This pear salad with toasted pecans and home made poppy seed dressing is the final word fall and winter aspect dish! Candy pears and jewel-like pomegranate seeds make each chunk irresistible.

Right here’s a dreamy salad if there ever was one: this good pear salad recipe! It’s a research in contrasts: contemporary, juicy pear towards funky gorgonzola cheese; vibrant pomegranate towards savory shallot. Throw in some toasted pecans and tangy poppy seed dressing and it’s fairly irresistible.
I really like making this salad for fall and winter entertaining: particularly for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas! Once we serve it, Alex and I often can’t cease mumbling how good it’s. It’s not typically that the salad is the spotlight of a meal, however this one all the time is!
Elements You’ll Want
This pear salad is bursting with stunning, contemporary produce. It’s very best for fall and winter when pears are in season, although you can also make it anytime you might have lusciously ripe fruit. I additionally find it irresistible for festive events like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Right here’s what you’ll want for this recipe:
- Pears: Bartlett or Anjou work fantastically; the secret’s good ripeness
- Shallot: Uncooked and thinly sliced for a candy, delicate onion taste
- Pecans: Toast the pecans to carry out their wealthy, buttery taste
- Blended greens: Any prime quality mixture of child greens works
- Pomegranate seeds: Add jewel-like bursts of tart sweetness (see the best way to minimize a pomegranate)
- Gorgonzola cheese: Or substitute feta, goat cheese, or your favourite cheese
- Poppy seed dressing: See under!

The right way to Ripen Pears
Pears can take fairly some time to ripen, so maintain that in thoughts when planning for this recipe. Consider them extra like bananas relating to ripening. Listed here are some suggestions:
- Place the pears in a paper bag to ripen in 2 to 4 days. Depart them at room temperature and they need to be ripe in 2 to 4 days.
- In a bowl on the counter, pears ripen in about 4 to 7 days. Examine them by gently urgent the flesh to see whether it is tender.
- Don’t place pears within the fridge until they’re ripe. The fridge slows the ripening course of. In case you place them within the fridge straight away, they’ll be rock onerous. Permit them to ripen first, then solely refrigerate if you wish to delay consuming them.
Making Home made Poppy Seed Dressing
The star of this pear salad recipe is the poppy seed dressing! This dressing is a French dressing with acidity and pop of sweetness. Listed here are a number of ingredient notes:
- Use a impartial oil like grapeseed. This makes one of the best emulsion (creamy texture) and taste. In case you favor olive oil, use as much as half olive oil and half impartial oil.
- Be sure to make use of white vinegar. Keep away from white wine vinegar right here and go for white vinegar: it has one of the best simple, tangy taste.
- For a pure sweetener, strive honey. It’s simply as tasty.

Variations and Substitutions
This pear salad is extremely versatile. Whereas pears and gorgonzola are a basic taste pairing, blue cheese generally is a polarizing meals. Fortunately this pear salad works with any kind of cheese, in addition to different sorts of mix-ins. Listed here are a few of my favourite methods to customise it:
- Cheeses: Swap gorgonzola for feta, goat cheese, shaved Parmesan, or Manchego
- Nuts: Use candied pecans, candied walnuts, toasted walnuts, or toasted almonds as a substitute of plain pecans
- Fruits: Swap in or add thinly sliced apples, contemporary figs, or dried cranberries
- Greens: Use child spinach, arugula, or shredded Brussels sprouts
- Protein: Prime with grilled hen, blackened shrimp, or pan-seared salmon for an entire meal
- Make it vegan: Omit the cheese or use a vegan cheese various
Ideas for Serving a Crowd
This pear salad may be served a number of alternative ways: on a platter, or plated. Listed here are some notes on serving it for a crowd:
- Double the contemporary substances for a crowd. You need to have sufficient dressing for a double recipe, so simply double the contemporary substances!
- Serve on a platter for simple sharing. The pear salad appears festive and vibrant on a big platter.
- Or, serve it plated. Make particular person plates and drizzle about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons dressing on every one.
What To Pair with It
This salad pairs splendidly with roasted meats and fish. I’ve served it alongside all the pieces from hen thighs to mac and cheese to baked salmon. In case you eat meat, it goes nicely with pork chops or perhaps a steak. The brilliant, contemporary flavors minimize by means of wealthy major dishes and supply a pleasant distinction.
I’ve additionally served it as a Thanksgiving aspect dish, and it will be good for Christmas dinner or any fall or winter ceremonial dinner.

Dietary Notes
This pear salad recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, omit the gorgonzola cheese (it’s scrumptious with out!).
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Gently press the flesh close to the stem together with your thumb. If it provides barely, the pear is ripe. The physique of the pear ought to nonetheless be comparatively agency: you don’t need them so comfortable that they’re mushy.
You don’t must, however I extremely advocate it. Toasting nuts takes simply 5 minutes and dramatically improves their taste and texture. When you strive toasted nuts, you’ll by no means need to use them uncooked once more.
Sure! The dressing makes about ¾ cup, which is sufficient for one batch of salad with some left over. In case you’re serving a crowd, double the contemporary salad substances, and you need to have loads of dressing. It retains nicely within the fridge for every week.
I apply it to easy inexperienced salads, drizzle it over roasted greens, and even use it as a marinade for grilled hen. The sweet-tangy taste is extremely versatile.
Pear Salad with Pomegranate & Pecans
This pear salad with toasted pecans and home made poppy seed dressing is the final word fall and winter aspect dish! Candy pears and jewel-like pomegranate seeds make each chunk irresistible.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Prepare dinner Time: 0 minutes
- Complete Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Class: Facet dish
- Technique: Recent
- Delicacies: American
- Weight loss program: Vegetarian
Elements
For the pear salad
- 1 ripe pear
- 1 shallot
- ½ cup pecan items
- 8 cups blended child greens
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ⅓ cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles (or feta cheese or goat cheese; omit for vegan)
For the dressing (makes ¾ cup; use roughly 6 tablespoons for 4 servings)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (or honey)
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup grapeseed oil* (or different impartial oil like natural vegetable or canola)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the granulated sugar, white vinegar, dry mustard, onion flakes, and kosher salt. Progressively whisk within the grapeseed oil about 1 tablespoon at a time till a creamy emulsion types. Whisk within the poppy seeds. Serve instantly or retailer in a sealed container or jar till serving (enable to come back to room temperature if refrigerated).
- Prep the contemporary substances: Slice the pear into skinny slices. Thinly slice the shallot. See The right way to Reduce a Pomegranate for directions on eradicating pomegranate seeds.
- If time, toast the pecans: Place the nuts in a dry skillet (no oil) over medium warmth. Warmth, shaking the pan and stirring typically with a wood spoon, till the nuts are aromatic and barely darker brown, about 4 to five minutes. Keep on the range as a result of the nuts can simply burn! Take away instantly from the warmth and switch to a plate to cease the cooking.
- Serve: Place the greens on a plate or platter. Prime with the pear slices, shallot, toasted pecans, pomegranate seeds, and gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Drizzle with the specified quantity of dressing and serve (use roughly 6 tablespoons for 4 servings; retailer the remaining dressing refrigerated).
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Extra Winter & Fall Salad Recipes
- Crisp Apple Salad
- Candy Potato Salad
- Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula & Apple
- Brussels Sprout Salad
- Excellent Pomegranate Salad




