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    Home » Salads » Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

    Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

    by Beth Lee · Published: Nov 9, 2011 · Modified: Feb 19, 2021

    116 shares
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    pin image - whole pear on top, composed salad on the bottom

    Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts is beautiful in its simplicity. I originally developed this recipe for the luscious Warren Pear but it will work with any pear sturdy enough for slicing and tossing with greens. (First published Nov 2011, update February 2020.)

    arugula and pear salad with toasted walnuts on white plate

    Fall for the Warren Pear in this Easy Autumn Salad

    Just as I was pouting over the loss of our favorite summer berries, I received an email asking me to consider trying the Warren Pear from Frog Hollow Farm. Frog Hollow Farm made it an easy decision, knowing their reputation for providing local, organic fruit, especially stone fruits like peaches.

    close up of warren pear in box

    My friend Elaine Wu, a food writer, described these pears as tasting like “buttah”. Really? A pear? The build up was big so I feared the reality might disappoint. Happily, it did not.

    It is one of the loveliest pears I have every bitten into – none of that mealiness we often find in a Bartlett. It explodes in your mouth with juicy smoothness but a heartiness you won’t find in a Bartlett. Other pear varieties like D’anjou and Bosc can compete on heartiness for salad making but not on texture, flavor, and juice.

    close up of reddish pear in frog hollow farm box

    The pear is named after its founder – Thomas Oscar Warren and has not caught on commercially because it is difficult to grow. Frog Hollow is one of the few commercial growers of it in the country. Its origin is Mississippi.

    Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

    Truthfully, we really just wanted to eat them all plain. It almost seemed a shame to create a dessert or other course when we could just cut them up and devour. But I adore fall salads with toasty nuts, hearty cheeses, and spicy greens like arugula. So I came up with this yummy salad that is easy enough to prepare anytime, elegant enough for a dinner party, and flexible enough to modify to meet your dinner theme or family’s tastes.

    composed salad on white plate

    Can I Make Substitutions in this Salad?

    You can definitely use other types of pears for this salad – try Bosc or Red or D’anjou or even a Bartlett if it is firm enough. You can even sub in other fruits – try a crispy apple, for example.

    You can also be creative with the greens – but I would stick with soft greens and not something like crispy kale.

    For the nuts, try pecans or pine nuts or even hazelnuts or pistachios.

    And for the cheese, something blue is terrific but goat cheese would work as would some shards of parmesan.

    What to Serve with this Pear Salad

    Change the dressing to Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing.

    Try this super simple Lemony Flank Steak.

    Or this Roasted Chicken with Clementines.

    Or Lemon Garlic Chicken

    Or go for soup and salad with this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.

    Supplies for Making Arugula and Pear Salad

    This post contains Amazon affiliate links – if you click on one and purchase something, I receive a very tiny percentage of the sale. Your price is never affected.


    Also check out my Amazon shop that includes some of my favorite food and food-related products. I am always updating it – please visit often. And let me know if you need specific product recommendations – I am happy to help!

    arugula and pear salad with toasted walnuts on white plate

    Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Gorgonzola, and Lemon Thyme Olive Oil Dressing

    Beth Lee
    This classic arugula and pear salad is flexible - change the pear, the nuts, the cheese or the flavors in the dressing. Or make it just as written - it's a winner every time.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 307 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 10 oz. Arugula or Mixed Greens with arugula
    • 1 Warren Pear or other firm style of pear
    • 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola, blue cheese, or sliced parmesan
    • 1/3 cup toasted walnuts or pecans*

    For Dressing:

    • 1 lemon zested and juiced
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • *You can toast nuts by placing on a baking sheet in a toaster oven or in a regular oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them – they go from deliciously toasty to burnt rather quickly.
    • Slice the pear, skin on, into bite size pieces. Place greens on 4 salad plates, top with crumbled cheese, nuts, and pear. Salt and pepper the salad to taste.
    • For dressing, combine the fresh thyme, lemon juice, and zest in a small bowl, then whisk in the olive oil to combine. Be sure to taste - my amounts are approximate and depend on the size and juiciness of your lemon and flavor of your olive oil. Add salt and pepper, taste again, then dress each salad and enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 5gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 152mgPotassium: 417mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1755IUVitamin C: 27.1mgCalcium: 184mgIron: 1.7mg
    Keyword arugula, gorgonzola, pears, walnuts
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Note: I received the pears for tasting for free from Frog Hollow Farm but received no compensation or input for writing this blog post. The opinions are entirely my own.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. sippitysup (@sippitysup)

      November 14, 2011 at 6:53 pm

      OMG you’re right this is yummy (and seasonal). It was terrific meeting you at IFBC this weekend. GREG

      Reply
      • omgyummy

        November 16, 2011 at 2:00 pm

        You too! I heard so much about you (all good) after Camp Blogaway that it was a real pleasure to meet you in person finally! And oh that brussels sprouts salad you brought to Andrew’s on Sunday. If I only had a picture!

        Reply
    2. Domino

      November 14, 2011 at 7:51 am

      My favorite pear! Prevadelli Farms also sells them at the Aptos/Cabrillo Farmers Market, but on Saturday they said this was the last week for the season!

      Reply
      • omgyummy

        November 16, 2011 at 2:01 pm

        The last weekend – oh no. I did taste a comice at Whole Foods yesterday that was pretty yummy, but the Warren really stands alone for it’s texture and juiciness.

        Reply
    3. Hotly Spiced

      November 12, 2011 at 2:20 pm

      They look a bit like a corella pear. And your salad presents so well.

      Reply
    4. misssrobin

      November 11, 2011 at 10:56 pm

      It sounds so yummy!

      Thanks for stopping by on my SITS day. It was a really fun day for me.

      I hope you have a lovely weekend.

      Reply
    5. Just A Smidgen

      November 9, 2011 at 10:23 pm

      Delicious… these pears look remarkable and your dish is just the kind of dish I love to make! Glad to have found your blog:)

      Reply
      • omgyummy

        November 10, 2011 at 5:33 am

        I’m glad you found it too!

        Reply
    6. Sandy Corman

      November 9, 2011 at 11:38 am

      Now this I will have to try. Sounds yummy and best of all not too difficult to make. That’s for me.

      Reply
      • omgyummy

        November 9, 2011 at 9:02 pm

        Yes – you really can try this one – you guys will love it!

        Reply
    7. frugalfeeding

      November 9, 2011 at 11:06 am

      Yummy! Pear works SO well in salads! what a delight.

      Reply
      • omgyummy

        November 9, 2011 at 9:01 pm

        Doesn’t it though? And oh to combine with toasted nuts – it just doesn’t get much better for me!

        Reply

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    Hi! I’m Beth Lee. In 2010, I realized I prefer pita chips to memory chips and started this blog. My family is a mix of Jewish/Hawaiian/Korean heritage and my food reflects our diversity. My virtual kitchen is always open. Let’s cook together!  See all my recipes…

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