This fall fig salad with fig balsamic dressing features fresh greens, creamy cheese, crunchy roasted soybeans, roasted carrots, and homemade fig balsamic dressing! So many different flavors, textures, and taste make this salad the furthest thing from boring.
Two savory recipes in a row! Have you made this homemade fig balsamic dressing yet? I hope so, because it’s the star of this recipe. Seriously can’t get over how creamy it is with the perfect balance of sweet and tangy!
I knew as soon as I found fresh figs that they would be fun to feature in a salad. I love having giant salads for easy lunches to pack for work during the week. But as I’ve mentioned, salads must be filling and include protein, fats, and carbohydrates to be filling and satisfying! I love having a ton of different textures in salads too (creamy, crunchy, etc.). This salad fits all of these requirements, and it’s so easy to prepare!
Substitution Ideas
Salad Greens
This salad is extremely adaptable (as most salads are!) to your preferences and what you have on hand at home. Any salad green will do: spinach, arugula, spring mix, kale, romaine, etc. I used spring mix since that’s what I had on hand at home!
Cheese Options
I really wanted to use halloumi cheese on this salad, but alas couldn’t find it ANYWHERE. I’ve been wanting to try fried halloumi cheese with a fruit on a salad…just sounds heavenly! But I used Havarti instead. Next time I honestly think I’ll stick with my beloved feta. I also bought an apple cheddar cheese that sounds delicious with this salad (trying new cheeses is pretty much a hobby of mine ?). Point is, any type of cheese will work here!
Protein Ideas
I wasn’t in the mood to cook chicken when I was prepping these salads, so I went with roasted soybeans (SO cheap, and so easy!). Love how much fiber and protein these have. Chickpeas would also be a great idea, or hard-boiled eggs, leftover chicken, turkey, etc.
Roasted Veggies
I was SO excited to use the carrots that I grew in our garden for this salad! This was my first year growing carrots in our garden, and while they didn’t yield much…what we did have were so good. Roasted sweet potatoes, butternut squash, roasted beets, or roasted brussels sprouts also would be fun fall produce ideas for this salad!
Fresh Figs with Fig Balsamic Dressing
Of course, you can’t really have a fig salad without the figs! If you don’t have fresh (which you should definitely try sometime!), chopped dried figs would work for this salad. Or even dried cranberries, diced dates, etc.
- 2-3 cups salad greens of choice
- 1 ounce cheese of choice (I used Havarti, but feta, goat, or halloumi would all work well)
- 1 ounce roasted soybeans (or chickpeas, roasted or not)
- About ½ cup roasted carrots
- 2-3 sliced fresh figs
- Homemade fig balsamic dressing, to taste
- Simply layer all ingredients together in large bowl! If preparing this ahead of time for meal prep, I recommend layering in a mason jar and/or keeping dressing separate until ready to serve. Ingredients listed above are for one salad, but recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, etc.
sheenam |thetwincookingproject.net
Audra, this salad looks perfect!! Great recipe.
Audra's Appetite
Thank you! Hope you like it 🙂
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
I don’t use figs NEARLY as much as I should! This is seriously so genius to pile them in a gorgeous fall-style salad and I LOVE the sound of that fig balsamic dressing!
Audra's Appetite
Thank you! Yes I’m seriously LOVING that dressing on everything lately! 🙂