This pear salad with goat cheese features fresh spinach, sliced apples, creamy goat cheese and crunchy pecans. It's great as a side salad or add some protein for a healthy meal.
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Reasons to Love this Pear Salad with Goat Cheese
This autumn pear salad is full of fresh ingredients like crispy pomegranate seeds and juicy pears. It's also filled with apples, candied pecans and goat cheese.
- Simple to make!
- Fresh fruit adds crunch and and sweetness.
- It's great as a side dish or as a main dish with salmon or chicken on top.
How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds
This pear salad recipe calls for ⅓ cup of fresh pomegranates. A lot of times people can be intimidated by them because the time it can take to remove the seeds from the fruit. Here's how to do it easily two ways!
- Cut the pomegranate in half and hold it face down over a large bowl. Hit the back of the pomegranate with a wooden spoon until the seeds come out.
- Cute the pomegranate in half and place both halves in a large bowl filled with water. Work to remove the membranes from around the seeds. the seeds will sink and the membrane will float to the top. Remove membrane and strain pomegranates.
If you're short on time, use pom wonderful aerils to make life easier.
What Pears are Good for Salads?
There are two pears I recommend for this autumn pear salad. Both are sweet, crispy or juicy and add lots of flavor and texture to this salad.
- Bartletts are sweet and really really juicy. They're a great option for this recipe because they're juice and sweet. Make sure to get a ripe one! You'll know when they're somewhat firm, but also soft to touch.
- Bosc pears are one of my favorite pears for this pearsalad. They're crisp and just sweet enough.
Make sure to cut the pears in thin slices lengthwise. You could also cut them in small cubes too!
How to Make the Homemade Dressing
To make the dressing for this pear salad, start with a base of olive oil and apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar is a great complement to this salad because of the apples in the actual salad.
Next, add the salt, pepper and honey to a jar with the oil and vinegar. Close the lid tight and shake the dressing well until all of the ingredients are mixed togher.
Once it's mixed, store the salad dressing in the refrigerator until you're ready to use. Be sure to give it another good shake prior to pouring it over the pear salad.
How to Make Pear Salad with Goat Cheese
- Start by making the candied pecans. Fold the pecans with cinnamon, vanilla, sea salt and syrup and mix well. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg white on high for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Gently fold the egg whites into the pecan mixture until fully coated. You could also make this with walnuts!
- While they're in the oven, make the apple cider vinaigrette following the instructions above. You can also remove the pomegranates from the fruit and store those in the fridge. Store the pecans and the dressing until you're ready to make the salad.
- Place the spinach in a large mixing/serving bowl. Next, slice the pear and apple and place on the salad. Add the pomegranates, candied pecans, and goat cheese then pour the dressing over it and toss to mix well
How to Prep it In Advance
If you're making this recipe in advance for a party or holiday, like Thanksgiving, you can make the dressing and pecans in advance. Add the spinach, apple slices, pear slices, goat cheese and pomegranates to the top and serve with the prepared nuts and dressing.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. I'd love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Salads To Try
- The Best Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
- Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Kale Salad with Dried Cranberries
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Healthy Poppyseed Dressing
- The Best Thanksgiving Salad
Pear Salad with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
Candied Pecans
- 1 ½ cups raw, unsalted pecans
- 1 large egg white
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Dressing
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Pear Salad with Goat Cheese
- 1-6 ounce bag fresh spinach
- 1 ripe pear thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 apple thinly sliced lengthwise
- ⅓ cup fresh pomegranate
- 4 ounces fresh crumbled goat cheese
Recommended Equipment
- Sheet Pan
- Large Bowls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, sea salt and syrup and mix well. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg white on high for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Gently fold the egg whites into the pecan mixture until fully coated.
- Pour pecan mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread out to an even layer. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove them from oven and allow to cool and set on the baking sheet.
- While pecans are cooling, prepare the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar or mixing bowl and shake or whisk well to combine.
- Place the spinach, apples, pears, pomegranates and goat cheese in a large serving bowl then top with the pecans. Serve with the homemade dressing.
Hayley Feland says
Can I just say, YUM?! This is my absolute favorite salad EVER and the pecans ... WOW. My hubby made this for my birthday and it was just fantastic. I've been on a "what Molly made binge" lately and this was on the top of my list.
Molly Thompson says
I love this so much, Hayley! Your comments mean so much!! And happy belated birthday!!!