Fall Salad with Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette

It’s Fall and my little vegetable garden has been laid to rest until Spring. But there’s still a place for a Fall Salad with Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette in my diet.

This recipe is so loaded with healthy fall flavor you just can’t miss. I can’t wait to share it with my Thanksgiving guests this year.

Lots of deliciousness in this salad, starting with bacon and moving on to apples, pecans (or walnuts), and finely sliced fennel. Yum!

Fennel?

Don’t freak out about the fennel if you’ve never used it before. Fennel’s ever-so-slightly licorice-like flavor (in a good way, I promise) really adds to this salad.

I slice the fennel extra thin using my mandoline and get the perfect amount of zip in every bite. A knife works just as well for the slicing. Just keep the fennel slices super thin so it doesn’t overpower the dish.

The Secret Ingredient–Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette

But the main reason this salad is a hit, for me anyway, is the Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette. It takes a few minutes to whip up a batch since you have to caramelize the apples, but it’s SO worth it!

How to Make the Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette

• Starting with the dressing, in a small skillet, add 1/4 cup and an additional 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar along with the brown sugar.
• Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring, until it becomes a light caramel color and thickens a bit.
• Next, add the apples and the garlic.
• Cook until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. The mixture will start looking bubbly.
• Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Place the mixture into a blender (or use an immersion blender).
• Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of cider vinegar, thyme, lemon juice, and pinch of salt.
• Blend the mixture and SLOWLY add in the olive oil, blending until dressing comes together (emulsifies).
• Taste and adjust the seasonings. It may need a little more vinegar, lemon juice or a pinch or two of salt.

How to Make this Fall Salad

• In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.
• Remove bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.
• In a large bowl, add the remaining salad ingredients and crispy bacon.
• Pour about 1/4 of the dressing over the salad (you can save the rest in the fridge for another time).
• Toss the salad to combine all the ingredients.
• Top with crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.
• If the salad seems a little dry, add additional dressing.
  

Some of my other favorite Fall Salads

Apple Cranberry Pecan Coleslaw

Chopped Autumn Salad

Cobb Salad  (I swap roasted butternut squash for the tomatoes for a Fall version)

Print Recipe

Fall Salad with Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette

Author: Anita's Table Talk

Ingredients

Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (or as needed)
• 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 red apple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch dice (I like Jazz or Gala)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Juice of 1/2 lemon large or 1 small lemon
• salt
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad

• 4-5 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
• 3 cups mixed greens of choice (I like romaine and spinach)
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

Instructions

• For the dressing
• In a small skillet, ADD 1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons of vinegar along with brown sugar.
• COOK over medium heat, stirring, until mixture becomes a caramel color and thickens.
• ADD apples and garlic. COOK until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• REMOVE skillet from the heat.
• PLACE mixture in a blender. ADD remaining 2 Tablespoons vinegar, thyme, lemon juice, and pinch of salt. BLEND mixture. Slowly ADD in the olive oil, blending until dressing emulsifies.
• TASTE and ADJUST seasonings (may need more vinegar or lemon juice)

For the salad

• In a skillet, COOK bacon over medium heat until crisp.
• REMOVE from pan and DRAIN bacon on paper towels.
• In a large bowl, ADD the remaining salad ingredients and crispy bacon.
• POUR about ¼ of the dressing over the salad,
• TOSS the salad to combine all the ingredients.
• TOP with crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.
• If the salad seems a little dry, ADD additional dressing,