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This apple manchego salad is a stunner! Matchsticks of apple and cheese tossed with olive oil make for an unexpected sweet and savory apple salad recipe.

Apple manchego salad | Apple salad recipe

We love every recipe we post on this site, but sometimes, one comes along that outshines the rest. This apple manchego salad is a copy of a salad we had while in Minnesota to visit my family. To celebrate the recent retirement of both of my parents, we ventured out to Cafe Lurcat, a lovely restaurant in Minneapolis. The food was excellent — and in particular, this apple manchego salad stood out as a surprisingly delicious recipe.

Related: 25 Best Salad Recipes

Why to make this apple manchego salad recipe

This apple manchego salad is made simply of apples and manchego cheese cut into matchsticks, with a bit of olive oil and some sliced chives. Nothing pretentious — just pure ingredients combined in a simple way to make each shine.

While manchego cheese is a bit more expensive than your normal cheese, it’s worth buying for the recipe. It has a unique flavor that can’t fully be substituted (and for me, it has sentimental value as it reminds me of my time studying abroad in Spain). The way the apples and cheese are cut makes it hard to distinguish between the two – making it all the more fun to guess what will be part of each bite!

We picked up some Jonathon apples from Wild’s Apple Farms at the Broad Ripple Farmer’s Market, and they were perfectly tart and crisp. I can’t say enough about the Jonathan apple – I’m a convert! Thanks to Cafe Lurcat for the delicious apple salad recipe inspiration. If you’re in the Minneapolis area, check them out and order this salad! You won’t be disappointed.

More simple salad recipes

This apple manchego salad is one of our favorite apple recipes and perfect for entertaining. It’s great as a fall salad or winter salad when apples are plentiful, but you can eat it anytime. Here are a few other simple salad recipes you might enjoy:

This apple manchego salad recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten free.

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Apple Manchego Salad Recipe


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5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 to 6 1x
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Description

This apple manchego salad is a stunner! Matchsticks of apple and cheese tossed with olive oil make for an unexpected sweet and savory apple salad recipe.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 firm tart apples (Jonathon, honey crisp or Granny Smith)
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 4 ounces Manchego cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pinches kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Slice the apples into matchsticks (slice them into slices, then lay the slice down and cut into thin long rectangles). Toss the apples with a bit of fresh lemon juice.
  2. Cut the cheese into matchsticks.
  3. Thinly slice the chives.
  4. Toss all ingredients with the olive oil and kosher salt. Serve immediately.

Notes

Inspired by a similar salad at Cafe Lurcat

  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Raw
  • Cuisine: American

More healthy side dishes

This apple manchego salad is a delicious healthy side dish recipe; here are a few more side dish recipes on A Couple Cooks:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

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22 Comments

  1. Amy Roberts says:

    We recently went to Cafe Lurcat for the first time during Minneapolis restaurant week (we live here). The salad was on the menu and I was hooked after one bite! The server said they use Pink Lady apples and we recreated the recipe for dinner with family last week. Of course, it was a hit! Thanks for posting!






    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Funny! So glad you enjoyed :)

  2. Lauren says:

    This is superb! I first had an apple and manchego salad at a restaurant in White Bear Lake, MN and literally had dreams about it for the following weeks – this recipe is the perfect dupe. Super fresh and bright, a dinner crowd pleaser.






  3. MLHE says:

    Wow…what a great recipe! Thank you! I altered it just a bit by using white balsamic vinegar in place of lemon juice. The chives were gorgeous, and I placed the apple/cheese mixture on a bed of baby greens.

  4. phire says:

    First time making this and was surprised it was easy to make and OMG delicious!

  5. Suzanne says:

    I make this recipe for every gathering I host or am a guest at! Every single time, people RAVE about it!!!! I live in Minneapolis and have loved this salad for a very long time now! Try it – guaranteed hit!!!!

    1. Anonymous says:

      Can you make this one hour in advance ?

      1. Sonja says:

        Yes you could definitely make this salad one hour in advance! The lemon juice could keep the apples from browning. You may want to refresh with a squeeze of lemon just before serving. Let us know how it goes!

  6. Adnan says:

    Looks great.
    Would try to make it. But I don’t have access to a lot of variety of items.
    Will find a crisp and tart apple but don’t know what Machengo cheese tastes like. I am guessing from the picture that it’s a hard cheese but with mild color and flavor.
    Please suggest one or two widely available alternatives. Thanks.

    1. Alex says:

      You pretty much have the texture and taste figured out! It’s an aged semi-firm cheese with a mild but very distinct taste. Although not quite the same, I think an aged white cheddar would go nicely with this salad.

  7. Allison says:

    I CANNOT believe I just came upon this! We too LOVE this salad at Cafe Lurcat and now I can make it at home! Yea!!!!

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