Go Back
–+ servings
A white bowl full of pear salad, with arugula, walnuts and gorgonzola.
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Pear Salad

This is an easy pear salad recipe with candied walnuts and gorgonzola. It’s the most perfect fall salad, but truthfully, we eat it all year long!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Author: Julie Blanner

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

Salad:

  • 6 cups arugula
  • 5 ounces gorgonzola fresh, crumbled
  • ½ cup candied walnuts 2½ ounces
  • 1 bartlett pear (approximately one cup) ripe, chopped

Instructions

  • In a jar with an airtight lid, shake the vinaigrette ingredients.
    ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ⅓ cup white wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Toss with arugula and top with gorgonzola, walnuts and ripe pear.
    6 cups arugula, 5 ounces gorgonzola, ½ cup candied walnuts, 1 bartlett pear

Video

Notes

  • Don’t dress your salad until just before serving. If you add it too far ahead of time, the greens wilt and go soggy.
  • You can make this salad dressing ahead of time! While it’s refrigerated, oil and vinegar will separate into two layers. Shake it up well!
  • Fresh gorgonzola (not the pre-crumbled kind) makes a world of difference in this salad!

Substitutions

  • Substitute the arugula with spinach, butter leaf lettuce or any favorite green!
  • Use blue cheese instead of gorgonzola.
  • Switch the candied walnuts with pecans or almonds.
  • I love ripe Bartlett pears for this recipe. You can also try the popular Bosc pear which are crisp and have a delicate, sweet flavor. Or for the sweetest pear, go for the Comice pear, which are less grainy and have a clean, bright pear flavor.

Storage Notes

You can leave this salad out at room temperature for up to 2 hours while serving. This salad will store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. However, the lettuce will get soggy as it stores and the chopped pears will brown - so if possible, separate ingredients and store in air tight containers to enjoy the leftovers.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 428mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 664IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 1mg