you not fall in love with those colors?! My fall loving heart could explode.
I couldn’t love it more!
Fall Harvest Salad
This Fall Harvest Salad is filled with all of the very best flavors of autumn. It starts with a base of arugula and kale, and then gets topped with honeycrisp apple, red onion, roasted fennel and butternut squash, avocado, pomegranate, toasted pecans, and fried sage leaves! To finish, this dreamy fall salad gets tossed with a ridiculously flavorful maple dijon vinaigrette!
Ingredients
For the roasted butternut and fennel
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 medium-large bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- pinch of cinnamon
- salt and pepper
For the salad
- 5-6 cups baby arugula
- 1 medium bunch lacinato/Tuscan kale, de-stemmed and shredded
- 1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, pitted and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 10-12 sage leaves
For the maple dijon vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Begin by making the roasted butternut and fennel. Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Arrange butternut squash on half of the sheet pan, and the fennel on the other half. Toss the butternut squash with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, the maple syrup, a pinch of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Toss the fennel with the reamining teaspoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing once during baking, until butternut and fennel are tender and golden brown.
Make the vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, whisk together the white balsamic vinegar, dijon, maple, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until dressing is smooth and creamy. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Right before serving, make the crispy sage. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add the sage leaves and cook for 30 seconds - 1 minute until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Season with a pinch of salt.
To assemble the salad, place arugula and kale in a large bowl. Add the honeycrisp apple, avocado, pomegranate arils, and toasted pecans. Season the salad with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Add desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. Serve with fried sage leaves on top!
There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!
Easily my favourite salad. All the ingredients sounded interesting together and they are so perfect! This salad has so much flavour, and is so filling.
Thank you so much Jenna!! It’s a favorite of mine too! 🙂