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Our new obsession: this Fall Harvest Grain Bowl! Each forkful tastes like a little bite of autumn perfection. And to be honest it looks so pretty and colorful – definitely a salad that is instagram-worthy!
If you’re on the hunt for a perfect dish to change up your weeknight dinners or work lunches, or to serve at a Thanksgiving gathering, this is it! Layered with farro, roasted cinnamon sweet potatoes, crisp apples, and tangy feta all tossed in a bright apple cider vinaigrette. It’s packed with texture and flavor, so you’ll actually look forward to eating your veggies. This is the kind of fall harvest salad that feels cozy but still light. It checks all the boxes!et in the Halloween spirit, these monster caramel apples bring instant nostalgia for childhood halloween parties.
Why You’ll Love This Fall Harvest Grain Bowl
- A perfect vegetarian option. If you’re looking for a filling grain bowl that doesn’t have meat, this
- It’s versatile. Feel free to make this salad your own. Swap the grains for couscous or quinoa. Swap sweet potato for a seasonal squash like butternut squash. Don’t like feta? Add parmesan or sharp cheddar.
- It is the perfect fall salad. This salad is filled with so many warming, yet refreshing ingredients and textures. The cinnamon spiced sweet potatoes and farro make this salad super cozy, feta cheese and vinaigrette add a sharpness to the salad and you get the occasional crunch from the chopped apple and celery.
Ingredients for the Best Fall Harvest Salad
Salad Add in’s
For Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Farro
- Honey crisp apples
- Celery
- Dried cranberries
- Pecans
- Arugula
- Sweet potatoes
- Feta cheese
- Cinnamon salt and pepper
- Apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil
- Maple syrup
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper (to season)
How to Make This Grain Bowl Step by Step
Step 1. Roast the Sweet Potatoes
Roasted sweet potatoes add so much warmth to this salad!
Preheat your oven to 425ºF. While the oven is preheating, cube sweet potatoes and spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle sweet potato cubes with olive oil, cinnamon and salt and pepper.
Post them in the oven and roast them on high heat for 25-30 minutes. They will be ready when you can poke with a fork and they are soft to the touch.
Step 2 . Cook the Farro Until Tender
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, boil vegetable broth and farro. Cook according to the package instructions and remove from heat. Let it cool while you make the apple cider vinaigrette.
Step 3. Toss Everything in Apple Cider Vinaigrette
This apple cider vinaigrette is tangy and is a delicious and light addition to this salad. Best part is that it takes just a couple minutes to whip together!
Measure and pour all the dressing ingredients into a glass jar. Before you pour on the salad, you will need to emulsify or combine the dressing ingredients. You can do this two ways: seal the jar with the lid and give it a really good shake or you can use a handheld brother to emulsify.
Step 4. Build your bowl.
In a large bowl, Start with your greens. Then grains. Then toppings and dressing!
Add arugula, farro, chopped apples, celery, pecans, cranberries and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing and use salad tongs or two large spoons to toss the salad together.
Tips for Building the Perfect Fall Grain Bowl
- Cook farro in vegetable broth. It is going to add more flavor to the grain. When farro is cooked in water, it can taste somewhat bland.
- Add layers to your bowl! Mixing textures and flavors can elevate your bowl. In this grain bowl, we added a lot of flavors and textures by mixing soft grains and roasted veggies with fresh crunchy apples and celery.
- Add tanginess with salad dressing. The type of dressing can make or break a bowl. We love a vinaigrette with this salad because it’s light and very tangy which balances well with the sweeter elements – cranberries and sweet potato.
How Long Grain Bowls Last in the Fridge
If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. The arugula may become a bit witty, but it will still taste great.
Easy swaps for this fall grain bowl
Here are some swaps we recommend to still keep this salad full of fall flavor!
- Swapping Grains: Quinoa, couscous, wild rice
- Swapping sweet potatoes: butternut squash, acorn squash
- Swapping Fruit: Sliced pear or raisins
- Swapping Cheese: parmesan or cheddar
- Swapping pecans: Pumpkin seeds, walnuts or almonds
More Yummy Fall Recipes to Try Next!
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Fall Harvest Grain Bowl
Description
Layered with farro, roasted cinnamon sweet potatoes, crisp apples, and tangy feta all tossed in a bright apple cider vinaigrette. It’s packed with texture and flavor, so you’ll actually look forward to eating your veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 apples, chopped
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pecans
- 3 cups arugula
- 1 sweet potato, cubed
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Pour sweet potatoes onto the pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper and cinnamon. Roast in preheated oven for 25-28 minutes until sweet potato is soft when poked with a fork.
- In a medium pot, cook farro in vegetable broth according to package directions.
- While farro and sweet potatoes are cooking, chop apples and celery.
- Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool for several minutes while you make your dressing.
- Make Apple Cider Vinaigrette. In a glass jar, add apple cider vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, garlic, dijon and salt and pepper to taste. Seal the jar lid and give it a good shake to emulsify.
- Assemble salad. In a large bowl, add arugula, farro, chopped apples and celery, dried cranberries, sweet potatoes, feta cheese crumbles, pecans. Toss with salad tongs or a couple large spoons until mixed.
- Drizzle apple cider vinegar vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat.
- Top with extra feta crumbles, cranberries and pecans for a pretty presentation.
