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Sweet pears and apples paired with salty feta and bacon are the perfect combination in this autumn apple and pear salad!
This recipe and photos have been updated since their original post on 9/30/2015
If you’re looking for a simple fall produce inspired salad then you’ve come to the right place. This autumn apple and pear salad is a wonderful side salad to serve with dinner and will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table this year.
You can easily turn this into a main dish salad by adding some sliced chicken or your leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
There’s a few reasons I love this salad. It’s got lots of texture. Crunchy apples and almonds, crispy bacon, chewy dried cranberries, and soft pears. Another reason it’s so pleasing is the combination of sweet and salty flavors.
The sweetness of the pears, apples and dried cranberries is balanced out by the saltiness of the feta and bacon. The final part of this salad that gets me excited is the homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Sure you can get some great store bought vinaigrettes to save time, but honestly, in my opinion, nothing compared to homemade and it’s incredibly easy to make. This balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect sweet and tangy compliment to the salad.
Ingredients For Autumn Apple Pear Salad
- Mixed greens
- Apple
- Pear
- Bacon
- Dried cranberries
- Sliced almonds
- Feta
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Shallot
- Maple Syrup
How To Make Autumn Apple Pear Salad
Start by making the balsamic vinaigrette. I like to make my vinaigrettes and dressings in a jar with a lid so I can just add everything in and shake it. If you don’t have a jar, just add the ingredients to a glass measuring cup or small bowl and whisk them together until everything is combined.
Once the vinaigrette is made slice the apple and pear. I slice mine fairly thin about 1/4 inch thick. Keeping the fruit sliced thin also makes it easier to eat in the salad.
To assemble the salad I recommend using a wide salad bowl or even a serving platter. It makes it easier to arrange all of the toppings onto the lettuce.
For this salad I chose to fan out the fruit. It’s a beautiful way to present it. This is totally optional and if you’d rather randomly scatter the slices on top of the salad, go for it. Likewise, you can also dice the fruit rather than slice it.
Once the fruit is on, scatter the chopped bacon, crumbled feta, almonds and dried cranberries all over the top of the salad. I recommend serving the balsamic vinaigrette on the side rather than pouring it over the top. Mixed greens are fairly delicate and will wilt quickly when they come in contact with moisture.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use whatever your favorite apple is for this salad. A few varieties that I have used and recommend are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, and Golden Delicious.
Goat cheese, blue cheese or even and aged cheddar cheese would all be good substitutions for the feta.
I recommend making and eating the salad the same day. Since the mixed greens are delicate they will wilt quickly when they come into contact with moisture from the fruit.
You can prep elements of the salad ahead of time.
Toast the almonds, crumbled the feta, and make the vinaigrette ahead of time if you’re looking for ways to save time the day you plan to eat the salad
More Fall Salad Recipes
- Fall Cobb Salad
- Maple Orange Sweet Potato Salad
- Harvest Butternut Squash Lentil Salad
- Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad
- Fall Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Salad
Autumn Apple and Pear Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 7 ounces mixed greens
- 1 pear thinly sliced
- 1 apple thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
- 4 slices of bacon cooked and chopped
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the spring mix to a serving bowl. Top it with the sliced apple and pear, crumbled feta, bacon, dried cranberries and almonds.
- Add the ingredients for the vinaigrette to a jar with a lid or a glass measuring cup and shake or whisk until combined.
- Serve the vinaigrette alongside the salad to keep the ingredients from becoming soggy and wilted.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Everyone in my family loved this salad!
I made over Thanksgiving and my family LOVED it. It’s the absolutely the best salad ever and super easy to do. I am looking forward for more of your salad recipes!
I’m happy to hear you and the family loved it!
This makes me so excited for fall food! Love all these ingredients. Thanks for the idea!
Thanks Margaret! :-)
I’m sooo into pears! They’ve always been my favorite fall fruit. Beautiful salad!
Thanks Nicole and yay for pear love! :-)
I wish this was what I was having for lunch. Looks wonderful!!
Thanks Sarah! :-)
What a gorgeous fall salad
Thanks Julianne!
What a refreshing salad. I love that you used pears and apples together!