Top 4 Fall Main Dish Salad Recipes

By Linda Larsen

Updated 11/20/17

Let's face it, as much as you may love the crisp and cool days of fall, these days it's more likely to be warm and even humid. It's nearing the end of September, and the high in the upper Midwest tomorrow is going to be 80 degrees, 20 degrees above "normal". So I'm making yet another main dish salad because even though I want to make a meatloaf, that just seems unappealing in this weather.

But that's just fine - I love these recipes. And making a salad that is a one...MORE dish meal is much easier than pulling together a dinner with a main dish, side dish, and salad. These wonderful salads are cool and delicious and hearty enough to satisfy even the hungriest teenager. Just direct them to the fridge and let them serve themselves; no work for you! I picked out those that use the produce and ingredients of fall. Enjoy!

  • 01 of 04
    Pasta Cobb Salad
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    Pasta Cobb Salad. Linda Larsen
    Cobb Salads are usually arranged in rows, with each ingredient making up a row. I tossed everything together with a blue cheese dressing in this wonderful and delicious recipe. It's my husband's new favorite!
  • 02 of 04
    Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
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    Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. Linda Larsen
    Apples and pecans are reminiscent of fall too. Combined with dried cherries and tender chicken, this wonderful salad recipe is perfect for dinner on a warm night.
  • 03 of 04
    Chicken Cordon Bleu Salad
    Chicken Cordon Bleu Salad
    Chicken Cordon Bleu Salad. Linda Larsen

    I love Chicken Cordon Bleu. So I decided to turn it into a salad! This is one of my most successful inventions. Ham and chicken, along with Swiss cheese, peas, and celery, make a wonderful salad.

  • 04 of 04

    Ravioli Wild Rice Salad

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    Ravoli Wild Rice Salad. Linda Larsen
    Wild rice adds a wonderfully chewy and nutty note to this simple recipe. You can use plain ravioli or pick one stuffed with chicken or beef. The vegetables make this recipe colorful and beautiful.