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Did you think that once autumn arrived salad season was officially over? After all, fall is the perfect time to turn to comfort foods like braises, stews, and roasted meats and veggies. But that doesn’t mean you have to kiss your dinner salad goodbye.
Composed salads already present a symphony in contrasting textures and flavors. When you add a warm element or toss your greens with a hot dressing, it makes salad all the more savory, making salad a more than ideal accompaniment to a fall menu.
Freshly cooked croutons are one of my favorite salad additions. If you want a little pick me up for your next time you serve one with dinner, or as a dinner entree, try making croutons homemade. They’re unlike anything you can buy at the store. The contrast of the salty, crunchy, toasted bread is perfect against cool, crisp lettuce, and even better when they’re still warm!
That smell of garlic sizzling together with the crisp bread is almost too much to resist. As soon as those still warm croutons hit the paper towel lined plate, you may want to pluck them all up and pop ‘em in your mouth. Just remember to save a few to sprinkle over your salad. And if you do have any leftover after that, you can use them later, served over sautéed fish or chicken for another crunchy contrast.
We like croutons so much around here that my little son pretends to make them in his toy kitchen. But there is a whole other realm of crunchy fried things you can add to your salad. How about fried wonton skins (so much better than those lackluster canned Chinese noodles) served with crisp Romaine and Ginger Miso Dressing? Or revive that classic 1980s salad addition – fried goat cheese – and update it by crusting the goat cheese round with panko breadcrumbs.
If you would like to go the roasting route, then there are still more options for warming up your salad. As the season turns colder, seasonal vegetables come into their prime. Seasonal veggies like butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and beets make wonderful pairings when roasted and served over greens.
Roasting mushrooms introduces an entirely new element of earthiness, perfect for a meatless main course salad. Colorful bell peppers that have been freshly roasted can be served warm over greens. Try warm roasted olives or nuts to add an incredible depth of flavor. Or add a bit of sweetness with roasted dried cranberries or sliced apple or pears.
Roasting also takes the bite away from onions, scallions, and leeks, making them flavorful salad additions. I would rather have red onions that have been thinly sliced and roasted to raw ones in a salad. No need to run for breath mints after the first course!
Even your salad greens themselves can be sautéed. If you found you were a bit overzealous at the produce stand this week and some of your greens are starting to get a bit older, don’t toss them before trying it. I do this with spinach, arugula or kale that is starting to turn a little yellow around the edges. Greens that are sautéed and fragrant with garlic make a delicious base for a fall salad, perfect for tossing with roasted nuts and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
So turn up the heat on your salad and take it from raw to cooked as we enjoy the more robust flavors of fall!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1309-salad-additions/
Adding Some Heat To Your Salad
Did you think that once autumn arrived salad season was officially over? After all, fall is the perfect time to turn to comfort foods like braises, stews, and roasted meats and veggies. But that doesn’t mean you have to kiss your dinner salad goodbye.
Composed salads already present a symphony in contrasting textures and flavors. When you add a warm element or toss your greens with a hot dressing, it makes salad all the more savory, making salad a more than ideal accompaniment to a fall menu.
Freshly cooked croutons are one of my favorite salad additions. If you want a little pick me up for your next time you serve one with dinner, or as a dinner entree, try making croutons homemade. They’re unlike anything you can buy at the store. The contrast of the salty, crunchy, toasted bread is perfect against cool, crisp lettuce, and even better when they’re still warm!
That smell of garlic sizzling together with the crisp bread is almost too much to resist. As soon as those still warm croutons hit the paper towel lined plate, you may want to pluck them all up and pop ‘em in your mouth. Just remember to save a few to sprinkle over your salad. And if you do have any leftover after that, you can use them later, served over sautéed fish or chicken for another crunchy contrast.
We like croutons so much around here that my little son pretends to make them in his toy kitchen. But there is a whole other realm of crunchy fried things you can add to your salad. How about fried wonton skins (so much better than those lackluster canned Chinese noodles) served with crisp Romaine and Ginger Miso Dressing? Or revive that classic 1980s salad addition – fried goat cheese – and update it by crusting the goat cheese round with panko breadcrumbs.
If you would like to go the roasting route, then there are still more options for warming up your salad. As the season turns colder, seasonal vegetables come into their prime. Seasonal veggies like butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and beets make wonderful pairings when roasted and served over greens.
Roasting mushrooms introduces an entirely new element of earthiness, perfect for a meatless main course salad. Colorful bell peppers that have been freshly roasted can be served warm over greens. Try warm roasted olives or nuts to add an incredible depth of flavor. Or add a bit of sweetness with roasted dried cranberries or sliced apple or pears.
Roasting also takes the bite away from onions, scallions, and leeks, making them flavorful salad additions. I would rather have red onions that have been thinly sliced and roasted to raw ones in a salad. No need to run for breath mints after the first course!
Even your salad greens themselves can be sautéed. If you found you were a bit overzealous at the produce stand this week and some of your greens are starting to get a bit older, don’t toss them before trying it. I do this with spinach, arugula or kale that is starting to turn a little yellow around the edges. Greens that are sautéed and fragrant with garlic make a delicious base for a fall salad, perfect for tossing with roasted nuts and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
So turn up the heat on your salad and take it from raw to cooked as we enjoy the more robust flavors of fall!
Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Warm Apple Cider Dressing
Made with garlic, apple cider, sweet potato, olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper, dried cranberries, walnuts, baby spinach, goat or feta cheese
Made with garlic, apple cider, sweet potato, olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper, dried cranberries, walnuts, baby spinach, goat or feta cheese
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1 bag (6 ounce size) baby spinach or other baby salad greens
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
***For dressing***
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil on a sheet pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing once, until tender. Add dried cranberries for final 5 minutes of roasting.
Meanwhile make dressing: Combine cider, garlic, and vinegar in small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Continue to cook until reduced by half.
Remove from heat and whisk in mustard, olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm.
Place spinach or greens in salad bowl and toss well with remaining ingredients and dressing. Serve immediately.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1309-salad-additions/