Fall Harvest Salad

This vibrant fall harvest salad is delicious for a light autumn meal or a side salad for dinner or the holidays. It’s full of seasonal flavors from kale, roasted sweet potato, cranberries, toasted hazelnuts, and a sweet and tangy maple, apple cider, and mustard vinaigrette.

If you like this kale and sweet potato salad, try my fall kale apple salad, too. These tasty salads will turn you into a kale fan for life! And if you prefer cooked kale, don’t miss my sausage and lentil soup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Bright and colorful — because you eat with your eyes!
  • Serve it warm or cold.
  • Packed with nutrients from kale and sweet potatoes

Recipe Ingredients

Here are the main ingredients needed to make this gorgeous fall harvest salad. Substitutions and variations are in the section below.

Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.

Ingredients needed to make a fall harvest salad.

Kale. I use a bag of chopped curly kale because it’s already washed and chopped, saving time. You can also buy a large bunch of curly or Dinosaur/Lacinato kale, wash, stem, and chop it yourself.

Sweet potato. You’ll need one medium to large sweet potato. I prefer an orange-fleshed sweet potato for the color contrast, but a white, red, or purple sweet potato will work fine, too.

Chopped hazelnuts. These add a delicious, sweet, caramelized flavor and nice crunch. Look for chopped hazelnuts in the baking section.

Dried cranberries add just a touch of sweetness, creating a delicious mix of flavors in this harvest salad.

Maple syrup. Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. This adds a little more sweetness and a rich flavor to the dressing.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Substitute crumbled goat cheese for the feta cheese, or leave the cheese out for a dairy-free option. 
  • Use mixed baby greens instead of kale for a flavor variation.
  • Add a sprinkle of sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
  • Add a few ounces of chopped smoked turkey breast from the deli for more protein.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Roast the sweet potato. Peel and cut the sweet potato into small, ½ inch cubes. Toss them with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil, lay them in a single layer on a baking pan, and roast until tender.

Steps 1 and 2 to make a harvest salad

2. Make the dressing. While the sweet potatoes roast, combine the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small jar or bowl. Shake or whisk well to combine. Set this aside.

3. Massage the kale.  Place it in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt, and work the seasoning in well using your hands. Really squeeze the kale, don’t just toss it.

Steps 3 and 4 to make a harvest salad.

4. Toast the hazelnuts. When the sweet potatoes are tender and just starting to brown in spots, move them to one side of the pan and add the hazelnuts to the other side. Return the pan to the oven for one to two minutes to toast the hazelnuts. Do not let them burn. Remove the pan when the nuts are fragrant.

5. Combine the ingredients. Add the sweet potatoes and hazelnuts (warm or let them cool) to the seasoned kale. Add the cranberries, feta cheese, and dressing. 

Steps 5 and 6 to make a harvest salad.

6. Toss well and serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Don’t skip the kale massage! Nothing is worse than tough, bitter kale (the main reason most people don’t like this vegetable). Massaging (squeezing) the leaves with olive oil and salt tenderizes and flavors them. Also, remove as many of the tough kale stems/stalks as possible. They’re fine to eat, but tough when raw.

To serve this salad warm, let the roasted sweet potatoes cool for about five minutes, and then add them to the salad. Their warmth will wilt the kale slightly. To serve it cold, roast the sweet potatoes and let them chill in the refrigerator until you assemble the salad. 

This salad is best served once you combine everything and add the dressing. The ingredients will wilt, and the cheese will melt if stored overnight. You can, however, roast the sweet potato and chop the kale (if you don’t buy pre-chopped) in advance.

A white bowl of Fall Harvest Salad with a green and white napkin, a gold serving spoon, and a small plate of the salad in the background.

What to Serve With This Harvest Salad

Serve this tasty salad with:

Or just add some warm pita bread and homemade hummus and enjoy a light vegetarian dinner.

Related Fall Salad Recipes

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page. Your email will not appear publicly!

A large white bowl of fall harvest salad with two smaller portions alongside it. A green and white patterned napkin is under one plate.

Fall Harvest Salad

A healthy, colorful fall salad full of seasonal flavors
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Diet: Lower Carb, Heart Healthy, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 251kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • 2.5 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or to taste) divided
  • 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
  • 4 cups chopped curly kale
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 305℉ and set the oven rack to the lower position. Line a baking pan with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
  • Peel and cut the sweet potato into small (1/2 inch) pieces. Toss them with about one teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread the sweet potatoes on the baking pan and roast for about 20 minutes or until tender, tossing once or twice so they cook evenly.
  • While the potatoes roast, make the dressing. In a small jar, combine two tablespoons of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, ground pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cover and shake well. Set the dressing aside.
  • When the sweet potatoes are tender, push them over to one side of the pan. Add the chopped hazelnuts to the other side of the pan. Return the pan to the oven for one to two minutes to roast the nuts. Do NOT let them burn! Remove the pan when the nuts are fragrant and let everything cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Put the kale in a large bowl with one teaspoon of olive oil and another pinch of salt. Work the oil and salt into the kale with your hands, squeezing and massaging the kale to tenderize and flavor it. Let the kale sit for about five minutes.
  • Add the roasted sweet potatoes, hazelnuts, cranberries, and feta cheese to the bowl of kale. Toss lightly to combine. Drizzle with the dressing and toss again.

Notes

This recipe makes four side salad portions or two dinner sized-portions. Nutrition information is for four servings.
For convenience, use a bag of chopped, washed curly kale.
Don’t skip the kale massage! It helps tenderize the tough kale leaves.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 338mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 10151IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 1mg
https://cravingsomethinghealthy.com/smoked-turkey-harvest-salad-with-maple-vinaigrette/

2 Comments

  1. I adore salad, especially ones like this- sounds delish! I personally haven’t needed to use the mason jar because I work from home, but I love the idea. Everything in a jar is better. 🙂

    1. Thanks for visiting Melanie! I work from home too, so I don’t have to pack lunch – but I made extras of this salad and stored it in the Mason jar for dinner the next night. Worked like a charm!

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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