Roasted Carrot & Apple Salad w/ Cranberry Vinaigrette
Seasonal salads are so fun! They truly are one of the best ways to highlight seasonal produce. Roasted Carrot & Apple Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette is the best of what cooler weather has to offer. It’s tart, sweet, bright and savory! Great for lunch, dinner, brunch, or any holiday gathering!
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Roasted Carrots
I think a roasted element is important in a fall/winter salad! It’s the best time of year for roasted vegetables so why not use them! Carrots also hold up well after cooking making them great for salads. If you want an extra hint of flavor, try making this salad with our Simple Roasted Carrots with Sage! Roasted carrots have a subtle sweetness on their own which pair nicely with the apple! You can serve this salad with the carrots either warm, room temperature, or cold. It’s all a matter of preference and it will be delicious no matter how you serve it!
Apple
With such a large variety of apples to choose from, which one is best for this salad? Go with something tart and sweet! I recommend either using a Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apple! They’re honestly perfect salad apples and won’t make it overly sweet! Gala is a great stand in too, although they are sweeter. Other ingredients in the salad will add sweetness so you don’t want to over do it with the apple.
Cranberry Vinaigrette
Cranberry Vinaigrette is inspired by my favorite homemade cranberry sauce! You can use fresh cranberries and an orange to create a Tangy bright dressing! Or if you have leftover cranberry sauce from the holiday or in the pantry, you can use it to achieve a sweeter fruitier dressing. I’m more partial to the tangy version, personally. Both are great options! They’re differences in the amount of cranberry used in each version, so be sure to pay attention to that! Just make sure you make extra because this will definitely be your go to dressing all season long!
Spinach is Seasonal too!
I’ll be honest and say; I hate kale salads. Okay, maybe hate is a strong word. What I mean to say is raw kale leaves me super bloated and I hate that every autumn and winter salad seems to have kale as the base! Plus, I think a blend of lettuce is way more interesting. You can use whichever lettuce you like. Personally, I mix baby spinach, and butter lettuce. Spinach is especially good this time of year since it thrives in cool weather. If I can’t find a blend I like in the store, I simply just buy a few kinds of lettuce and create my own! Feel free to use all spinach or all butter lettuce if lettuce blends aren’t your thing.
Candied Nuts & Cheese
Candied nuts & cheese are both optional and flexible ingredients! I use a blend of nuts and candy them myself! The recipe includes how I achieve this easily. Or you can just buy candied nuts if you don’t want to do it yourself. As for the cheese, I suggest sharp white cheddar or parmesan! Parmesan gets a lot of love in salad recipes, and for good reason! Although, The last time I made this salad I forgot to get parmesan and I only had white cheddar! It’s and equally good option which is why I included it in the recipe!
I hope you enjoy my take on a delicious seasonal salad! If you make this Roasted Carrot & Apple Salad With Cranberry Vinaigrette, please don’t forget to comment below and let me know what you think!
Roasted Carrot & Apple Salad with Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette
- 1 cup Fresh Cranberries OR 1/4 Cup of whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp Honey, optional or a sweetener of your choice
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar optional, see notes
- 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more if needed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Roasted Carrots
- 2 Large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces or about 10 small carrots cut in half
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Candied Nuts
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup Almonds, pecans, or pistachios or a blend of all three
Salad Ingredients
- 5 oz Butter Lettuce
- 5 oz Baby Spinach
- Roasted Carrots about 1 cup
- 1 Medium Apple, thinly sliced Preferably Honey Crisp or Granny Smith
- 1/2 cup Candied Nuts
- 2 oz shaved parmesan or sharp white cheddar
- Cranberry Vinaigrette
- Fresh Pepper
- Flakey Salt
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Add all the ingredients for the dressing into a blender or food processor.
- Blend for about 1 minute until all ingredients are incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Transfer dressing to an air tight jar and transfer to the fridge until ready to use.
Roast The Carrots
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Add carrots to a sheet pan and drizzle with oil. Lightly season with salt and pepper and toss carrots to make sure they're coated evenly
- Roast for 25 minutes, being sure to stir half way through. Carrots should be tender, but not overly soft.
- Remove from oven and let cook at least 5 minutes before adding to the salad.
Candied Nuts
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat.
- Once pan is hot add in butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add nuts and sugar to the pan and stir to combine.
- Cook while stirring frequently, until all sugar is dissolved and starts to form a sticky syrup around the nuts. Can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
- Immediately transfer nuts to a parchment lined baking sheet, being sure to spread out so they clump too much.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Make the Salad
- In a large bowl or platter add lettuce/spinach, sliced apples, roasted carrots, and cheese.
- Season entire salad with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Right before serving drizzle lightly with a few spoonful's of Cranberry Vinaigrette and top with candied nuts.
- Serve with remaining dressing on the side! Enjoy!