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Home » Salads

Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

by Beth Lee · Published: Nov 9, 2011 · Modified: Jul 11, 2024

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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

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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.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes 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
  • ⅓ cup crumbled gorgonzola, blue cheese, or sliced parmesan
  • ⅓ cup toasted walnuts or pecans*

For Dressing:

  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
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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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  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 09, 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 09, 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 09, 2011 at 9:02 pm

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

      Reply
  7. frugalfeeding

    November 09, 2011 at 11:06 am

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

    Reply
    • omgyummy

      November 09, 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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I'm a cookbook author, cooking teacher and preserved lemon lover. My family is a mix of Jewish, Hawaiian and Korean heritage. My virtual multicultural kitchen is always open. Let's cook together! 

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