Chopped Autumn Salad with Apple Cider Dressing (Quick & Fresh Fall Recipe)
This Chopped Autumn Salad combines crisp apples, pears, bacon, and feta with a sweet-tangy apple cider dressing — ready in 15 minutes for the perfect fall dish.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 6-8 cups chopped romaine lettuce (crisp and sturdy — perfect base)
- 1 red apple, diced (Fuji or Gala for sweetness)
- 1 ripe pear, diced (Anjou or Bartlett work beautifully)
- 3-4 strips bacon, cooked until almost crisp, crumbled
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
For the Candied Nuts
- ⅔ cup pecans (or walnuts)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
For the Apple Cider Dressing
- ⅓ cup apple juice (balances acidity)
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
Instructions
- Make the Dressing In a mason jar, combine apple juice, cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, and pepper. Cover and shake vigorously until the dressing emulsifies. Set aside at room temperature.
- Prepare the Salad Base In a large serving bowl, toss together lettuce, apples, pears, bacon, onion, cranberries, and feta.
- Candy the NutsHeat a medium skillet over medium heat.Add pecans and toast for 1–2 minutes, stirring often.Sprinkle in brown sugar and cinnamon; stir continuously until sugar melts and coats the nuts.Spread nuts on a parchment or glass plate to cool. Once hardened, roughly chop and add to the salad.
- Dress & Serve Pour the apple cider dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently to coat every leaf and bite evenly.