Not only is this Easy Fall Salad colourful and delicious but it comes together quickly and is packed with a nutritional punch! A fresh and healthy combination of vegetables, tossed in a simple dressing, creates the best early Fall harvest salad where the vegetables really shine.
This salad is a great addition to a festive table or for any ole' day of the week. It makes a perfect vegetarian or vegan side dish or even a light meal. The hearty combination of red cabbage, carrot, radish, fennel, roasted sweet potato and arugula is a crowd pleasing combination but can also be switched up to use other vegetables you enjoy. If you're looking for other easy and healthy Fall salad ideas check out my recipes for Crispy Kale and Avocado Caesar Salad, Brussel Sprouts and Apple Slaw, or this Black Rice Salad with Roasted Vegetables.
🥘Ingredients
Here's what you will need to make this recipe. For quantities see the recipe card below.
- Sweet potato
- Carrots
- Radishes
- Fennel bulb
- Red cabbage
- Baby arugula
- Toasted pumpkin seeds
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh lemons
- Extra virgin olive oil - use the best quality possible
See below for substitutions
🔪Instructions
Step 1 - Roast the peeled and diced sweet potato until tender. Let cool before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Step 2 - While the sweet potato is roasting prepare the other vegetables. Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to thinly slice the fennel and cabbage. Use a grater for the carrots and radishes. Add all the vegetables, cooled sweet potato, arugula and parsley to a large bowl.
Step 3 - Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to combine everything well. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as needed. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds or any toasted seeds or nuts you like.
🥣Substitutions
- Sweet potato - Roasted squash would also work or the sweet potato can be left out if you prefer more of a slaw-type salad.
- Fennel - If you aren't a fan of fresh fennel or can't find it, substitute with thinly sliced celery.
- Red cabbage - Any green cabbage or shredded Brussel sprouts would be a great substitution.
- Fresh parsley - Other fine, fresh herbs such as basil, mint, dill or cilantro would work well.
- Baby arugula - Many other greens work well with this salad such as spinach and kale. If using kale be sure to thinly slice or finely chop.
- Toasted pumpkin seeds - These can be omitted or substitute with any toasted chopped nuts or seeds.
- Lemon juice and olive oil - Although I like the simplicity of olive oil and lemon juice you could use any of your favourite vinaigrettes or salad dressings. My Classic Vinaigrette recipe would work perfectly here as well.
Storage
This salad will keep covered in the fridge for 5-7 days. The crunch will soften but the taste and enjoyment is still top notch!
Equipment
- Mandoline Slicer - Although not necessary, it is one of my favourite kitchen tools that I use often. The one I have linked to is the one I use and the most popular in professional kitchens. It's compact, easy to use, and easy to clean!
- Sharp Knife - Everyone needs a good sharp knife in their kitchen.
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Pro-Tip
If you buy a whole head of red cabbage you will have lots left over. Did you know you can freeze cabbage? I recommend shredding up the rest, packing into freezer bags, and popping it into the freezer. This way you have cabbage ready to drop into recipes like Cabbage Roll Soup, stews, stir fry's or to make this delicious Braised Red Cabbage with Onions and Apple.
This salad pairs perfectly with Turkey Breast Stuffed with Sausage and Mushrooms, Pan-Seared Mediterranean Lamb and Wine Braised Short Ribs .
Tried this recipe? I would love it if you could leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and/or a comment below. You can also follow me on social media here on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Want to say thank you?📖 Recipe
Easy Fall Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 4 medium radishes shredded
- ½ fennel bulb trimmed and cored. Cut into quarters and sliced thinly
- 3 cups red cabbage thinly sliced (about ¼ of a cabbage)
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 2-3 handfuls of arugula
- 4-6 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons
- 5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Peel and dice sweet potato into ½-inch cubes. Roast for 20 minutes or until softened. Let cool.
- Remove core and thinly slice cabbage and fennel using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife. Shred the carrots and radish using a grater. Mix together shredded carrots, radishes, fennel, cabbage, parsley, arugula, and cooled sweet potato in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, top with toasted pumpkin seeds.
Allison says
Another great recipe! I julienned all the raw veggies with my slicer it is a gorgeous looking salad. I also added about a teaspoon of honey to the dressing. I'm thinking of adding some green lentils- I think they would be great in this salad to make it more of a complete meal.
Andrea says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I think lentils would be a great addition to this salad. They bump up the nutritional value, which I’m all for!
Heather says
This looks so pretty! I didn’t know you could freeze cabbage and have shied away from buying it due to waste. Looking at that braised cabbage recipe. This salad will be on my Christmas table this year. Arugula always gets mixed reviews from my family but assuming the other flavors balance its strong flavour. Might swap in kale just to be safe. As always thanks so much for your site. Enjoy your holidays too.
Andrea says
Hi Heather! Kale would work perfectly as well as other greens such as baby spinach or even chopped romaine lettuce. Hope you all enjoy the salad. It's a refreshing side for sure 🙌
Mary Muir says
Love it
Donna says
Just printed off the recipe! Your recipes are ALWAYS GREAT! I don’t even have to try it yet to know it will be 5 ⭐️’s!!
Andrea says
Thank you so much Donna 🥰 Hope you enjoy it!
Tracy says
This salad looks delicious! Will be making. 🙂 Thanks Andrea.
Shelley says
This salad looks great and I'm going to try it!
Question about the substitution for the red cabbage - to confirm, if you use Brussel sprouts instead, should they be roasted or raw?
Andrea says
Raw, shredded Brussels sprouts work perfectly. You will need about 3-4 cups. Hope you enjoy it!
Connie says
Andrea, you are awesome. I have been following you since you started sharing recipes since you started sharing on the GL program. I left but continued to use your recipes, because they are super easy to follow and most people will have the ingredient in their fridge. They are both refreshing and delicious. This salad is just amazing!! Thanks for sharing Loaded Cauliflower is next!!!
Andrea says
Hi Connie! So happy you are enjoying the recipes. Thank you so much for your lovely comment! 🤗
Stacey says
Love an easy, nutritious salad. Looking forward to trying this one!
Louisa says
Will definitely try. Looks delicious