This easy walnut pear salad is a delicious fall recipe with fresh pears, walnuts, cherries, and tangy balsamic vinegar dressing.
Crunchy candied walnuts with soft chopped pears and Gorgonzola cheese make this mouthwatering salad full of flavor. It is so simple to throw these ingredients together for a light lunch, or a side dish. It is the perfect holiday salad, to bring to all your festivities. Your family and friends are going to love this one. My picky eaters love it too. Whenever I need them to eat vegetables, I throw this salad together, and serious magic happens. What kids like salad this much? It must be the Gorgonzola cheese.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our walnut pear salad, you need the following ingredients:
- Spring salad mix
- Candied walnuts
- Dried cherries
- Gorgonzola cheese
- Pears
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Frozen cherries
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Our Walnut Pear Salad
- In a large bowl, toss together spring mix salad, walnuts, dried cherries, Gorgonzola cheese, and diced pears.
- In a blender, pulse together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and cherries until smooth. Serve with salad.
Recipe Notes
- Gorgonzola cheese has a unique flavor that might not be popular with everyone. If you dislike Gorgonzola, we recommend Feta cheese. It’s similar in nature to Gorgonzola. You could also try fresh Parmesan strips – a more crumbly, bitter cheese with a salty taste.
- The best way to tell if a pear is ready, is if the texture and the hardness of the pear is equal throughout the entire pear, and softer towards the neck (where the stem is). To test this, simply add a little pressure to the pear with your fingers. It should slightly give but not much. Take your fingers up, to the neck of the pear, and make sure it gives a little more. If it is really squishy, your pear is overripe.
Enjoy More Delicious Green Salads
Want to add more veggies to your meals? Browse our comprehensive list of salad recipes.
- Healthy Broccoli Salad
- Homemade Caesar Salad and Dressing
- Layered Cobb Salad
- Loaded Broccoli Salad
- Mango Berry Salad
- Santa Barbara Cobb Salad
- Seven Layer Green Salad
- Spring Salad with Homemade Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
- Strawberry Spinach Salad and Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing
- Taco Salad
Walnut Pear Salad Recipe
This easy walnut pear salad is a delicious fall recipe with fresh pears, walnuts, cherries, and tangy balsamic vinegar dressing.
Serving servings
Ingredients
- 10 ounces spring mix salad
- ½ cup candied walnuts
- ½ cup dried cherries
- ½ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 2 pears, diced
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup frozen cherries, thawed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together spring mix salad, walnuts, dried cherries, Gorgonzola cheese, and diced pears.
- In a blender, pulse together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and cherries until smooth. Serve with salad.
Notes
- Gorgonzola cheese has a unique flavor that might not be popular with everyone. If you dislike Gorgonzola, we recommend Feta cheese. It’s similar in nature to Gorgonzola. You could also try fresh Parmesan strips – a more crumbly, bitter cheese with a salty taste.
- The best way to tell if a pear is ready, is if the texture and the hardness of the pear is equal throughout the entire pear, and softer towards the neck (where the stem is). To test this, simply add a little pressure to the pear with your fingers. It should slightly give but not much. Take your fingers up, to the neck of the pear, and make sure it gives a little more. If it is really squishy, your pear is overripe.
Nutrition
Calories: 328 kcal · Carbohydrates: 24 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 24 g · Saturated Fat: 4 g · Cholesterol: 7 mg · Sodium: 191 mg · Potassium: 190 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 16 g · Vitamin A: 982 IU · Vitamin C: 14 mg · Calcium: 80 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Questions & Reviews