Cinnamon Apples and Pear Salad – Super Easy Fall Side Dishes

Looking for side dish to add to your fall lineup? Try these cinnamon apples and a pear salad. They are easy to make, super tasty, and combine will with a pear salad.

‘Tis the season for easy meals in my house. I adore this time of the year, but it’s a busy one for sure.  I’m always on the lookout for simple meals for those special nights during the festive season.

It seems that there is never enough family time with Halloween and Trick or treating, preparing for Thanksgiving, and all the time that goes into Christmas festivities.

That is where a chicken pot pie comes in handy.

When the time in the kitchen is not so readily available, I use convenience foods as the base of a meal.

Then, I add some really easy fixings to a side dish for a wholesome family meal that takes very little time but is big on flavor.

Semi-homemade is sort of my middle name this time of the year.

I’ll be honest– I love to cook but there are many days, especially this time of the year, when I rather snuggle up on the couch with my family in the early evening, and have a movie or game night than slave over my stove.

Making cinnamon apples and a pear salad

Tonight, I decided that a chicken pot pie, warm cinnamon apples, a fresh pear, and pecan salad were going to be on the menu. Can we say Fall? All my favorite fall favorites in one meal.

The side dishes are super easy. For my pear salad, I just combined sliced pears, cranberries, pecans, some bacon bits, lettuce, and feta cheese.

It’s simple to make and tastes super with a poppy seed dressing.

Combine it all, add the dressing and you are done! The tartness of this salad goes just beautifully with the cinnamon apples that are next on the menu.

The warm cinnamon apples have the perfect bit of sweetness to compliment the savory pie and tart salad.

They are simple to make and can be done early in the day and just heated in the microwave at dinner time.

These few ingredients combine beautifully to add a delightful side dish to the pie.

And when they are cooked? Oh my, oh YES! Sweet, cinnamony goodness that the whole family will love.

They are the perfect choice since the pie already has lots of cooked veggies in it.  

This meal is so comforting. It has a nostalgic feel to it since my mom used to make chicken pot pies all the time and serve them with salads and warm cinnamon apples too.

And that flaky buttery crust…it is to die for!

Even though I didn’t prepare the pie myself, I still feel good knowing that the cinnamon apples and pear salad are both homemade.

My meal came out just beautifully. Light and toasty, with crisp edges, and the taste is divine!

Everything goes together in such a tasty way. It’s savory, sweet and tangy.

What a perfect combination!

Can you believe that all this goodness came together in about 45 minutes? Both of the side dishes were prepared while the pie was cooking, with time to spare for some fun family snuggling.

And I didn’t have to make pastry or spend hours on a sauce. What a treat!

The pie is so rich and creamy. It’s loaded with great-tasting chicken and healthy veggies. And those side dishes! Delicious…easy…a perfect way to round out the pie.

What is your go-to side dishes for the holidays? I’d love to hear what you do to keep lots of family time in spite of the holiday madness.

For another way to prepare apples, check out my recipe for cinnamon-baked apple slices.

Yield: 4

Warm Cinnamon Apples

Print

These warm cinnamon apples bring the flavors of fall to your table. They are super easy to make.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter
2. Add the lemon juice and sliced apples.
3. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes while stirring constantly until the apples are almost tender.
4. Dissolve the cornstarch in water and slowly add to apples.
5. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes stirring constantly.
7. Remove from heat and serve warm with the salad and pot pie.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 261Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 3gSugar: 33gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

Share on Social Media