autumn harvest bowl

last updated on October 29, 2026

For day 2 of Fall Week we are making an autumn harvest bowl! This bowl screams fall and is packed with all the goods — marinated kale, cinnamon sweet potatoes, wild rice, apple, parmesan, and a brown butter vinaigrette. It is basically the dream fall meal!

ingredients for autumn harvest bowl

This bowl has really simple ingredients, all things you can find at any standard grocery store. Here is what you will need!

• 4 cups kale
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 apple
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp chopped shallot
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

autumn harvest bowl recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Make the sweet potatoes. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small pieces. Transfer them to a baking sheet and toss with olive oil (my favorite olive oil is here), cinnamon, and salt. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until soft.
3. Cook the rice. Follow the instructions for whatever rice you are using. You could even use instant rice to save time!
4. Cut the apples and shallot. Cut the apples into thin slices and put aside. Chop one tsp of shallot.
5. Make the vinaigrette. Add butter to a small pan and cook over medium heat. Once it starts bubbling and smells nutty (after about 3-4 minutes), take it off the heat. Stir in the shallot and allow it to cook slightly in the butter.
6. Mix the dressing together. Transfer the brown butter/shallot mixture into a small bowl. Mix in the vinegar, maple syrup, and dijon mustard. Massage the dressing into the kale for 1-3 minutes.
7. Assemble the bowls. Divide the kale and wild rice into bowls. Top with sweet potatoes, apples, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

how to meal prep this bowl

This bowl can easily be made ahead of time! So if you need to take it to a get-together but don’t have time the day of, or if you just want to meal prep, this bowl is perfect. 

The wild rice and sweet potatoes can be cooked ahead and kept in the fridge. I cooked my wild rice in my Instant Pot, but a stove top or a rice cooker works as well. 

The things that I don’t think do as well prepped ahead are the dressing and the apples. The apples will turn brown if you cut them too early, so cut them right before. The dressing can be made in advance, but I think it is best to pour it over the kale while it is still warm and then enjoy it right after. The kale takes on the flavor really well when the browned butter is still warm and tastes amazing. The rice and sweet potatoes are the most time-consuming part of this bowl, though, so getting those done before cuts down on your prep time immensely! 

what type of apples to use

You can use whatever kind of apples you want. However, I love to use Fuji apples in this bowl! Fuji apples are sweet, but aren’t too tangy or overpowering, and they pair perfectly with this bowl. I would also stick to red apples. A green apple would be a little too tart for this bowl. But any red apples will work great! 

brown butter vinaigrette

I am obsessed with all things brown butter. I think brown butter makes everything better, from sweet to savory recipes. It adds such an incredible depth of flavor. So, this brown butter vinaigrette is basically a dream. We start by browning some butter, then just after it browns, add chopped shallots. The shallots cook off slightly in the brown butter. Transfer the butter to a bowl and whisk in the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and dijon mustard. And YUM, you’ve got yourself a smooth, flavorful dressing. Pour it onto the kale and massage it in, then your kale is ready to go.

other recipes like this autumn harvest bowl

• sweet potato and jammy egg salad
• rainbow nourish bowl
• chicken and prosciutto salad

autumn harvest bowl

[category] Main Course, Salad

[published] September 2, 2021

[PREP] 15 minutes mins

[COOK] 25 minutes mins

Print recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups kale
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 apple
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp shallot finely chopped
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Peel and chop the sweet potato into small pieces. Transfer to a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, cinnamon, and salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until sweet potato is soft.
2. Cook wild rice according to package instructions.
3. Cut apple into thin slices and set aside.
4. To make the vinaigrette, add butter to a small pan over medium heat. Cook until butter starts to bubble and brown, 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the chopped shallot. Stir the shallot in and let it cook slightly in the butter.
5. Pour the butter into a small bowl. Add balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and stir until well combined. Pour the dressing onto the kale and massage it in.
6. Divide the kale between two bowls. Top the kale with wild rice, sweet potato, apple slices, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately!