Fall Chopped Salad (Gluten Free, Paleo)
Fall Chopped Salad – This yummy main dish salad makes a delicious lunch or dinner all season long. You’ll LOVE the dressing! (Gluten-Free & Paleo)
I know it’s basically Pumpkin All The Things(!!!) right now, but has anyone else been excited about apple season? I love eating apples during their peak season, and I’ve been dying for a good Honeycrisp apple for ages. They’re FINALLY HERE in all their in-season glory!!!
Besides eating at least one apple a day, I’ve been popping them into everything I can think of–pairing them with my favorite flavored almond butters, adding them to baked oatmeal, sliding them into grilled sandwiches (TRY IT!!!), and eating them in salads as often as possible.
Although it’s not exactly warm and cozy, this Fall Chopped Salad really tastes like fall. Here’s why it’s what fall dreams are made of…
WHAT’S IN FALL CHOPPED SALAD?
My Fall Chopped Salad is loaded with fresh apples, ripe pear, smoky bacon, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy nuts, and a creamy, tangy dressing to finish things off.
ALL ABOUT THAT BASE (GREENS!). You can use whatever greens you like here–romaine, spring mix, butter lettuce, an Italian blend with radicchio and arugula…whatever! I used a “Rosé blend” for these photos and video, with a mix of butter lettuce, baby oak leaf, Pak-Choi, red leaf lettuce, and radicchio.
SMOKY BACON. This salty, savory note balances out the sweetness of the fall fruits and gives this fall chopped salad a bit more substance. I love it. (I usually look for uncured bacon.)
APPLES. Use whatever sounds best to you! My very favorite apples are Honeycrisp apples. THE BEST in flavor (sweet and slightly tart) and texture (juicy and crisp).
PEARS. You can use whatever’s on sale or looks best. I used Bartlett pears this time, but Anjou, Bosc, red pears, and Asian pears work well!
PECANS. I toast mine for a few minutes in a dry pan to wake up the flavor. You could also swap in candied pecans (or another nut!) if you like.
A LITTLE RED ONION. Another little savory note helps balance out the sweetness. If you want more mild flavor, you can swap for green onion.
DRIED CRANBERRIES OR CHERRIES. Perfect little gems to round out the salad’s taste and texture.
LET’S TALK DRESSING! WHAT KIND OF DRESSING GOES ON FALL CHOPPED SALAD?
Since the apple and pear bring a lot of sweetness to this Fall Chopped Salad, I think a salad dressing with some tang really balances those flavors nicely. I LOVE this salad with honey mustard dressing–the sweetness, tang, and the acidity are just right to play off the other flavors in this salad!
Even Michael (my mustard-hating husband) loves this dressing. But if honey mustard isn’t your jam, this fall chopped salad also plays nice with other dressing options. Some of our faves are:
- Balsamic Dressing
- Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
WHAT TO SERVE WITH FALL CHOPPED SALAD:
One thing I love about this salad is how easily it can switch from a main dish to a side dish. We enjoy it both ways all season long!
SERVE IT AS A MAIN DISH WITH A SIDE OF:
- Maple Cornbread
- Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
- Gluten Free Rosemary Focaccia
- A Cup of Roasted Tomato Basil Soup or Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
SERVE IT AS A SIDE DISH ALONG WITH:
- Grilled or Rotisserie Chicken
- Sautéed Chicken Sausage (Chicken Apple sausage has some nice fall vibes!)
- A Fancy (or “Fancy”) Roast, like Brown Sugar Balsamic Pork Roast
- A Big Bowl of Soup–(the Roasted Tomato Basil or Roasted Butternut Squash Soup I mentioned above are nice!)
FAQ + TIPS FOR FALL CHOPPED SALAD.
ADD MORE VEGGIES. Celery is one of my favorites to add here, but you can get creative! (Cucumber, some roasted squash or roasted sweet potatoes, etc.)
ADD MORE PROTEIN! You can easily pump up the protein by adding 1-2 cups of diced or shredded cooked chicken to the salad. It’s a great way to use leftovers!
ADD SOME CHEESE! In my pre-dairy-free life, I loved topping this with a bit of feta, cotija, or even blue cheese. Such a yummy salty note!
CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME? I find that Honeycrisp apples don’t brown as much as other apples do, but the pears are a bit delicate. I don’t make this more than an hour or so before I plan to eat it, and I wait to add the dressing until right before serving. The dressing can be made well in advance.
LOVE THIS? I BET YOU’D LIKE:
- Autumn Cobb Salad with Rosemary Croutons
- Thai Chopped Salad with Peanut Drizzle
- Powerhouse Quinoa Salad
- BLT Salad with Creamy Ranch
- Italian Chopped Salad with Italian Dressing
Fall Chopped Salad (Gluten Free & Paleo)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side dish 1x
Description
Fall Chopped Salad – This yummy main dish salad makes a delicious lunch or dinner all season long. (Gluten Free & Paleo)
Ingredients
For the Fall Chopped Salad:
- 5–6 oz (6–8 cups) mixed greens
- 1 apple, diced
- 1 pear, diced
- 4–6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I like uncured bacon)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries (I like unsweetened)
- 1/4 cup pecans (I like to toast mine)
- 3–4 Tbsp. finely minced red onion (or green onion)
For the Honey Mustard Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- 3 Tbsp. Honey
- 2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp. salt (or, to taste)
- 1/4 tsp. pepper (or, to taste)
Instructions
To Make the Fall Chopped Salad:
- In your largest mixing bowl, combine greens, apple, pear, bacon, cranberries, pecans, and onion.
- Add 3-4 Tbsp dressing and toss to coat, adding more dressing as necessary/desired.
To Make the Dressing:
- Combine mustard, honey, and mayonnaise in a small jar or bowl. Whisk to combine. (This will make more than you need for the salad). Dressing will keep 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: salad, main dish, side dish
- Method: no-cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Fall chopped salad, autumn chopped salad, chopped salad, apple bacon salad, apple chopped salad, bacon chopped salad, gluten free, paleo, dairy free
Originally posted October 2012. Post, recipe, photos & video completely updated August 2019.
Yum! That looks good! We got an iceberg lettuce in our CSA this week. Who knew that iceberg is in season in October in southern Wisconsin?
This is Dad’s kind of salad. He will love it!
This is amazing, Emily! At least you can celebrate fall with food, even if the temps aren’t quite there yet. Love this salad!
I made this the day you posted it. I had lots of lettuce to use up. It was wonderful! We had Honey Dijon around as well as a Raspberry Vinaigrette so we used those dressings. I made some easy sugared pecans to top it. Thanks for the great idea!
I made the chopped salad . I didn’t have all the ingred. (cashews or pears) but did have the rest. My daughter said she really enjoyed the CHOPPED lettuce effect. Easier to eat! So pretty! I have BAGS of extra apples from our tree this year. Wish you could have been the recipient of a bag or two.
★★★★★
Janet – I wish I could have been the recipient of one too! YUM!
Came out awesome
Thank u🥰
Hooray!!! I LOVE hearing that! Thank you!
Wow this salad was phenomenal!! We had it for a quick and easy dinner tonight and wow, delicious! I hard-boiled some eggs to make it a little more substantial. My husband said it was the best salad he’s ever had :D:D:D
★★★★★
Jessica – That’s SO FANTASTIC! I’m so glad you loved it!