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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.
I love every recipe I 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 with my family at Cafe Lurcat, a lovely restaurant in Minneapolis (which has since closed!).
This apple manchego salad stood out as a surprisingly delicious and refreshing salad. It’s made simply of apples and manchego cheese cut into matchsticks, with a bit of olive oil and some sliced chives. The apples and cheese compliment each other so perfectly: just pure ingredients combined in a simple way to make each shine!
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “We recently went to Cafe Lurcat for the first time. 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!” -Amy
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is superb! I first had an apple and manchego salad at a restaurant and literally had dreams about it for the following weeks – this recipe is the perfect dupe. Super fresh and bright, a dinner crowd pleaser.” -Lauren
Ingredient Notes For Apple Manchego Salad
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! Here’s what you’ll need for this salad:
- Manchego cheese: This 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).
- Apples: I’m a big fan of Pink Lady apples here! You can also use Jonathan apples if you can find them locally: they’re perfectly tart and crisp.
- Chives: These add just the right savory bite.
- Lemon juice: This helps the apples to not brown over time and adds a lift in flavor.
- Olive oil: This rounds out the salad with some richness.
How to Cut Apple and Manchego Cheese Matchsticks
This is the only technique in the recipe, and it’s worth doing well:
- Slice the apple. Cut it off the core into flat planks about ⅛-inch thick, stack a few, then slice lengthwise into thin strips. Toss immediately with lemon juice.
- Cut the cheese to match. Slice the manchego into planks the same thickness and strips the same length.
More Salad Recipes To Try
This apple manchego salad is one of my 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:
- Three Bean Salad
- Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Easy Burrata Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate
- Wedge Salad with Potato Chips
Dietary Notes
This apple manchego salad recipe is vegetarian and gluten free.
Apple Manchego Salad Recipe
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.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4 firm tart apples (Pink lady, Jonathan, honey crisp or Granny Smith)
- 1/2 lemon
- 4 ounces Manchego cheese
- ¼ cup thinly sliced chives
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pinches kosher salt
Instructions
- Slice the apples into matchsticks (slice them into slices, then lay the slice down and cut into thin long rectangles). Toss the apples with the lemon juice.
- Cut the cheese into matchsticks.
- Toss the apples and cheese with the chives, olive oil, and kosher salt. Serve immediately; make ahead up to 1 hour. Leftovers store for up to 3 days; the apples soften over time.
Notes
Inspired by a similar salad at Cafe Lurcat
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:
SO GOOD. I would add less apple, and more cheese.
Can I sub fresh lime juice?
It would actually end up much more sour. Use less if you do!
I’ve been to Cafe Lurcat many many years ago (10+, easily) and this salad never left my mind. What a nice surprise to see it here, so I can bring back this amazing combination.
Thank you so, so much. You made someone happy today :)
Haha! Enjoy :)
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!
Funny! So glad you enjoyed :)
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.
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.
First time making this and was surprised it was easy to make and OMG delicious!
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!!!!
Can you make this one hour in advance ?
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!
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.
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.
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!!!!
Made this tonight as an app salad before a nice steak dinner… and it was wonderful. I will definitely make this again many times. Very refreshing and light. Great use of one of my favorite cheeses!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Whaaaaaaaaat? You didn’t tell me you made this? Yummmmmmmmmm. I want to try but I think I can only get processed cheese here.
I’m going to have to check out Cafe Lurcat next time I’m in Minneapolis. This looks wonderful! :)
This is such a pretty salad! And it looks scrumptious. I love recreating dishes I’ve had at great restaurants.
Brilliant! Totally making it this weekend:)
There’s something about the ‘stick’ look of the salad that I like…..it’s different looking yet very enticing! yum!
I really love manchego cheese and have yet to try it with apple! Looks delicious!
This looks wonderful! I love that you can’t really tell the difference between the cheese and the apple.
When I saw the photo, I thought, “that looks familiar.” And of course, it is — I have eaten it at Cafe Lurcat several times. The restaurant’s salad is as good as you say. Thank you for sharing your version.
Looks so good and simple that I might even manage it before the manchego disappears via my hand-to-mouth manchego addiction. Thanks for the post!