Best Pear Salad
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod
This elegant pear salad recipe combines fresh pears, candied walnuts, blue cheese, and pomegranate arils over crisp lettuce, all tossed with a homemade roasted pear vinaigrette. Perfect for holidays, dinner parties, or a fresh fall lunch!
Servings: 6
Calories: 302.79kcal
Ingredients
For the Roasted Pear Vinaigrette:
- 1 large ripe pear, peeled, cored, and cut in half
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
- 2 to 3 teaspoons honey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Salad:
- 1 head Red Leaf or Romaine Lettuce, washed and roughly-chopped
- 2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 cup candied walnuts
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese or Gorgonzola cheese
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the pear halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place the pan in the oven and roast the pear for 10 to 15 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
- To make the vinaigrette, place the roasted pear, remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, shallot, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- To assemble the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl. Top with the sliced pears, candied walnuts, blue cheese, red onion, and pomegranate arils.
- Drizzle with roasted pear vinaigrette and toss. Serve immediately.
Notes
How to Store:
- Vinaigrette: Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Shake before using.
- Candied walnuts: Keep in a sealed container at room temp for up to a week.
- Salad: Best assembled fresh. If you have leftovers, store undressed salad components in separate containers and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 302.79kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.3g | Protein: 3.82g | Fat: 21.19g | Saturated Fat: 3.09g | Cholesterol: 5.63mg | Sodium: 191.16mg | Potassium: 150.63mg | Fiber: 4.3g | Sugar: 18.02g | Vitamin A: 284.33IU | Vitamin C: 6.22mg | Calcium: 58.81mg | Iron: 0.63mg