Grilled Apple and Pear Salad with Maple Walnut Vinaigrette

Fresh mixed greens mixed with dried cranberries, roasted butternut squash, blue cheese, grilled apples and grilled pears. Topped with a homemade maple vinaigrette dressing. Grilled Apple and Pear Salad with Maple Walnut Vinaigrette is a perfect fall salad everyone will love.

This week I am celebrating fall flavors with a bunch of friends. At the end of this post, just past the recipe, you will find a listing fall inspired recipes and a fun giveaway from the event sponsors.

There is a local restaurant that has a salad featuring grilled fruits and a maple dressing. The salad has always screamed fall to me and I decided that I needed to make my own version using my favorite fall flavors.

My Grilled Apple and Pear Salad with Maple Vinaigrette has a few basic steps and lead to a salad you will crave!

This salad uses dried tart cranberries, roasted butternut squash, crumbled blue cheese all tossed with a fresh green mix. The salad is topped with sliced grilled apples and pears and finished with a homemade maple walnut dressing.

The flavors mix so well and there textures are delicious. I love that sweet squash mixed with the tart cranberries and tangy cheese. The grilled fruit gives a great twist to raw apples and pears. There is a slight smokey flavor to the salad, and the dressing is both sweet, nutty, and tangy.

Ingredients

• Mixed Greens
• Dried Cranberries
• Butternut Squash
• Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Apples - I recommend a firm tart apple
• Pears - a ripe pear works best, but not too soft because it needs to hold up on the grill
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Walnut Pieces
• Maple Syrup
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Mini Blender - for the dressing. If you do not have one the walnuts can be purchased ground.
• Baking Sheet

How To Cut A Butternut Squash

1. Cut the top and bottom off the squash
2. Slice the squash in half
3. Using a heavy duty peeler, peel the skin from the outside of the butternut squash
4. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and strings
5. Slice the squash into strips
6. Cut the squash into square pieces
7. For roasting, toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and a little cinnamon.
8. Roast at 375°F for 30 minutes

Butternut squash is naturally very nutritious. It is high in vitamin A and C, and is naturally sweet. A little sweetness goes a long way when seasoning the squash. I love a simple combination of salt, pepper, brown sugar, and cinnamon for this salad, but other seasoning that I love are curry powder, chili powder, or maple.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

How To Make Vinaigrette

1. Place walnut pieces in blender
2. Add maple syrup
3. Next, add apple cider vinegar
4. Add olive oil, salt, ginger, and pepper
5. Blend till smooth

Vinaigrette Tips

The dressing for my Grilled Apple and Pear Salad is made with olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, walnuts, salt, and pepper.

Traditionally, a vinaigrette will have oil and vinegar. I also use maple in this recipe for sweetness. The walnuts in the dressing make it thick when ground and I find a little water thins the dressing and allows it to retain flavor.

Making your own dressing is easy and cost-effective! Homemade vinaigrette keeps 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator and is worth the few minutes it take to make.

I use apple cider vinegar in this recipe but other great options for vinegar include:

Red Wine Vinegar
White Wine Vinegar
Champagne Vinegar
Sherry Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Assembly Instructions

1. Place greens in a bowl.
2. Top with dried cranberries.
3. Add roasted butternut squash.
4. Sprinkle with blue cheese.
5. Add grilled apples and pears. Drizzle dressing over the top.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Grilling Fruit

Grilling apples and pears is a great way to add a flavor to sweet fruit. For this recipe, I slice the apples and pears ¼ -½ inch in thickness. I heat the grill on medium heat and simple grill the fruit 1-2 minutes per side.

I do not add additional oil or seasoning to the fruit before grilling.

The apples and pears, like the squash, can be made in advance making for an easy salad preparation when you are ready to eat.

• 

• 

If you’ve tried my Grilled Apple and Pear Salad with Maple Walnut Vinaigrette or any other recipe on Cheese Curd In Paradise please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

PINTEREST

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

Check Out More Delicious Salad Recipes

Bacon Egg and Roasted Asparagus Salad

Grilled Steak and Potato Salad

Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

Grilled Asparagus Caprese Salad

Cheese Curd In Paradise uses affiliate links. These links are at no additional cost to the reader and/or user. However, Cheese Curd In Paradise will make commission is you click the link AND make a purchase.