A delicious simple salad with your favorite fall flavors dressed with a super yummy garlic pumpkin vinaigrette! This salad is a wonderful side dish or complete meal and perfect for a holiday gathering.

Fall Harvest Salad with Pumpkin Garlic Vinaigrette

Peppery arugula, creamy butternut squash, crispy fall apples, and a TO-DIE-FOR pumpkin garlic vinaigrette!

Listen up, I have your fall salad sorted. No need to play with any other ingredients, we are all set here!

Fall Harvest Salad with a pumpkin vinaigrette would be a welcome addition to any holiday table or a quick and healthy lunch in the middle of the week.

#AKPumpkinWeek2020 – I cannot wait for you to try all of the pumpkin deliciousness. Here is the pumpkin recap so far:

Day 1: Pumpkin Cookie Protein Smoothie

Day 2: Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto

Day 3: Pumpkin Spice Scones

And today… Fall Harvest Salad with a PUMPKIN garlic vinaigrette!

Tomorrow is our final pumpkin recipe this year (cue the tears!).

Let’s give ’em pumpkin to talk about and Let’s Get Cooking!

INGREDIENTS

A fall harvest salad is the ultimate celebration of fall flavors. As with most salads, you can feel free to explore other ingredients.

Pumpkin puree – The base for garlic pumpkin vinaigrette. Adding pumpkin to salad dressing is my favorite culinary discovery of 2020 🙂
Arugula – I love the spicy peppery bite of arugula with sweeter fall flavors like apple
Roasted butternut squash – A staple in my fall kitchen! Any winter squash or sweet potato will also work.
Crispy apple – my preferred apple is Honeycrisp, but any fresh crisp fall apple will do! Pear would also be delicious.
Pumpkin seeds – Ideal formula for any great salad is a combination of crunchy, salty, sweet, and creamy. The pumpkin seeds fit the crunchy bill!
Quick pickled onions – Salty, briny deliciousness. If you haven’t made a quick pickled onion for a salad before, trust me it is super easy and well worth the two-minute, effort!

TOOLS YOU WILL USE

HOW TO MAKE

Begin by roasting butternut squash – you can also use roasted sweet potato.
Whisk up your pumpkin vinaigrette!
Layer all the flavors, all the fall feels, get ready for salad perfection – peppery arugula, crisp fall apples, nutty pumpkin seeds, creamy butternut squash, salty pickled onions, and a garlicky savory pumpkin dressing!

THE FORMULA FOR DELICIOUS SALADS

I use this simple formula to craft delicious salads all year long. Think of the endless variations of deliciousness ahead of you when you use this simple road map to tasty!

Creamy – Think avocado, cheese, butternut squash, or sweet potato
Sweet – A little hint of fruit, apple, pear, citrus, or dried fruit
Nutty, crunchy – Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or pecans.
Salty, briny – Olives, pickled vegetables, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled onions
Greens – Lettuce, peppery arugula, tender massaged kale, escarole, or mixed greens.
GREAT homemade dressing – Non-negotiable in my book. Nothing will ever beat a delicious homemade salad dressing!
Additional Protein – Always optional but if you are looking for a foolproof chicken that you can add to different salads all week long try this Perfect Every Time Roasted Chicken Breast recipe.

two bowls of Fall Harvest Salad on a white plate

EXPERT TIPS

Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
You can use fresh pumpkin or canned
Use pungent dijon mustard – this provides a HUGE amount of flavor.
Good quality olive oil – Organic, First-Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I like mine grassy and peppery.
Use a large fresh clove of garlic and a garlic press to crush the garlic.
Taste for seasoning, make sure there is enough salt and pepper
Whisk or shake well to fully incorporate
This will keep well in the refrigerator for 5-7 days

DIETARY MODIFICATIONS

This recipe is naturally Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Whole 30, and Paleo compliant

Low Fodmap – Eliminate onions or quick pickle green scallions, eliminate garlic from the dressing

MORE RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE

For similar tasty dishes, check out my Thanksgiving recipes, fall recipes, pumpkin recipes, Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Side Dishes and November recipes roundups!

I can’t wait for you to try this Fall Harvest Salad with Pumpkin Garlic Vinaigrette! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!

Fall Harvest Salad with Pumpkin Garlic Vinaigrette

Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN

A delicious simple salad with your favorite fall flavors dressed with a super yummy garlic pumpkin vinaigrette!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 206 kcal

Ingredients

Pumpkin Garlic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Fall Harvest Salad

4 cups arugula
1 cup roasted butternut squash *See Note for How-To*
1 large honeycrisp apple
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds toasted
1/4 cup pickled red onions *See Note for How-To*

Instructions

Pumpkin Garlic Vinaigrette

In a bowl or salad dressing shaker combine pumpkin, dijon, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk or shake well to combine. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Fall Harvest Salad

Slice 1/2 small red onion into thin half moon slices. Add to a small bowl, cover with red wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. Allow to marinate for 5-10 minutes.
Thinly slice apple into slices, set aside.
In a dry skillet over medium heat toast pumpkin seeds until warm and slightly brown. Set aside.
In a large bowl or platter arrange ingredients, starting with arugula, arrange apple slices, roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, and pickled onions (remove onions from vinegar brine and scatter on top of salad).
Top with pumpkin garlic vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Notes

HOW TO ROAST BUTTERNUT SQUASH:

Preheat oven to 400°

Peel and seed butternut squash and dice into 1″ cubes.

Arrange on sheet pan in a single layer. Toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roast for 25-35 minutes until the squash is tender, flipping once during cooking.

HOW TO QUICK PICKLE RED ONIONS:

Slice red onions into thin half moon slices, add to a small bowl and cover with red wine vinegar. Add a pinch of sugar and salt (about 1/4 tsp of each). Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.

When ready to use remove from the brine and sprinkle on salad.

You can also store onions (keep them in the brine) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (4 total servings in recipe)Calories: 206kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 97mgPotassium: 335mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 6608IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 1mg

Snap a photo when you try this recipe!Tag me! @abrapappa or #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!

Meet Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN

Abra is a licensed nutritionist, seasoned home cook, and forever flavor-chaser. She’s spent more than two decades exploring the connection between food and health—and just as long obsessing over what makes something truly delicious. Abra’s Kitchen is where those two loves meet, with recipes that celebrate vegetables, follow the seasons, and make you excited to cook.

4 Comments

Jordan Schehr says:

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Love the mix of trxtures in this salad.

Dana Suss says:

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Love this salad! I’ve already made it twice and plan on making it for Thanksgiving!

Gavin says:

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Abra is the best and gives me the best recipes for everything! Eating wouldn’t be the same without her!

1. AbraPappa says:
  
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  Aww Gavin you are the best!