Autumn Chopped Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
This delicious fall-inspired Autumn Chopped Salad will quickly become your go-to holiday salad. It’s great for large group gatherings or compliments a weeknight meal at home.
This post is sponsored by St. James Winery and Burgers’ Smokehouse. Opinions are all ours though!
Ready to up your salad game? We’ve got you covered.
What Ingredients Do I Need for Autumn Chopped Salad?
I’ve been serving this simple, fall-inspired chopped salad at my weeknight and my holiday tables for years. It never sticks around long. The combo of sweet tart apples and dried cranberries, smoky bacon, tangy feta, and crunchy pecans creates a flavor experience in your mouth!
The homemade apple cider dressing perfectly accents the ah-mazing Burgers’ Smokehouse Applewood Smoked Bacon and other autumnal flavors in this salad.
Not only is Burgers’ locally owned and operated in mid-Missouri not far from us, but they produce some of the most flavorful bacon I have ever had. They developed their dry cure method (no water added, very few ingredients) over 50 years ago and have been serving it up the same since. The applewood flavor is subtle but is a very special touch to this apple-infused salad.
Now, let’s talk salad dressing. Friends, I’m just going to say it: I wanted to drink this vinaigrette right from the bottle! This might be my favorite homemade dressing to date. It’s a little sweet and a little tangy and a beautiful golden color.
How to Make Autumn Chopped Salad
Check out this short tutorial and see for yourself just how easy it is to make this chopped salad…
What to Serve Alongside This Salad
Be sure to serve this salad alongside our favorite holiday side, Ultimate Bacon and Cheddar Twice-Stuffed Baked Potatoes…
We hope you enjoy this delicious salad for lunch or with your next meal.
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Crisp greens are topped with tart apples, sweet dried cranberries, feta cheese, toasted pecans, and Burgers’ Smokehouse Applewood Bacon. Finish off with our delicious Apple Cider dressing.
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (sub: honey)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad:
- 8 cups crisp Romaine or Green Leaf lettuce, chopped (approximately 1 head of lettuce)
- 2 medium tart red apples, cored and diced (do not peel) (recommended: Fuji or Honeycrisp)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 8 slices Burgers’ Smokehouse Applewood Smoked Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 ounces feta cheese
Instructions
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a jar with a lid, seal, and shake. (You can make ahead and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.)
- Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl, lightly drizzle the dressing over the top (add less than you think you need), and toss. Serve with extra dressing on the side.
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I love this salad recipe!!! The dressing needs a little tweaking for me ….not quite sweet enough. All in all a wonderful tasting salad!
★★★★
Glad you enjoy it. Tweak away for your needs. 🙂
May sound weird, but I added a splash of OJ. And it was delicious
Thanks for the tip!
Love salads and this one looks fantastic. I think Hubby will even eat this one 🙂
This will be perfect for Easter!
Oh yes, this would be wonderful for Easter.
Yum! Pretty sure this is a permanent on our Thanksgiving menu now.
★★★★★
Agreed. I’ve made it the last two years for Thanksgiving.
This is possibly the best salad I’ve ever made, superb ingredients! And the homemade dressing is delicious. My husband and I love it and so do friends I’ve made it for.
★★★★★
Yay! Really glad to hear you enjoyed it, Kathy. Thanks for the review and feedback.
I’m never one to put fruit into my salads…unless I’m making fruit salad. But this one looked beautiful & sounded so tempting, I couldn’t resist. I’m Soon thrilled I made this salad. AB.SO.LUTELY AAAHMAZING.
★★★★★
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Cynthia. Thanks for the review.
This was so good and full of flavor! The only sub I made was dried cherries for the cranberries, as my husband is not a fan.
This is a fantastic fall recipe! The dressing is perfect with all the flavors. Loved this!
★★★★★
Thanks for the review, Emily. Really great to hear you enjoyed it!
I made this for a fall party and it was a hit! Great recipe- thanks!
★★★★★
Love hearing this, Rebecca. Thanks for the feedback!
Is there a substitute for the maple syrup? I have a family member allergic to maple.
Honey would work just fine!
Have you ever substituted blue cheese crumbles instead of the feta? If not how do you think it would taste?
Gorgonzola (a milder blue cheese) would be delicious on this salad!!
This salad was so easy! I did find applewood smoked bacon at my Hy Vee but could not locate the apple pie wine (of any brand). However, this was an absolutely DELICIOUS salad! It was SO GOOD, my husband volunteered to take all of the leftovers (there wasn’t much) to work the next day –WOW!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing, April! We are so glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing! Does the dressing keep long?
It keeps for a few days “as is”. If you leave out the wine (which is totally fine to do), it will stay good for 2 weeks.
I live in California. Where in the world would I find Apple Pie Wine??? I’ve never heard of it.
Hi Ann Marie. You can order the Apple Pie Wine when it’s in season from St. James Winery. It’s absolutely delicious and a fun local Missouri sweet wine to enjoy. But, since it’s out of stock at this time, you can just omit that ingredient. I’ve tested the dressing that way and it’s still delicious.
What would you sub for the Apple Pie Wine?
I’ve actually tested it without it. It works just fine and still tastes yummy!
I used a sparkling apple cider I came across at the store. The dressing is delicious!
★★★★★
Awesome, sounds delicious. Glad it was a hit.
The recipe I have does not show apple pie wine
how much do you use?
We actually removed that ingredient because apple pie wine isn’t easily available in our area anymore. The flavor is still great the way it’s written. If you want to include it, just add 2 tablespoons of the wine.