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Apple Bacon Salad with Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette

by Katerina

5 from 10 votes

Oct 05, 2015, Updated Jul 12, 2023

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This Apple Bacon Salad with Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe is made with fresh apples, crispy bacon, feta cheese, walnuts and a homemade Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. It’s a wonderful fall-flavored salad that’s sweet, tangy, crunchy, and beyond delicious!

Fall Salad Recipe With Fresh Apples

As the leaves change color and the air grows crisp, our tastes tend to lean toward the flavors of the season. If you’re looking for a perfect food representation of autumn, let me introduce you to our Apple Bacon Salad with a homemade Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette. It integrates sweet, savory, crunchy, and tangy notes, creating an irresistibly delicious meal!

This salad is the perfect response to any apple-picking trip and has quickly become a fan favorite. Each bite brims with the freshness of apples, crispy bacon crunch, and feta cheese’s creamy texture. Walnuts add an extra layer of crunch, while our homemade Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette brings everything together with its sweet and tangy flavor.

Besides being tasty, the salad is packed with nutrients. Apples and leafy greens provide fiber and essential vitamins, while the bacon and feta contribute protein, making it a balanced, nutritious meal.

The simple preparation process is also a huge plus. It doesn’t require complex cooking techniques or unusual ingredients, making it a convenient choice for a quick and easy meal.

How To Make An Apple Salad

The assembly of this salad is as easy as it gets. Simply combine all the ingredients – romaine lettuce, spinach, bacon, apples, walnuts, and feta – in a large salad bowl and toss gently to ensure every ingredient is coated with the delightful, homemade Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. And voila! Your Apple Bacon Salad is ready to be served and savored.

Apple Salad Tips & Swaps

• Not all apples are the same. For this salad, you might want to choose a sweet and tart variety, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith. These types of apples would add a nice contrast to the salty bacon and feta.
• The beauty of this salad is its flexibility. Feel free to experiment by adding other fall favorites. Almonds, pears, gorgonzola, beans, and various vegetables combine well with the existing ingredients. Just remember to lay a bed of greens at the bottom to uphold its salad integrity!
• Feel free to adjust the salad to your liking. Swap out the walnuts for almonds, pecans, or another favorite nut. Use blue cheese or goat cheese instead of feta if you prefer. The possibilities are endless!
• Add the dressing just before you’re ready to eat to avoid a soggy salad. This keeps the ingredients fresh and crunchy.

Serving Suggestions

While you can enjoy this salad all on its own – I always do, by myself – you can also serve it with some of these delicious recipes to make it a full meal:

• Roasted Chicken: The simplicity and richness of my maple butter roasted chicken would complement the salad’s complex flavors.
• Pasta: A creamy pasta dish like this Buffalo Chicken Pasta would offer a comforting, hearty accompaniment.
• Soup: A warm Italian Wedding Soup could be an excellent pairing depending on the season. For instance, a butternut squash soup in the fall would accentuate the salad’s autumnal flavors.
• Quiche: A slice of quiche, particularly a cheese or vegetable variety, would make for a complete, satisfying lunch.

Storing Salad Leftovers

• If possible, store the salad components separately. Keep the dressing, proteins (like bacon), veggies, and fruits (like apples and lettuce) in different containers. This prevents the salad from becoming soggy. Also, you can use airtight containers to store your salad leftovers.
• Place the containers in the refrigerator as soon as possible. Most salad leftovers in the fridge can last 3-5 days, but the sooner you eat them, the better they’ll taste. Avoid freezing.

More Fall-Inspired Salad Recipes

• Apples and Celery Pasta Salad
• California Chicken Salad
• Apples and Cheddar Chicken Salad
• Rosemary Chicken Salad with Avocado and Bacon

ENJOY!

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5 from 10 votes

Apple Bacon Salad with Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

by Katerina | Diethood

This wonderful, fall-flavored Apple Bacon Salad is made with fresh apples, crispy bacon, feta cheese, walnuts, and a homemade Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients 

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For the Salad

• ▢ 8 slices bacon,, cooked to a desired crispness and crumbled
• ▢ 6 ounces chopped baby romaine lettuce
• ▢ 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• ▢ 3 to 4 medium red apples,, chopped
• ▢ 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ▢ 1 cup crumbled French feta cheese

For the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons golden balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• ▢ salt and fresh ground black pepper, , to taste

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Instructions 

• Combine all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl; gently toss to combine.
• Combine all the salad dressing ingredients in a bowl; whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
• Pour the desired amount of dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine.
• Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 483mg | Potassium: 312mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1105IU | Vitamin C: 7.3mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

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