Apple Walnut Salad
A simple Fall salad with walnuts that is ready in 20 minutes. With a handful of ingredients and a quick dressing, it combines the juicy crunch of apples with baby greens, salty feta cheese and a tangy apple cider dressing. It's a great option for a light lunch, holiday dinners and potlucks.
Servings 6 servings
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.
Notes
Make the vinaigrette in advance and keep it in a mason jar or other airtight container.
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.
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.
