Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette | Healthy Autumn Cobb
This Fall Harvest Salad combines roasted squash, bacon, apples, pecans, and maple vinaigrette for the ultimate autumn Cobb salad — hearty, healthy, and meal prep–friendly.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 4 slices bacon (or more, honestly)
- 4 cups chopped kale (Lacinato kale works beautifully)
- 6 cups mixed spring greens
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken or turkey (about 8 ounces; rotisserie chicken or Thanksgiving leftovers both shine here)
- 1 Honeycrisp or Jonathan apple, cored and diced
- ⅔ cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup Manchego or Parmesan cheese, shaved or peeled (about 2 ounces)
For the Maple Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp minced shallot
- 1 tbsp ure maple syrup
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the squash cubes with olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper on a baking sheet. Spread in a single layer and roast for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and tender.
- Cook the bacon. Meanwhile, crisp the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, let cool slightly, and chop into pieces.
- Prep the greens. Add chopped kale to a large salad bowl. Gently massage the leaves for about 30 seconds until slightly softened — it makes all the difference. Toss in the spring greens.
- Assemble the salad. Top the greens with roasted squash, bacon, chicken (or turkey), diced apple, pecans, cranberries, and Manchego.
- Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, shallot, maple syrup, and Dijon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Dress and serve. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss lightly to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.