This Pear and Walnut Salad is a divine option to enjoy juicy pears when they’re in season. It’s packed with crispy kale, creamy blue cheese and crunchy candied nuts. We love to use our blue cheese dressing to serve it, as it adds creaminess and subtle tang.
If you’re looking for more amazing salads to make this autumn, then check these out: Sweet Kale Salad, Apple Walnut Salad and Fall Harvest Salad.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Perfect fall salad
- Love blue cheese, pears and kale!
- Great for the holidays, dinner parties or weekend meals
- Easy to make
- Healthy and delicious side dish
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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Gourmet Glazed Walnuts by Its Delish, 30 Oz
Knife 7 Inch with Sharp Japanese High Carbon Stainless Steel
Ingredients for Pear and Walnut Salad
Ingredients
Mix of lettuce and kale – I like to include both for a good balance of crispness, good bite and flavor. You can also include arugula in this mix!
Pears – Look for ripe pears; they’ll be juicy and sweet. Avoid using overripe pears, as those will turn mushy quickly.
Candied walnuts or pecans – Including candied nuts adds extra sweetness and a great crunch to salads. You can swap with toasted nuts if desired. You can find these now easily in your grocery store, specialty store, Amazon or higher-end farmers’ market.
Crumbled blue cheese – Any soft type of blue cheese like gorgonzola (milder flavor) or roquefort (stronger taste) will work.
Red onion – You’ll just need a quarter of a small red onion; it adds a subtle sharpness to the salad that contrasts well. You can soak it for 10 min. in cold water to take some of the strong flavor away.
Dried cranberries – Another sweet bite for this savoury-sweet salad; don’t skip them! They add balance.
Blue cheese dressing – Here you have our homemade blue cheese dressing to serve with! Or, in a hurry, grab some from your local grocery store.
How to make Pear and Walnut Salad
See our post on how to make the Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe if you like to make homemade (which IMO is much better than store-bought).
Place mixed greens in a large salad bowl. Roughly chop them using your hands or a knife. Tip: I’m used to massaging kale with a drizzle of olive oil every time I use it in salads. It softens its texture, making it nicer to eat.
Arrange sliced pears, toasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and red onion over the greens. Sprinkle cranberries on top.
Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and toss gently until lightly coated. Serve immediately.
Recipe Pro Tips
Pro Tips
Choose pears that are ripe but still firm, so they’ll hold their shape after slicing. If the pears are extremely soft, save them for another recipe.
Toast your walnuts or pecans for extra crunch and flavor, but allow them to cool completely before putting them on the greens. I prefer candied nuts for this recipe, but if not, at least toast them.
Add the dressing gradually. You want just enough to lightly coat the ingredients, rather than weigh down the salad.
Slice the pears and dress the salad shortly before serving for the freshest flavor and best presentation.
If you’re serving this salad for a holiday dinner, arrange some of the pear slices, walnuts, and cheese on top after tossing so guests can easily see all the beautiful ingredients.
Delicious Add-Ins
There are plenty of ways to customize this salad. Try adding dried cherries, pomegranate arils, avocado, pumpkin seeds, or thinly sliced apples as some of the ingredients in the salad.
For additional protein, add grilled chicken or turkey.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH PEAR & WALNUT SALAD
This salad is highly versatile. I love serving it with roasted meats, juicy steak or baked chicken. As it’s packed with nuts and cheese, it can also work as a light weekday lunch. Here are some of our favorites.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Pear and Walnut Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups mix greens lettuce and kale
- 2 ripe pears thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup candied walnuts roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 small red onion very thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Place mixed greens in a large salad bowl.
- Arrange sliced pears, toasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and red onion over the greens. Then, sprinkle cranberries on top.
- Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and toss gently until lightly coated. Serve immediately.
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