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Home » Recipes » Gluten Free

Pear Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

By Erin · October 10, 2022 · 11 Comments

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Gluten FreeVegetarian
mixed greens salad on a platter and in a bowl with text overlay

Impress your guests this holiday season with this loaded Pear Salad. It’s a decadent appetizer packed with fresh pears, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and gorgonzola cheese.

mixed greens on a platter topped with sliced pear, walnuts and pomegranate

It’s true that every grand holiday meal could use a salad. The crisp, fresh veggies can help break up the hearty bites of turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, and green bean casserole while adding extra nutrition to the meal. But just because it’s a salad doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

This Pear Salad recipe is anything but boring. You’ll find all sorts of fall and winter ingredients here, like sliced pears, creamy gorgonzola cheese, pomegranate, and walnuts. All layered on a bed of greens and dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette, it’s an appetizer that’s sure to bring some excitement to the table.

Recipe features

  • A simple and easy-to-put-together salad with an elegant, eye-catching presentation.
  • It’s loaded with all kinds of fall and winter goodies, like pears, walnuts, gorgonzola, and pomegranate.
  • The simple balsamic vinaigrette finishes it off, adding a bright and tangy element to each bite.
salad on a platter with pear, walnuts and pomegranate

Ingredient notes:

Greens - I like to use mixed greens or arugula for pear gorgonzola salad because they add a pop of color and a peppery bite. If you want, feel free to use baby spinach, romaine, or kale instead.

Pears - Use green or red pears, or a mix of both to play with the colors.

Walnuts - Besides being a fantastic source of antioxidants, omega-3s, and can improve your gut microbiome, walnuts are responsible for the crunch and earthiness in every bite. Feel free to replace them with any other nut you like, such as almonds or pecans.

Dates - You can use deglet or medjool, just make sure to remove the pit beforehand.

Gorgonzola cheese - This is a type of blue cheese with notes of butter and cream and a subtle acidity. Its unique flavors pair perfectly with fresh pears and add a creamy and tangy spin to the salad. If you aren’t the world’s biggest blue cheese fan, choose a younger gorgonzola as the higher aged varieties are much more pungent.

Pomegranate seeds - You can buy the seeds on their own or learn how to de-seed the pomegranate yourself using this mess-free method.

Balsamic dressing - A really simple dressing made from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, shallots, salt, and pepper. You can add maple syrup to the dressing to add a sweet element as well.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Assemble the greens and toppings. Place the leafy greens on a serving platter or in a large salad bowl. Top with the pears, walnuts, cheese, dates, and pomegranate.

Step 2: Make the dressing. Whisk the olive oil, balsamic, shallot, salt, and pepper together in a bowl or jar.

mixed greens in a bowl topped with balsamic viniagrette

Step 3: Assemble. Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad and enjoy immediately. 

Tips and FAQs

  • You can omit the walnuts or serve them on the side if you or your guests have an aversion to nuts.
  • Same goes for the cheese. It’s a great way to make your vegan or dairy free guests happy!
  • While balsamic vinaigrette pairs best with the pear and walnut salad, you can swap it for my homemade dijon dressing instead.

What else can you add to a pear salad?

Lots! Zhuzh up this fall salad with any hearty, seasonal ingredients you like. Any of these additions would be a great match:

  • Meat: Bacon, prosciutto, or shredded turkey.
  • Cheese: Parmesan, feta, or goat cheese.
  • Fruit and vegetables: Figs, apple slices, fried brussels sprouts, or fennel.
  • Garnishes: Dried cranberries, pistachios, almonds, dried cherries, pecans, or pumpkin seeds.

Can you make it ahead of time?

The salad is best when it’s served immediately after it’s assembled. If you need to save some time, you can (1) mix the dressing together and keep it in a jar in the fridge, or (2) prepare the salad toppings and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge.

What do you serve with a pear salad?

The salad makes for a light and refreshing start to a larger holiday meal. Serve it right before you bring out the Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes, and maple roasted carrots. Or, for something a little lighter, serve the salad next to a brie grilled cheese or a bowl of creamy cauliflower soup.

mixed greens salad with pear on a platter

More fall salad recipes

  • Butternut Squash Farro Salad
  • Candied Pecan Frisee Salad
  • Kale, Apple, and Brussels Sprouts Salad

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

mixed greens on a platter topped with sliced pear, walnuts and pomegranate

Pear Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Impress your guests this holiday season with this loaded Pear Salad. It’s a decadent appetizer packed with fresh pears, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and gorgonzola cheese.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 5 oz. mixed greens or arugula
  • 2 pears sliced
  • â…” cup walnuts chopped
  • 4 dates pitted and sliced
  • ¼ cup gorgonzola cheese crumbled
  • 2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds

for the vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon shallot roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Place mixed greens on a platter or in a large bowl, then add the pears, walnuts, dates, cheese, and pomegranate seeds.
  • Next, make the dressing: whisk the olive oil, balsamic, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper together. You can also blend in a blender if you prefer.
  • Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and enjoy immediately!

Notes

*Calories are per serving and are an estimation
*NOTE: if you're making this salad ahead of time, wait to add the pears and dressing until you're ready to serve it

Nutrition

Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 627mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 967IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in September 2016. It was updated with new text and photos in October 2022.

 

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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jackie says

    October 11, 2022 at 12:42 pm

    5 stars
    I made a vegan version of this for Canadian Thanksgiving and it was wonderful! I left out the cheese and used kale instead of mixed greens. It's a simple salad with the right amount of sweetness, crunch, and tang. Perfect for the holidays!

    Reply
  2. Kelly Scallion says

    September 07, 2016 at 7:59 am

    These kind of salads are my favorite! I love the combo of flavors. I just ate breakfast and now I already want lunch haha.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      September 13, 2016 at 8:15 am

      Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to happen. Thanks Kelly!

      Reply
  3. Les @ The Balanced Berry says

    September 07, 2016 at 12:57 am

    This salad is EXACTLY what I need! I have been in a major cooking/salad rut, and this salad just has all of the best things on it.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      September 13, 2016 at 8:15 am

      Girllll me too. I've made this salad twice and both times it's been exactly what I needed (aka an actual salad)

      Reply
  4. GiGi Eats says

    September 06, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    THIS IS TOTALLY A FALL salad!!! Would be awesome to pair with all of the Thanksgiving staples!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      September 13, 2016 at 8:14 am

      Yes yes agreed! Thanks friend.

      Reply
  5. Shashi at RunninSrilankan says

    September 06, 2016 at 9:49 am

    Erin, I like how you say hello to fall - because those bacon wrapped dates have my name all over them! And LURVVVE your pairing of them with figs and pears and figs and walnuts and oooh that honey cinnamon dressing!!! It is indeed mind-blowing that that dressing is made of honey and cinnamon - so seriously "ON POINT"

    Reply
    • Erin says

      September 13, 2016 at 8:13 am

      haha thanks Shashi! Honey and cinnamon are the BEST.

      Reply
  6. Bethany @ athletic avocado says

    September 06, 2016 at 7:17 am

    I've been craving fall foods since the beginning of summer lol! This salad is fall perfection! Those bacon wrapped dates are a wonderful addition 🙂

    Reply
    • Erin says

      September 13, 2016 at 8:12 am

      Fall foods should be a 'thing' year round! Thanks Bethany 🙂

      Reply

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