When my husband and I were first married we moved to Philadelphia for a new job. It was my first time living outside of NEPA and it was a fun yet somewhat scary time for me. I didn’t know my way around and I didn’t have a job yet so on the weekends we would spend our days getting to know our new neighborhood and just spending time together. We would often go to a local restaurant that had super big portions and we would order some dinners and then share. I LOVED the Apple, Walnut, Gorgonzola salad that they offered and to this day it is still one of my favorite lunches.
Over the years I have tweaked it slightly in that most days I add crumbles of a hard cheddar cheese and I vary the types of apples I use depending on the season but the general taste of the salad remains the same. I like to use Gala Apples or Granny Smiths , nice hard apples that pair well with the hard cheese and the walnuts and offer some delicious crunch. I also make my own dressing to go over the salad so I can control the ingredients used and make sure that this is really a healthy lunch option.
This is the perfect light lunch or if you want you can add some grilled chicken and have it for dinner.
Apple Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 small apple
- ¼ cup of walnuts
- lettuce (whatever type you like but I use Romaine)
- cheese crumbles ( I use a sharp cheddar)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp mustard
- Slice apples
- Place lettuce in bowl, top with cheese, walnuts and apples
- Place olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, garlic, mustard in small container with lid (I use a small mason jar with lid) and mix well.
- Add dressing to salad and enjoy!

Doesn’t that just look so yummy? It is the perfect lunch for a warm spring or summer day! Enjoy!
What is YOUR favorite easy lunch?
Thanks for sharing at the “What’s for Dinner” party!
Megan sounds delicious and I can eat it on my diet! I would like to invite you to come share on the new Share the Love Blog party. Open thru Thursday. Hope you can join us. http://homecookingrecipebox.blogspot.com/
This sounds amazing!! Pinned! 🙂
Thanks! It is such a yummy and easy salad to make!
This salad looks great. I want to make it soon! Pinned and Tweeted. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle Sunday!
Thanks for stopping by!
I love salads and this looks great. Pinning.
Bev
Thanks! It really is very yummy! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
I’ve bebn thinking of adding more salads to my menu and absolutely love homemade dressings. Might give this one a try son!
Thanks for sharing on our Wonderful Wednesday’s Link Party!
This is my kind of salad…it looks absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Share The Wealth Sunday! xoxo
Looks delicious! Thank you for linking up to last week’s Tasty Tuesday linky. I have pinned your recipe to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board. I hope you’ll join us again this week.
Now I know what I want for lunch.
Amalia
xo
Thanks for sharing this post at the Pin Me Linky Party at Diana Rambles. It will be featured tomorrow as part of a salad recipe collection. It’s also been yummed, pinned and tweeted. Have a great weekend! ~Diana
Thank you so much for featuring it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Have a great day.