This Apple Arugula Salad with Honey Pecans is a great way to take advantage of the season’s harvest. It is loaded with signature superfoods of fall like apples, pomegranate and pecans, tomatoes, and arugula. No problem in feeding a crowd, you can double the recipe easily.
There are so many apple varieties in season now. I chose Fuji apple in this autumn salad recipe for its sweetness and crispy bite. It compliments the tangy apple cider dressing beautifully. What a fantastic blend of flavors with toasty honey pecans, juicy pomegranate, spicy arugula and sweet tomatoes.
Making the honey pecans for this autumn salad is very simple and easy. All it takes is 5 minutes to toast it on the stove top. Then magic happens when you finally pour the honey on the toasted pecans. Suddenly it bubbles up like caramel and it smells amazing! At this point I will warn you that you can not resist eating the pecans. But, please have some self control as you need it for the salad later. Or, you can make a big batch of this honey pecans and enjoy it later for snack. (It is like candy!)
To boost the flavor of the dressing, I use apple cider vinegar and honey. It is best to wait for serving time and slowly pour it all over the top of the salad. This way the salad does not get soggy. Who wants to eat a soggy salad?
What I love about this apple arugula salad is it’s so colorful and delicious. Let me tell you that it will really impress your family or guests. It’s great to serve as a holiday side dish too. Best of all, its budget-friendly.
So if you are looking to try a new side dish or salad this season, this is it. Also, it can easily be turned into a meal by adding protein such as chopped cooked chicken breast. Or be more festive and sprinkle crumbled feta or goat cheese on the top.
| Prep Time | 25 mins. |
| Cook Time | 5 mins. |
| Servings |
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- 4 handfuls of baby arugula
- 1 Fuji apple
- 1 cup mini heirloom tomatoes
- 2 spring onions chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate arils
- 1/3 cup pecans
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Ingredients
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- Make the honey pecans: Toast the pecans in a frying pan on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring while it cooks. Add in 1 Tbsp honey and stir (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat and keep stirring until it becomes sticky. Remove from heat and transfer onto a plate to cool. It will stick together but you can crumble it apart later.
- Meanwhile make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together apple cider vinegar, salt, 1 tsp honey and freshly ground pepper. Then slowly add olive oil while whisking. Set aside.
- Cut apple in half and remove the stem and core. Slice apples thinly.
- Assemble the salad: In a platter spread the arugula first. Sprinkle the chopped spring onion on top. Arrange in this order the tomato halves, apple slices, honey pecans and pomegranate arils on top. At serving time pour the dressing all over the top of the salad.
This salad can be turned into a meal by simply adding chopped cooked chicken breast. Crumbled feta will also be nice to sprinkle on top.