Pear and Greens Salad

Pear and greens salad recipe

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 6 servings

Late fall and winter are the ideal seasons for pears, and this salad is a wonderful way to use the fresh fruit at its peak. It's an elegant but simple recipe, ideal for holiday dinners and cozy winter meals. You'll love the combination of tender and slightly bitter greens with a sweet celery seed dressing, juicy and tart pears, blue cheese, and toasted walnuts. This recipe is very easy to make but tastes like something you'd get at a fancy restaurant.

When looking for pears, make sure there are no bruises or cuts and they are firm yet give slightly when pressed with the fingers. Since pears turn brown quickly, you should prepare them just before serving; you can sprinkle a little lemon juice over the pears after they are sliced to slow down browning.

The dressing of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and celery seed can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but toss the salad with the dressing just before serving to prevent the greens from getting soggy. Butter lettuce is paired with frisée and topped with the chopped pears, toasted walnuts, and crumbled blue cheese, offering a wonderful combination of delicate and sweet with sharp and salty. This salad complements almost any meal, especially beef tenderloin, pork roast, and whole turkey.

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

  • 2 butterhead lettuce, torn into pieces

  • 2 cups frisée lettuce

  • 2 pears, cored ​and chopped

  • 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for pear and greens salad
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga
  2. Make the dressing by combining the oil, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a jar with a very tight lid. Shake well until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing is blended. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve the salad.

    Combine vinegar, sugar, celery
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 
  3. When ready to eat, combine the butter lettuce, frisée, pears, walnuts, and blue cheese in a large salad serving bowl and toss gently.

    Combine butter lettuce, frisee
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 
  4. Pour the dressing over the greens, tossing to coat.

    Pour dressing over greens
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 
  5. Serve immediately and enjoy.

    Pear and greens salad
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 

Recipe Variations

  • Add a handful of pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries for some festive color.
  • Swap the blue cheese for soft goat cheese.
  • Use candied pecans instead of walnuts.
  • Substitute apples for the pears.

How can I ripen my pears quicker?

If the pears are too firm to use in the salad, you can speed up the ripening process by placing the fruit in a paper bag along with a ripe apple or banana. These two fruits release a high amount of ethylene gas, which will cause the pears to ripen quicker.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
319 Calories
25g Fat
20g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 319
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 7g 34%
Cholesterol 17mg 6%
Sodium 364mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 7mg 35%
Calcium 157mg 12%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 307mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)