This Autumn Salad recipe is packed with good fall ingredients and tossed with a fabulous dressing.
The transition to a new season is always an exciting time for home cooks. It’s a great time to get out new, seasonal ingredients and try so many new recipes. This Autumn Salad is one of those transitional recipes. It’s a good recipe to start with for fall because it will have you craving all of the fall things! It’s a perfectly delicious salad to add to your dinner menu.
How to make sugared, spiced nuts for salad:
Let me explain that these are awesome. So good. I know you can buy sugared and spiced nuts at Trader Joe’s and other markets, but these are better! Use either walnuts or pecans for the recipe. The nuts are tossed with butter and sugar, and then spices are mixed in (ginger, curry, salt and pepper). They’re baked in the oven for 10 minutes. The recipe might make more than you want to include in your Autumn Salad, so you can save the rest for snacking or adding to another salad.
Maple Cider Vinaigrette:
The vinaigrette for this Autumn Salad is so easy to make, so don’t you dare skip making it! It’s a mix of cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. And then olive oil is whisked in to complete the simple vinaigrette for this salad. It can be made ahead and refrigerated, and then you can just take it out and re-mix it before adding to your salad.
Ingredients need for Autumn Salad:
- spinach leaves
- sliced pear (you could also use apple)
- sliced red onion
- crumbled blue cheese
Combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl. Then sprinkle in the sugared, spiced nuts, and toss with the cider maple vinaigrette.
The result is a totally delicious salad with autumn flavors. It’s not packed with a lot of weird, random ingredients- which I love. The sugared nuts are totally great in this salad. And the vinaigrette brings it all together. I highly recommend you try this Autumn Salad!
If you’ve been in a salad rut, it’s time to try this new Autumn Salad recipe. Plus, it’s a great way to celebrate the season. Enjoy!
Here are a few more fall recipes you might like to try:
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Autumn Vegetable Soup
- Cranberry Rice Pilaf
- Pumpkin Magic Bars
- Roasted Autumn Vegetables
- Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
- Best Pumpkin Bread
Autumn Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
SUGARED SPICED NUTS:
- 6 ounces walnut or pecan halves (about 1¾ cups)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
MAPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE:
- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
SALAD:
- 10 ounces baby spinach (buy the bag!)
- 1 large ripe Bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
PREPARE THE NUTS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl toss the nuts in melted butter. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and remaining ingredients; sprinkle over the nuts, tossing to coat. Spread in a single layer on a nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper-lined pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool in a pan on a wire rack; separate the nuts with a fork. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
PREPARE VINAIGRETTE:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients. Gradually whisk in the oil until completely blended. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients. Sprinkle in the nuts. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, gently tossing to coat. You may have extra nuts and extra vinaigrette.
Notes
- *Make nuts and vinaigrette ahead for an easy-to-put-together salad.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
