A simple Fall salad with walnuts and apples that is ready in 20 minutes. With a handful of ingredients and a quick dressing, it combines juicy crunchiness with baby greens, salty feta cheese and a tangy cider dressing. It's a great option for a light lunch, holiday dinners and potlucks.
Holiday option
If you're looking for a fresh and tasty way to enjoy apples that doesn't include the oven, this recipe is a must to add to your salad recipes for special occasions.
There's crunch and sweetness combined with a tangy dressing and salty cheese. You have a unique sweet-tart flavor and a crisp bite.
Though apples are a fall staple, they're available year-round, so this salad (just like the old-fashioned Waldorf salad) is great for potlucks, weeknight dinners, and holidays to add some color and freshness to the table.
For those of us living in the southern hemisphere, the holidays are celebrated during the summer, so fresh and unique drinks and salads are necessary. Our holiday menu often features it for Christmas dinner, together with this apple slaw and apple cider sangria.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Baby greens: we use baby or wild arugula (rocket) and baby spinach as they're more tender than their 'grown-up' counterparts. But they all work. You can also use only one.
- Fresh red apples.
- Walnuts: lightly toasted for extra flavor.
- Cheese: feta and soft goat cheese work very well for this recipe.
- Shallots: they have a mellow flavor. If not available, use red onions that are sharper but work well.
- Oil: our first choice is olive oil, but the dressing works just as well with sunflower oil.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Dijon mustard: I use smooth Dijon mustard or grainy mustard (ancienne or country mustard). I didn't have the same flavor results with regular mustards (for hot dogs and such), but it's your choice.
- Salt.
- Black pepper: freshly ground.
- Raisins or cranberries: plump and soft.
Variations & substitutions
- Greens: Use a different mix of your favorite greens. They might include some kale, radicchio and lettuce.
- Citrus: add orange juice to the dressing, substituting for some of the vinegar. Or use lemon juice instead of the cider vinegar.
- Add protein: turn this beautiful salad into a hearty meal by adding leftover turkey, tofu, chicken breasts or boneless thighs (shredded or cubed, grilled or roasted).
- Grains: add cooked quinoa or rice (basmati, yamani or wild rice).
- Cheese: halloumi or mozzarella are other alternatives that pair well with this fall salad.
- Sweeter dressing: Use a honey dressing like the one in the pomegranate salad, or the honey mustard dressing used for the pear arugula salad. They also work with maple syrup.
How to assemble this salad
Use red apples: we favor them over the tart green ones we use for baked goods, as they are sweeter and not as sharply flavored. Apple season offers a variety of red ones, so choose your favorite. We like red delicious, Honeycrisp, Fuji and Gala apples.
Apple salad dressing: I like using a blender or mixer to emulsify it better; the ingredients don't separate as much or as quickly. If mixing by hand, you must whisk or shake it well before serving.
A shallow serving platter will allow you to create a single layer and divide the ingredients more evenly.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
If using a deep salad bowl, make two layers so you don't have to toss it too much to serve. Dress the greens first, transfer half of them to the bowl and scatter half the add-ons. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. This way, you don't have to toss the salad to mix it up before serving as the bottom of the salad is dressed.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Can I make the salad ahead of time? While it's best to assemble the salad shortly before serving to maintain freshness, you can prepare the dressing and wash and dry the greens in advance.
- Greens: ensure they are thoroughly dried after washing them to prevent sogginess. Also, consider serving the dressing on the side and adding it just before eating to keep the salad crisp.
- Storage: refrigerate leftovers for a short time, in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap. This is a salad to eat on the same day.
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Apple Walnut Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 cups packed baby greens, I use arugula, butter lettuce, spinach and radicchio (a small amount) washed and dried
- ½ shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 red apple, unpeeled and thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup raisins, or dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled feta , or goat cheese
For the vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ cup olive or sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste, freshly ground if possible
Instructions
- For the vinaigrette: stir together 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard, ½ cup olive or sunflower oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. They will not completely emulsify, and you can use the blender to make a creamier, more integrated dressing. I use the immersion blender as the regular one is too large for this small amount of dressing, but you can.
- Place 4 cups packed baby greens in a large bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and lightly toss. Transfer to the serving platter.
- Scatter and sprinkle ½ shallot, 1 red apple, ⅓ cup walnuts, ¼ cup raisins and ¼ cup crumbled feta over, arranging the thin apple slices in clusters.
- Drizzle with a little more vinaigrette and serve.
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