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Crisp, sweet apples and creamy, tangy Gorgonzola plus toasted walnuts add up to one beautiful fall salad! A great starter or side. Add some protein for a tasty and healthy dinner or lunch.
Fall Apple Gorgonzola Salad – Irresistible Flavors of The Season
People often associate salads with summertime meals. However, salads can be just as tasty, satisfying, and healthy when mornings are cool and crisp as they are when the days are hot and long.
And when that salad is topped with delicious fall flavors and tastebud-tingling ingredients, it’s downright irresistible!
What Goes into A Fall Apple And Gorgonzola Salad?
Apples
This salad has been showing up on our table years. The urge to make it usually arrives around the same time the new crop of apples arrives at my local grocery store or farmer’s market. Because sweet, juicy, crunch apples are the star of the show in this yummy fall salad.
My apple of choice for this salad is usually Fuji or Cosmic Crisp, but almost any good, flavorful apple will work well. If you have a favorite apple variety, give it a try. As long as the apples are crunch and sweet or sweet-tart, you really can’t go wrong!
Gorgonzola Cheese
Gorgonzola is a rich, cream, semi-soft variety of Italian cheese with a distinctive tang and bold flavor that is similar to blue cheese.
Though the flavor might be a little too bold for some to enjoy all on its own, pairing that rich, creamy, tangy cheese with the crunch of sweet apples, earthy walnuts, autumn greens, and homemade vinaigrette creates a beautiful balance and contrast of flavors.
One note: rather than purchasing gorgonzola crumbles, buy a small block and crumble it over the salad yourself. The flavor will be much better and fresher that way.
Toasted Walnuts
Walnuts are my favorite nuts to use for this Fall Apple and Gorgonzola Salad. Their earthy flavor and wonderful crunch bring out the best in the other ingredients.
If you don’t have walnuts on hand, you could substitute pecans. They’re a little sweeter in flavor and not quite as crunchy, but they would still be tasty.
No matter what nuts you use, be sure to toast them in a dry skillet before you add them to the salad. This small extra step brings out the nuts’ flavor and gives them extra crunch, so don’t skip that part!
Salad Greens
Theoretically, you could use almost any type of salad greens in this recipe.
However, I recommend you use a blend of greens that includes more flavorful autumn greens such as arugula, radicchio, endive, frisee, or escarole. The slightly bitter, almost spicy taste adds a lot to this wonderful fall salad.
Vinaigrette
Because there are many wonderful, distinctive flavors in this salad, you don’t want the dressing to muddle or overpower them. That’s why I opted to keep things simple, homemade honey mustard vinaigrette.
It’s super easy to make, with a slightly sweet-tart taste that pulls the ingredients together without smothering them.
What To Serve with Fall Apple And Gorgonzola Salad?
This gorgeous autumn salad is a perfect accompaniment to just about any entrée – including grilled chicken and fish or roasted pork and beef.
It would also be a wonderful starter with some crusty bread and a hearty bowl of soup, such as my Vegan Pumpkin Soup with White Beans or my Quick and Creamy Seafood Chowder.
Top with grilled chicken, salmon, or marinated tofu to turn this fall apple and gorgonzola salad into a satisfying and delicious main dish.
Looking for more terrific fall salads? Check out my Shaved Celery Salad with Fig and Parmesan.
Print
Fall Apple and Gorgonzola Salad
- Yield: Serves 4 as salad, 2 as an entrée 1x
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 5–6 ounces of autumn salad greens (see post for suggested varieties)
- 1 large Fuji or Cosmic Crisp apple, peeled, cored, and diced (Can sub other varieties. See post.)
- 3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup walnut halves, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, then cooled and roughly chopped
For the Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 T honey
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Place the salad greens in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the chopped apple and toasted walnuts over the top. Crumble the gorgonzola over the top.
- In a smaller bowl, vigorously whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust ingredients or seasonings as necessary.
- Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss to coat the greens and other ingredients. Serve immediately.
