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Salads & Sides

Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

This delicious autumn-inspired fall harvest salad with butternut squash, pecans, pomegranate, and maple dijon dressing comes together in just 30 minutes! It’s the perfect salad recipe for fall gatherings and parties. I love to make this salad as a healthy side dish option for Thanksgiving!

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
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Recipe Index | Cook | Salads & Sides

Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

This delicious autumn-inspired fall harvest salad with butternut squash, pecans, pomegranate, and maple dijon dressing comes together in just 30 minutes! It’s the perfect salad recipe for fall gatherings and parties. I love to make this salad as a healthy side dish option for Thanksgiving!

Fall Harvest Salad Recipe Perfect for Parties

Are you looking for a ridiculously easy salad recipe to prep for a party, potluck, or gathering? Well, this is the recipe for you! For parties, I like to prep the salad in a big bowl with a lid, then prep the dressing in a bottle. That way everyone can add their own amount of dressing! Even the homemade maple dijon dressing recipe is simple! Here’s what you will need to make the salad and the dressing:

  • Spinach
  • Roasted Butternut Squash (you can sub roasted sweet potato)
  • Sliced Red Onion
  • Pomegranate Seeds
  • Pecans
  • Corn
  • Maple Syrup
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Sauerkraut
  • Olive Oil
  • Black Pepper
  • Salt

Simple and Healthy Maple Dijon Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing

Making your own salad dressing at home is the BEST and it’s way easier than it seems. I like to add all the ingredients to the little dressing bottle I bought and shake it up. You can also blend all the ingredients in a blender for a more emulsified mixture. Feel free to sub out the dressing ingredients too! For instance, you can use whatever type of oil you have. I like to use olive oil, but avocado oil works great too.

Easy Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dish

My family is not vegan, so arriving to Thanksgiving parties without bringing a dish isn’t really an option. If I don’t bring anything, I don’t have much to eat. I like to bring this salad recipe I created because it’s not hard to make at all, and takes almost no time to prep. The holidays are stressful enough, so I like to bring the easiest, yet healthiest thing I can make.

This salad is also full of fall flavor, so it’s “on brand” for a thanksgiving meal. The pecans, pomegranate and maple dressing give off some serious autumn flavor vibes.

What to Pair With This Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

Here are two other super easy fall recipes you can pair with this salad for a full meal:

  • Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Vegan Mac and Cheese
  • Easy Recipe for Instant Pot Roasted Carrot and Turmeric Soup
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Salads & Sides

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Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

This delicious autumn-inspired fall harvest salad with butternut squash, pecans, pomegranate, and maple dijon dressing comes together in just 30 minutes! It’s the perfect salad recipe for fall gatherings and parties. I love to make this salad as a healthy side dish option for Thanksgiving!

  • Prep: 10 minutes
  • Cook: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

  • 6 Cups Spinach
  • 2 Cups Butternut Squash, Cubed and Roasted
  • 1/4 Cup Pecans
  • 1/4 Cup Pomegranate Seeds
  • 1/2 Cup Corn, Fresh
  • 1/4 Cup Red Onion, Chopped

Dressing

  • 2 Tablespoons Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
  • 3 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sauerkraut with brine
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
  • 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Instructions

  1. Peel, cube, and roast the butternut squash at 450° F for 20 minutes.
  2. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.
  3. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until emulsified. 
  4. Serve and add the desired amount of dressing! 

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a 5-star review below if you loved it! Tag @cultured.guru on Instagram

 

Nutrition information is auto-calculated and estimated as close as possible. We are not responsible for any errors. We have tested the recipe for accuracy, but your results may vary.

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Kaitlynn Fenley Food Microbiologist and Fermentation Specialist
Kaitlynn is a Food Microbiologist and FSPCA-certified fermentation specialist. An alumna of the LSU College of Science, she combines her academic background in microbiology with her Cajun heritage to create safe and delicious recipes.
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Get my honey mustard pickles recipe at the link in my bio for free! or ✨comment “pickles”✨and I’ll send it to you. Also let me know if you have any fermented pickle questions in the comments! 

(Yes, I’m trying out the comment for the recipe thing, don’t hate me! 🙈I just want it to be as easy as possible for you to go to my recipe lol)
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Pickle Pursuit Ep. 3 Bread and Butter Pickles with @ballcanning 

Let’s just say that I’ve fully entered my canning girl era.

A perfect pool day or beach day sandwich requires a sweet pickle, and that’s where water bath canning pickles comes in! It’s just not possible to get a classic, sweet bread and butter pickle with fermentation.

As a food microbiologist, I love the connection here. Canning pickles is all about stopping microbial growth, but when water bath canning pickles, we still rely on a vital fermented ingredient: vinegar. Even when we’re trying to keep microbes out, we still rely on them, just in a different way! 😍🥒

Grab your jars and try a recipe from the 38th Edition Ball® Blue Book Guide to Preserving or BallMasonJars.com to get started canning pickles this season! All Ball® home canning recipes are tested and approved for safety, and that’s why I love them.

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I actually said “betta not” in a British accent, t I actually said “betta not” in a British accent, then made my own Probiotic Parmesan Vinaigrette ✨

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Ep. 1: Dill and Horseradish Pickles, aka the pickl Ep. 1: Dill and Horseradish Pickles, aka the pickles I’ve been using in every salad and salad dressing recipe lately.

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I know some of you will ask if you can use fresh horseradish, and I honestly don’t know because I haven’t tested it. I love using the prepared horseradish though, and I’ve tested many recipes with the prepared kind, so I do recommend using that!

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