This fall cobb salad is packed with the fun flavors and textures of the season, like apples, sweet potatoes, and pomegranates. Then it's finished off with a rosemary and apple cider vinegar salad dressing.
Quick Look: Apple Fall Salad
- Servings: 6 portions
- Kitchen Timing: About 30 minutes to cook the sweet potatoes and 15 minutes for the salad dressing and assembly.
- Flavor Profile: My favorite flavors of fall, including Honeycrisp apples, pomegranates, and sweet potatoes.
- Leftover Tips: Leftovers don't hold up well, so if you anticipate having some, don't toss the greens in the salad dressing (just keep it on the side).
- Skill Level: Beginner
- What You'll Learn: How to make salad dressing from scratch and my favorite tips for roasting sweet potatoes.
- Why You'll Love This Recipe: It looks so pretty once all the ingredients are lined up (Cobb salad style), and it tastes amazing!
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If you are new to the idea of seasonal cooking, it's really a great way to embrace the season and all the food that comes along with it!
Seasonal eating and cooking has been part of my routine ever since returning home from culinary school in Italy. As it turns out, Italians are really good at eating what's regionally available to them during each season.
Once fall hits, I love incorporating seasonal produce into my homemade salads. Things like apples, sweet potatoes, pomegranates, baby kale, and rosemary make the perfect fall salad recipe.
If you're interested in learning more about seasonal cooking, Seasonal Food Guide breaks down exactly what foods are available to you at each time of the year. Plus, join my free five-day email series to learn some of my favorite kitchen tips and tricks.
Ingredients You Need
- Sweet Potatoes: The sweet potatoes help bulk up the salad and add a unique textural component to it!
- Mixed Greens: I love using a combination of spinach, arugula, and baby kale as the base of this salad. However, use what you have on hand!
- Pomegranates: Do you know how to seed a pomegranate? I like seeding my own to ensure it's nice and fresh.
- Pepitas: Also known as pumpkin seeds. Be sure they are roasted and salted.
- Apples: My favorite type of apples to use (in savory cooking or even for baked apple crisp or apple hand pies) are Honeycrisp. You can't beat the crunch.
- Prosciutto: My love of prosciutto runs deep. The salty bite adds the perfect amount of protein to this dish. Be sure you tear the prosciutto into bite-sized pieces so it's easy to chew.
Go to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
How To Make Apple Fall Cobb Salad
Step 1: First, roast the sweet potatoes in a preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 30 - 35 minutes. Make sure you use a light colored baking sheet and don't overcrowd the pan.
Step 2: Add all the salad dressing ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse on high until no large pieces of rosemary or dates remain. You'll need to scrape down the sides of the bowl often before everything comes together.
Step 3: When you're ready to serve, toss the greens with the salad dressing. You can also mix in half of the cooked sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds, pepitas, and apples.
Step 4: Finally, finish everything off by topping with the remaining sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds, pepitas, apples, and the prosciutto. This will give that classic Cobb salad vibe!
Expert Tips
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the sweet potatoes and salad dressing ahead of time. Store the salad dressing in a separate container to keep the mixed greens from wilting. Once you're ready to serve, assemble and toss the salad.
- I like to toss my apples in some lemon juice to prevent browning. It's worth the time for a pretty presentation!
- A few tips for roasted sweet potatoes: Try to cut the sweet potatoes all the same size so they roast in a similar timeframe. Don't forget to flip halfway through cooking for even browning.
FAQs for Apple Fall Cobb Salad
Whether or not the sweet potatoes are served hot is up to you and your preference! If you are okay with eating them cold, feel free to prep the potatoes ahead of time (that's typically what I do).
Yes, just leave off the prosciutto.
The ratios in this recipe nicely coat all of the greens. However, you can easily double the salad dressing recipe so you have extra.
More Salad Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below. Have questions as you're cooking? Leave a comment below, and I'll help!
Apple Fall Cobb Salad
Equipment
- light colored baking sheet
- food processor or blender
- tongs
- serving bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 medium sweet potatoes scrubbed, peeled, and chopped into ¾ inch (2 cm) pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- 10 ounces mixed greens
- ¾ cup pomegranate seeds
- 6 tablespoons salted roasted pepitas
- 2 medium (about 2 cups) honeycrisp apples chopped into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces
- 3 ounces (about 6 slices) prosciutto torn into small shreds
Rosemary Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup pitted dates (about 3-4 dates)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary de-stemmed
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a light colored sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Place sweet potatoes on prepared sheet pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking process, until softened and golden brown.
- Meanwhile, to make the salad dressing, add olive oil, water, dates, apple cider vinegar, rosemary, mustard, salt, and pepper to a food processor. Pulse on high until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed, until no whole pieces of rosemary or dates remain.
- Toss together mixed greens, half of the cooked sweet potatoes, half of the pomegranate seeds, half of the pepitas, half of the apples, and salad dressing in a serving bowl. Top salad with the remaining sweet potatoes, pomegranate seeds, pepitas, apples, and the prosciutto in a line on the top. Serve immediately.
Mandy
Made this for a work potluck and everyone loved it!!
Jessica Mode
Mandy - That makes me so happy to hear! Glad you all enjoyed!
Tom
So many good flavors all in one salad. This was a hit at our dinner party tonight!
Marianne
This looks really good. I have to try it!
Jessica Mode
Yay! Let me know what you think when you try it!!