This Mixed Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette has dried cranberries, toasted pecans and feta cheese to create the perfect fall salad.
Fall is full of apples and cranberries and pecans, and so is this salad! The apple in the salad comes from the apple cider vinaigrette, but fresh cut red delicious apples would be a welcome ingredient in this salad too. This Mixed Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette is a nice addition to a perfect, chilly weather fall dinner.
Ingredients needed:
- apple cider vinegar
- granulated white sugar
- extra virgin olive oil
- minced onion
- paprika
- chopped pecans
- red leaf lettuce
- crumbled feta cheese
- dried cranberries
How to make the perfect fall salad?
First make the apple cider vinaigrette. Heat the apple cider in the microwave until hot. Add the sugar, and stir until it is dissolved. Whisk in olive oil, minced white onion and paprika.
Chop red lettuce and add it to a salad bowl. Use green lettuce, if you’d like, or a combination of both red leaf and green leaf. Add the toasted pecans, dried cranberries and crumbled feta cheese. Crumbled blue cheese would make a good sub for the feta cheese to change things up.
Drizzle the apple cider vinaigrette onto the salad.
How do you toast pecans?
Toasting pecans is easy to do. Place the pecans in even layer in a shallow, rimmed pan. Bake the pecans at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring once. You toast pecans and store them in a sealed container or freezer bag in the freezer. They’ll stay fresh up to 3 months. Take them out to use as you need them.
Pro tip:
This salad would also be good made with candied pecans. Make them homemade, or buy them already candied at Trader Joe’s or your favorite market!
Toss the salad to incorporate the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
This mixed green salad with apple cider vinaigrette would be the perfect side salad for Roasted Pork Loin, Cider Roasted Chicken or Butternut Squash Soup. Enjoy!
Mixed Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE:
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2½ tablespoons granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced onion
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
SALAD:
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans, toasted
- One head red leaf lettuce (washed, dried and chopped)
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
PREPARE THE VINAIGRETTE:
- Microwave the vinegar in a medium-size, microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute, or just until hot. Add sugar, and whisk until dissolved. Add the next 3 ingredients and whisk until blended. Store in the refrigerator until ready to toss with the salad.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:
- Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Top with the cheese, cranberries, and toasted pecans. Drizzle with the Apple Cider Vinaigrette and toss just before serving.
Notes
- To toast the pecans: Place pecans in even layer in a shallow pan. Bake pecans at 350°F. for 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you so much for this recipe! We needed a good salad dressing with apple cider vinegar. We know that apple cider vinegar isn’t fermented with wheat, so it’s gluten free.