Harvest Salad with Homemade Dressing Croutons

Well rounded salad with homemade Harvest Croutons and Dressing. Harvest Salad. Crunchy lettuce, apples, pears, croutons, and pecans. A little sweet, tangy, nuttiness, savory and yumminess.

Harvest Salad for any season. Apples, pears, croutons, gouda, romaine lettuce with delicious sweet tangy fall dressing.

I attended culinary school for one year. During my year, we had to create a variety of recipes. I created this Harvest Salad and since then, I have continued to love it! Harvest Salad with Tangy Sweet Harvest Dressing and Savory Harvest Croutons. It is light and refreshing but has all the fall flavors we love. Sweet apple and pears. Savory earthy thyme and sage. Crunchy lightly buttery croutons and nutty gouda cheese. It is the perfect combination of everything.

Homemade Harvest Salad with Tangy Sweet Harvest Dressing and Savory Harvest Croutons

Harvest Salad for busy moms, college students or busy professionals! Lunch made yummy and easy.

Equipment

• Saucepan

• Mason jar

• Sheet pan

Tips or Tricks

• Wait until you are ready to serve the salad to cut the apples and pears to prevent browning.

• I’d choose a sweet tangy crisp apple (not a red delicious apple or granny smith.)

Length of Time

• Prep Time - 10 minutes

• Cook time - 20 minutes (this includes croutons and dressing)

Servings

• Serving Size: 1 bowl

• Servings: 4

Ingredients

Harvest Croutons

• 1 Italian loaf cubed roughly ½”

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

• 1 teaspoon dried sage

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Harvest Dressing

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking)

• 1 shallot small diced

• 1 apple peeled and diced

• 1 pear peeled and diced

• 2 teaspoons dry sage

• 1 cup olive oil (for dressing)

• ½ cup apple cider

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar

Salad

• 12 cups romaine lettuce rough chopped

• 1 cup thinly sliced apple (peel can stay on)

• 1 cup thinly sliced pear (peel can stay on)

• 4 tablespoons diced shallots

• 4 tablespoon pecans

• 4 ounces thinly sliced gouda cheese

• 2 cups harvest croutons

• 8-16 tablespoons harvest dressing (to preference)

Directions

Harvest Croutons

1. Preheat oven to 350° F

2. In a bowl combine melted butter, sage, thyme, and salt

3. Pour mixture over bread cubes, thoroughly coat bread

4. Pour mixture onto large baking sheet (or two small)

5. Bake for 10 minutes

6. Pull out, stir.

7. Bake for a remainder 10 minutes

Harvest Dressing

1. In a small saucepan, heat oil

2. Add diced shallots, apples and pears

3. Once tender, pour into a mason jar

4. Add remainder of dressing ingredients

5. Close mason jar, mix

6. Place in refrigerator until needed (it can be served at room temp too)

Assemble Salad

1. In bowl add

2. 3 cups lettuce

3. ¼ cup sliced apple

4. ¼ cup sliced pear

5. 1 tablespoon sliced onion

6. 1 tablespoon pecan

7. 1 ounce gouda cheese

8. ½ cup harvest crouton

9. Drizzle with roughly 1 – 2 tablespoon Harvest dressing (preference)

10. Repeat for each bowl

11. Enjoy

Notes

• Dressing servings roughly 17 - 1 tablespoon servings

• Harvest Crouton servings – roughly 16 - ½ cup servings

• This salad can easily be doubled or tripled (there is plenty of dressing and croutons for it)