One Pot Recipes

Harvest Fall Salad (One Bowl)

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Quick and easy Fall salad recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Packed with greens, turkey, apples, nuts, pomegranate and cinnamon orange vinaigrette.

Salad are no longer a thing of Summer! Today’s salad recipe combines the freshness of Summer with the warmth of Fall through its flavor and colors. It would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table, or at your next gathering before the winter months hit, just like this Pumpkin Salad (One Bowl) and this Thanksgiving Salad (One Bowl).

Easy Homemade Fall Salad in White Plate- Overhead Shot

How To Make Harvest Fall Salad?

  1. Prepare the vinaigrette– Whisk together olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon powder.
  2. Mix in greens, fruit and meat- This includes salad mix, apples, pomegranate seeds, turkey meat.
  3. Add garnish- This includes cashews.
  4. Enjoy- Serve immediately!

How to make Orange Vinaigrette?

Whisk the following ingredients in a bowl until combined:

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Orange juice Preferably freshly squeezed
  • 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 tbsp Honey Adjust to your sweetness preference
  • Salt To taste
  • Pepper To taste
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder

Once prepared, it can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The flavor really develops over time and tastes amazing.

What to serve with Harvest Fall Salad recipe?

This salad is a meal in itself, but we all know a good soup makes the perfect pairing! Serve this salad with:

Chicken is another great option, which can be shredded, thinly sliced or diced. You can replace the turkey meat with any of these:

Storage

Refrigerate– It is best to serve this dish immediately, but if you must store it, store the dressing and salad separately in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 2 days. Toss everything together just prior to serving.

Freeze– Salad cannot be frozen because of the water content and wilting of the leaves upon thawing. The salad dressing, however, would keep in the freezer in a freezer safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and whisk together to serve.

Closeup Shot of Fall Harvest Salad with Turkey, Pomegranate seeds, Nuts, Apples and Orange Vinaigrette

Variations

Serve with a different meat– Use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from a previous meal, steak, or ham.

Add other fruit– Such as pears, dried cranberries, thinly sliced oranges, or golden raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries.

Add other nuts– Such as toasted or even candied pecans, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamia nuts, cashews or walnuts.

Add bacon– Crumbled bacon is amazing! The salty addition will balance the sweetness very well.

Add cheese– Such as shredded Swiss, white cheddar, Gorgonzola, or even blue cheese or feta cheese.

Add couscous– Mix in 1/2 cup of cooked couscous to make this an even heartier and filling salad.

Add quinoa– Mix in 1/2 cup boiled quinoa for a heartier salad.

Add chickpeas or beans– For added vegetarian protein!

Sweetener options- Use honey or maple syrup or agave. Granulated sugar or brown sugar can be used but those other alternatives add a much better taste.

Tips And Techniques

Serve immediately– Once the dressing has been mixed into the salad, it must be served immediately for best flavor and texture.

How to present this salad? Instead of mixing the vinaigrette with the salad, you can do a better presentation (similar to what I did) by spreading the green salad mix in a large dish. Then, top it off with a column of sliced apples, column of turkey meat, column of pomegranate seeds, column of cashews. Drizzle the prepared vinaigrette on top of the prepared salad, prior to serving. I typically only do this for dinner parties because it’s elegant and looks fancy.

What kind of greens to use? I used a combination of lettuce, spinach, kale, and arugula, but you can use whatever combination you prefer.

What kind of turkey to use? Use leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat such as this Easy Thanksgiving Turkey (One Pan) or this Roast Turkey Breast (One Pan). It can be thinly sliced, shredded or diced.

Use high quality olive oil– This provides the best flavor in the salad dressing!

Adjust sweetness– Add more or less honey based on your personal preference.

Adjust seasoning– Add more or less according to taste.

You must use apple cider vinegar- It cannot be replaced with regular distilled vinegar because it does not have the same sweetness as the apple cider version.

More One Pot Thanksgiving Recipes

One Pot Fall Harvest Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Quick and easy Fall salad recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Packed with greens, turkey, apples, nuts, pomegranate, orange vinaigrette.
Yield: 4 People

Ingredients

Orange Vinaigrette

Salad

  • 3 cups Green salad mix, Combination of lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula
  • 1 Apple, Washed, Thinly sliced
  • 4 tbsp Pomegranate seeds
  • 1 cup Turkey meat, Thinly sliced or Shredded, Can use leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat
  • 1/3 cup Cashews, Preferably roasted, Can be roughly chopped but I prefer them whole, For topping, Can be replaced with pecans

Instructions 

  • In a large salad bowl, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon powder until combined.
  • Add green salad mix, apple, slices, pomegranate seeds, turkey meat and toss everything together.
  • Garnish with cashews and serve immediately. Enjoy!
  • Note: Instead of mixing the vinaigrette with the salad, you can do a better presentation (similar to what I did) by spreading the green salad mix in a large dish. Then, top it off with a column of sliced apples, column of turkey meat, column of pomegranate seeds, column of cashews. Drizzle the prepared vinaigrette on top of the prepared salad, prior to serving. I typically only do this for dinner parties because it's elegant and looks fancy.

Notes

  • Read all my tips above.
  • Tastes best when served immediately and I don’t recommend storing leftovers for later because if the vinaigrette has already been mixed with the greens, they will become soggy over time. You can store the salad and dressing separately for 2 days in the fridge and mix right before serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 115mg, Potassium: 320mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 412IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 172
Author: Abeer Rizvi

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