Pear Salad Recipe
In this pear salad recipe, fresh pears, crispy bacon, creamy goat cheese, and candied walnuts are all served over lettuce and tossed with a homemade balsamic dressing for a delicious, flavor-packed salad everyone loves!
Servings: 10 Servings
Cost: $10
Equipment
- chef's knife
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cooked & crumbled bacon (about 4-5 slices)
- 1 pound pears (about 3 medium pears)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 cups water
- 10 ounces spring mix
- 4 green onions (sliced thin, ½ cup)
- 4 ounces Goat cheese
- 2 cups candied walnuts (8 ounces)
Balsamic dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (or ½ tsp garlic powder)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook and Crumble the Bacon
- Follow the directions in this post: https://joyfoodsunshine.com/how-to-cook-bacon-in-the-oven/ to bake and crumble the bacon, then set it aside.
Prepare the Pears
- Dice two pears into small, bite-sized cubes. Slice one pear into thin slices (for putting on top).
- Combine lemon juice and water in a small bowl and put the cut/diced apples in it.
- Stir and let sit while you make the salad.
- When ready to assemble, drain the pears in a colander.
Make the Dressing
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar. Whisk or shake to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Assemble the Salad
- Put spring mix, diced pears, green onions, goat cheese, bacon and walnuts in a large bowl. Reserve about 2 tablespoons each of cheese, onions, bacon and walnuts to use to garnish the top.
- Toss with the dressing, then transfer the salad to a large salad bowl or serving dish.
- Then garnish the top with the remaining ingredients, including sliced pears and serve immediately.
- Alternatively, you can serve the salad with the dressing on the side. In this case, assemble the salad directly in a serving bowl/platter and let guests dress their salad portions individually.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitution Notes
- Pears. Choose your favorite variety of pears. I suggest one of these: Bosc, Anjou, or Bartlett.
- Bacon. If you don't want to cook and crumble your own bacon (see how to cook bacon in the oven here), then you can use pre-made bacon bits.
- Spring mix. You can use any greens you’d like such as spring mix, baby spinach, arugula, romaine, baby kale, etc.
- Green onions. red onions are a great substitute.
- Goat cheese. I love the creamy tangy flavor of goat cheese in this salad. You can substitute feta or sharp white cheddar.
- Candied walnuts I highly recommend that you make your own candied walnuts for this recipe. You can also use candied pecans or candied almonds.
- Balsamic dressing. you can use maple syrup in place of honey and avocado oil in place of olive oil in the dressing if you’d like. Or use store-bought balsamic vinaigrette.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 504IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg