A lovely fall salad full of accessible ingredients including kale, leaf lettuce, grapes, walnuts, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and goat cheese topped with an easy homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

I like really love a good salad…you still with me??

Hear me out, I mean business I promise. Salads are not the sad little things they once were known for. You know what I mean, those salads you ate at lunch in elementary that had a few pieces of iceberg, (no offense iceberg) some cheddar cheese, and maybe you would be lucky enough to score a tomato wedge. Ya salads don’t need to be like that. I personally wouldn’t be as into salads if that’s all a salad could be.

I am talking a SALAD! Like this one that’s packed with crunch, flavor, and all the COLOR!! Salads are so pretty too!!! And I don’t know about you but I like a pretty salad just as much as a delicious one. Haha! But for real I do.

Honestly, salads do not take much to throw together if you store the pantry items on a regular basis and you definitely should. The more greens you can get into your diet the better.

The grapes add so much too! I don’t know that I have ever added grapes to my salads before but it will be a regular thing from here on out. And oh the crumbled goat cheese makes me drool a little bit. Goat cheese is perfect in a salad like this!

I was considering a few different salad dressings to go on this salad. But I decided on a simple balsamic vinaigrette because it has few ingredients and are basic ingredients that you are likely to already have on hand. And those type of homemade dressings/vinaigrettes are the best kind in my opinion. Wouldn’t you agree?!

My suggestion to you is to take this recipe and you can either 1) follow it and create a stellar salad or 2) tweak the recipe a bit in order to make it one that is full of your favorite salad toppings. Either way it will be amazing!

Fall Kale & Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Megan

A lovely fall salad full of accessible ingredients including kale, leaf lettuce, grapes, walnuts, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and goat cheese topped with an easy homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

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Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Course Salad

Cuisine Gluten Free

Servings 4 side salads

Ingredients

Kale & Walnut Salad

3 cups chopped kale
3-5 loose-leaf lettuce leaves chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts I buy these already chopped
1 cup red grapes halved
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablespoon pepitas pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon goat cheese crumbles

Balsamic Vinaigrette

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Kale & Walnut Salad

Add kale, lettuce, walnuts, grapes, and cranberries to a large bowl. Toss well.
Top with pepitas and goat cheese crumbles.
Meanwhile, prepare vinaigrette and store in fridge until ready to use.
Just prior to serving, add vinaigrette to salad.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Add all ingredients to a mason jar, replace lid, and shake well. Or add to a food processor and process until ingredients are incorporated.

Notes

Nutrition Facts does not include vinaigrette

Fall Kale & Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette