Harvest Salad is super-loaded to satisfy and sustain. With crisp bacon, creamy avocado, tender chicken, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and lots of fall yumminess, then tosses them together in a lively vinaigrette. The perfect lunch!
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This harvest salad has Cobb salad vibes in fall form!
Hearty and full of seasonal flavors, this fall harvest salad recipe is a meal everyone at your table will love!
We almost never eat salad for dinner at home, but since a classic Cobb Salad is the one-and-only salad that Ben considers “real food,” I decided to make a version of it for our main meal.
I kept the Cobb essentials—bacon, chicken, avocado, and hard-boiled eggs—then incorporated a few of my favorite fall ingredients to give the salad a harvest twist.
- Alongside the classic Cobb ingredients, today’s Cobb harvest salad has roasted butternut squash, apples, cranberries, and toasted pepitas.
- I swapped the blue cheese for goat cheese, then topped it off with a creamy cider Dijon dressing.
I happily devoured this harvest salad for lunch and dinner on the same day!
5 Star Review
“Delicious! All of the different flavors and textures blended together perfectly for an awesome fall Cobb salad. We will definitely make again. The dressing was perfect for this salad.”
— Teresa —
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Mixed Greens. Romaine, spinach, arugula, or baby kale (or a combination of these) will work well for this harvest salad.
- Butternut Squash. My go-to veggie in the fall. Once roasted, butternut squash has a wonderfully sweet, caramelized flavor.
- Bacon. The best way to make crispy bacon for salads, sandwiches, or to enjoy on its own is in the oven or air fryer. See Baked Bacon and Air Fryer Bacon for step-by-steps.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs. A delicious, protein-rich salad addition. This Instant Pot Boiled Eggs recipe is an easy way to make them.
- Chicken Breast. My favorite choice for this salad is Grilled Chicken Breast. I love the smoky flavor it adds. However, the salad will be equally delicious if you choose to follow my Baked Chicken Breast or Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipes instead.
- Apple. Sweet, crisp, refreshing, and healthy.
- Avocado. Since this is a twist on a Cobb salad, we can’t forget the avocado. It helps make the salad satisfying.
- Cranberries. For beautiful color and sweetness.
- Goat Cheese. If you aren’t a fan of goat cheese, you can substitute it with an equal amount of feta cheese or a mild blue cheese, such as gorgonzola.
- Pepitas. Nutty and crunchy.
- Dijon Cider Maple Dressing. With apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup, this dressing is light, bright, and sweet. It’s flavorful but allows the other ingredients in this harvest salad to shine.
How to Make Harvest Salad
- Prep the Toppings. Roast the squash. Cook and dice the bacon. Peel and slice the hard boiled eggs. Cook the chicken.
- Make the Dressing. Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
- Assemble. Place the greens in a bowl, and top with the squash, bacon, chicken, eggs, and apple. Add the dressing and toss. Finish with avocado, cranberries, goat cheese, and peptias. ENJOY!
What to Serve with Harvest Salad
This autumn salad is delicious on its own or served with a festive cocktail, crusty bread, or a cozy fall-flavored soup.
Harvest Salad
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 58 minutes
Total: 1 hour 13 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Harvest salad is a fall twist on everyone's favorite Cobb Salad: butternut squash, apples and cranberries with bacon, avocado and chicken!
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Ingredients
FOR THE COBB SALAD:
- 1 small butternut squash about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 4 large eggs
- 2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 8 cups mixed greens such as Romaine, spinach, arugula, or baby kale (about 20 ounces)
- 1 sweet crisp apple such as gala or honeycrisp, cored thinly sliced (no need to peel)
- 2 ripe avocados sliced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese about 2 ounces
- ⅓ cup toasted pepitas pumpkin seeds
FOR THE DRESSING:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the squash: Place over racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread squash cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake the squash until tender and caramelized, 15-20 minutes, turning once throughout. Set aside.
- Bake the bacon: Place an ovenproof baking rack on a second baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray, then arrange the bacon slices on the rack in a single layer. Place on the second rack in the oven with the squash. Bake until the bacon is as crisp as you like, about 12-20 minutes depending upon the thickness of your bacon. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry. Dice and set aside.
- Hard boil the eggs: In a small pot, bring just enough water to cover the eggs to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and gently lower the eggs in with a slotted spoon. Bring water to a low, rumbling boil, then let cook for 9 minutes. A few minutes before the eggs are finished cooking, prepare an ice bath. Remove the eggs from the boiling water and plunge into the cold water. Let rest a few minutes, then tap the eggs with back of a spoon to crack them (this will make peeling easier). Return to the ice water to cool completely. Peel the eggs, then cut into slices. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken on the grill (my fav!), in the oven, or in the air fryer. (For shredded chicken options, see the notes section below.)
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Place the salad greens in a large bowl. Add the butternut squash, bacon, chicken, eggs, and apple. Drizzle with the dressing, toss gently to coat. Scatter the avocado, cranberries, goat cheese, and pepitas over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
- TO MAKE SHREDDED CHICKEN: Use my easy method for Crock Pot Shredded Chicken, Instant Pot Chicken, or How to Cook Shredded Chicken on the stovetop.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: The butternut squash, bacon, eggs, and chicken can all be prepared 2 days in advance. The dressing can be prepared up to 5 days in advance. Store items individually in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, let the chicken, squash, and bacon come to room temperature, then assemble the salad as directed. If possible, wait to add the apple and avocado until right before serving, so that they don’t turn brown.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 751kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 33gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 237mgPotassium: 1256mgFiber: 6gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 19580IUVitamin C: 58mgCalcium: 186mgIron: 4mg
Ohhhh, this is so pretty! I bet the flavour is spectacular. I’m in Canada, so we’ve already had Thanksgiving, but I’m definitely making this for my in-laws the next time we visit them – it looks too good to pass up!
Thank you, Jill! I hope you love it!
This looks and sounds so good! I think it would even make a great breakfast or brunch meal. :) I mean it does contain egg and bacon. Yum.
I like how you think, Kori!
This is weird for me to say, but I’ve honestly never had Cobb Salad because I don’t eat bacon so I just never thought to try it! But I guess there is such a thing as having it without bacon…did I think of that? Nope. ;) This looks too good not to try!
Way to make an already good salad even better with a fall spin! This salad is drool-worthy :)
Thanks, Bethany! Now you’ve got me thinking about other potential seasonal spins…
hey girl this looks amazing! Yummy! I love the salad bar at Jason’s Deli! It is so delish! Do you have one of those up there? They have all kinds of sandwiches to.
Thanks, Shawnna! We do have a Jason’s Deli in the area. Yum!
That looks amazing – especially the squash!
Thank you! The squash really is delicious here.
The add-ins in this cobb top any restaurant salad I’ve ever had! :)
This salad looks right up my alley! So delicious for fall – I’ll take one for lunch! xo
I discovered your blog through Self magazine. I’m also a Milwaukeean! Maybe I’ll see you around sometime. :)
Welcome, Rachel! I’m glad you’re here. So fun to hear from another local! :)
I realize that this is off topic, but I thought I remembered that you had asked if anyone had Inas’ new cookbook…I do and it’s really a nice one. I have 3 other ones of hers and I always like the narratives she includes. This one is exceptional in that respect. You really get a feel of how hard she tried in the beginning to “become a cook”. She clearly has succeeded; every recipe of hers that I try is wonderful. I’m done blabbing now but want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks for chiming in about Ina’s newest cookbook, Chris! We are in total agreement about how wonderful she is. :) I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving too!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was great! The dressing is absolutely perfect. We all loved it. It was nice because I could keep everything separate for my kids (ages 4.5, 3, 21 months) and they gobbled it up! Thank you for the recipe!
I am so happy to hear how much you and your kids loved this recipe Jennifer! Thank you so much for trying it and for taking time to stop by and leave this wonderful review. I really appreciate it!
My husband is so happy I found this blog! You share many of my food obsessions–bacon, winter squash, sweet potatoes, maple, salads–but your inventions are so much better than mine! This is another great recipe. I didn’t include the cheese (I forgot to buy it), and at the last munute, I decided to leave out the avocado, which suddenly seemed like gilding the lily. No idea what I missed, but the resulting salad was wonderful. The dressing alone is a winner. Thanks, Erin!
Eileen, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the salad! Thank you so much for your sweet comment and for taking the time to make the recipe and share how it went.
Delicious! All of the different flavors and textures blended together perfectly for an awesome fall cobb salad. We always have chicken breasts and hard boiled eggs in the fridge and I had some butternut squash in the freezer, so this wasn’t too intensive. We made BLTs last night and saved some bacon, which made for a quick assembly for dinner tonight. We will definitely make again. The dressing was perfect for this salad. Don’t skip the goat cheese, yummmmm!
Hi Teresa! So glad you enjoyed the salad! Thank you for this kind review!
I was not prepared for how amazing this salad is! Definitely my new favorite salad that I will be making over and over. The flavors are spot on. I used sweet potato instead of squash because it’s what I had on hand. I kept all the ingredients separate and assembled a salad for lunch every day throughout the week. This was also my first time using goat cheese and OMG I have been missing out!
Hi Alyssa! So glad you enjoy the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’ve wanted to make this a while but have avoided it because all the components seem like too much work. But I made it tonight and it was delicious! I skipped the chicken, used feta instead of goat cheese and walnuts instead of pepitas. Such a delicious fall salad! Next time I’d increase the vinegar a tad to make it more tart.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Bonnie! Thank you!
I really enjoyed this! I did meal prep style, cubed the apples and tossed in a little cider vinegar, cut avocado as needed. I left out the eggs, not a fan of hard boiled eggs. Added delicata squash in addition to the butternut. Made great lunches all week.
Thank you Jess!
I got my kids to help me chop the apples and sprinkle the pepitas. They had fun, and it made them more likely to eat it too. It actually felt like a full meal which is nice. The flavors work really well together. Thank you, Erin!
So glad to hear, thank you Lily!
Honestly, it was easy to make and really satisfying. The sweet squash with crisp apples and a little bacon is a combo I didn’t expect to like this much. It wasn’t just a plain salad. You get sweet, savory, creamy, and crunchy in every bite. I’m really happy with this one. Thank you!
So glad to hear, Analiese! Thank you!
Made this for dinner and my kids didn’t fuss for once! They even liked the little bit of bacon and the sweet squash. I didn’t have pepitas, but it was still good. Will probably make it again.
Yay! So glad to hear, Stacey!