13 Healthy Fall Salad Recipes For Cozy But Healthy Meals

Most people think of salads in the summer months when it’s hot outside and turning on the stove is the last thing you want to do. But salads are quite possibly one of the best autumn meals you can make. They minimize the number of dishes to wash, are easily transportable for lunches, and make a simple but filling meal for dinner. Using fall produce makes delicious salads you’ll want to make all season long, and these thirteen recipes prove it.

1. Fall Harvest Pasta Salad

The finished Fall Harvest Pasta Salad sitting in a wooden bowl with a fork.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This fall harvest pasta salad is perfect for dinner on cool fall evenings. You can serve it as a main dish or a side, and it’s easy to make ahead of time so all you have to do is serve it.

2. Kale Salad Recipe With Walnuts, Butter Beans, And Maple Tahini Dressing

Overhead view of a white bowl filled with Kale Salad With Walnuts And Butter Beans.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Whether you want to make a hearty lunch or dinner, this kale salad with walnuts and butter beans is a great idea. It has a delicious maple tahini dressing that adds sweet and savory flavors as well as a creamy texture you’ll love.

3. Chicken Quinoa Salad With Apples

A white bowl filled with Chicken Quinoa Salad With Apples.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you love simple and light flavors, this Chicken Quinoa Salad With Apples recipe is the one you need. It has a nice combination of quinoa, chicken, apples, and walnuts, which makes it a great option for lunch or dinner.

4. Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

A closeup of a white bowl filled with butternut pecan quinoa salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Fall is a great time to incorporate more hearty squash into your diet, like butternut squash. This butternut squash quinoa salad is hearty and incorporates a lot of fall flavors into a single dish. There are lots of additional toppings you can add to really make this dish your own. 

5. Apple Slaw

The finished Apple Slaw Recipe in a white bowl on a white background.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Fall is apple season, so why not incorporate them into your salads, too? Thinly sliced apples, cabbage, and carrots make a delicious apple slaw. You can use it as a topping for burgers or hot dogs or serve it as a side dish. 

6. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

A white bowl filled halfway with roasted sweet potato salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

You probably don’t normally think about using sweet potatoes in your potato salad, but they’re delicious. This roasted sweet potato salad is full of flavors, and you can serve it warm or cold. It’ll be amazing either way. 

7. Autumn Cabbage Salad

An overhead view of a Autumn Cabbage Salad in a white bowl. A small bowl of dressing sits to the right.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This autumn cabbage salad is quick to make and delicious to eat. Shredded cabbage, chicken, apples, and pecans are all you need for this crunchy salad. This autumn cabbage salad has an homemade dressing that really brings out those fall flavors. 

8. Brussels Sprouts Salad

A wooden spoon holds up a spoonful of Brussels Sprouts Salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

The fall season is the perfect time to bring out this Brussels sprouts salad recipe. Brussels sprouts are packed full of immune-boosting vitamin C. Brussels sprouts combined with bacon, shallots, and a number of optional ingredients let you customize this salad to your taste. 

9. Tuscan Pasta Salad

An overhead view of a white bowl filled with Tuscan pasta salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Tuscan pasta salad is a healthy dish full of vegetables, beans, and pasta, making it a perfect fall meal. You can change the ingredients in this Tuscan pasta salad based on what you have available in the fridge or pantry and still end up with a great dish. 

10. Herb & Garlic Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

The onions, garlic and sweet potatoes with herbs and oil, sitting on a baking sheet.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This warm salad is a perfect side dish for fall. Sweet potatoes, onions, and garlic are all roasted in the oven and combined with red wine vinegar and herbs. This herb and garlic roasted sweet potato salad might even find a place on your holiday table this year. 

11. Kale Quinoa Salad 

An overhead view of a white bowl holding kale quinoa salad with apple pieces.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This salad makes for a hearty and easily portable lunch that is packed full of flavor. Baby kale, pre-cooked quinoa, chopped apples, walnuts, and your favorite vinaigrette are all that you need to make it. This kale quinoa salad is sure to become a lunchtime favorite.

12. Black Bean Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

A closeup of a white bowl filled with Black Bean Roasted Sweet Potato Salad.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This hearty vegetarian salad is filling enough to be served for dinner. Roasted sweet potatoes and black beans are combined with chopped vegetables, herbs, and lemon juice. Your family will love this black bean roasted sweet potato salad

13. Chicken Apple Salad

The finished Chicken Apple Salad having dressing spooned over the top.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

There’s never a bad time to have a tasty chicken salad, but it makes an excellent fall dinner for a busy weeknight or an easy lunch in the park. Chicken, apples, onions, and walnuts are all you need for this chicken apple salad recipe. This is a great recipe for using up leftover chicken, too. 

More From The Gracious Pantry

A closeup of a Carolina Gold BBQ Chicken sandwich topped with creamy coleslaw on a whole grain bun.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you prefer sandwiches to wraps, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a fabulous collection of sandwich recipes that taste amazing and might actually be healthy, too. They are made with all-natural ingredients and deliver amazing flavor with every bite.

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Food and Travel Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated journalist and an award-winning cookbook author and food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. Her food specialty is healthy comfort food recipes.

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