Pear Salad
This pear salad features spinach, fresh pears, pecans, craisins, goat cheese, and then is all tossed with a homemade beet dressing. It’s simple, delicious, and the perfect autumn dish!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups baby spinach
- 1-2 pears quartered and sliced
- 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup crumbled cheese goat, feta, gorgonzola
- ¼ cup craisins more to your liking
Beet Dressing (optional, see notes)
- ½ cup heaping cooked and peeled beets diced
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ Tablespoon honey
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon water
Candied nuts
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
- ½ cup pecans walnuts or almonds
- Pinch cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the candied nuts. Heat a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the cinnamon and stir well. Let the sugar-water bubble for 1-2 minutes and start to thicken, then add the nuts and stir to fully coat the nuts evenly. Once most of the sugar-water has evaporated/stuck to the nuts, pour the nuts onto a plate, separating them slightly so they don’t all clump together and let cool completely. Set aside.
- Make the beet dressing. Add all the ingredients for the beet dressing to a small blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. You can add more water to thin the dressing to the consistency you prefer.
- Assemble the salad. When you slice the pears, lightly dip them in lemon juice to prevent them from browning. In a large mixing bowl add the spinach, pears, crumbled cheese, craisins, and cooled nuts. Add a small amount of dressing at a time and toss well. Add more dressing to your liking. Serve and Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (based on ~4 servings ; salad + dressing)
235 Calories, 16 gram fat, 4 gram protein, 20 gram total carbohydrate, 6 grams of fiber, 9 grams sugar, 81 mg sodium
Notes:
• Buy the pears ahead of time. Pears often need a few days on the counter to ripen fully. Once the pears ripen on the counter stick them in the fridge until ready to use. • To prevent the pears from turning brown after slicing, dip each slice of pear in a small bowl of lemon juice. But even with the lemon juice the pears won’t stay fresh forever so it’s best to slice them close to when you will be serving the salad • You can prepare the dressing and candied nuts ahead of time. Spinach wilts very fast so for best results I would suggest tossing the salad with the dressing right before serving. • For convenience, I buy the vacuum sealed cooked and peeled beets found in the produce aisle at most grocery stores. But you can certainly buy fresh beets, then roast or boil them, and peel them to make the dressing. • You will likely have leftover over beet dressing. Add a small amount at a time. Substitutions
• Spinach- substitute arugula, romaine, or mixed greens • Pears- swap fresh apples • Nuts- walnuts or almonds are great alternatives. If you need nut free, replace with sunflower or pumpkin seeds for crunch • Cheese- feta or gorgonzola would be delicious in this salad • Don’t like or have craisins- raisins or even pomegranate seeds would be a great substitute • Although this homemade beet dressing is delicious with it- you can use your favorite homemade or bottled dressing. Raspberry vinaigrette is a delicious compliment to this salad!
• Buy the pears ahead of time. Pears often need a few days on the counter to ripen fully. Once the pears ripen on the counter stick them in the fridge until ready to use. • To prevent the pears from turning brown after slicing, dip each slice of pear in a small bowl of lemon juice. But even with the lemon juice the pears won’t stay fresh forever so it’s best to slice them close to when you will be serving the salad • You can prepare the dressing and candied nuts ahead of time. Spinach wilts very fast so for best results I would suggest tossing the salad with the dressing right before serving. • For convenience, I buy the vacuum sealed cooked and peeled beets found in the produce aisle at most grocery stores. But you can certainly buy fresh beets, then roast or boil them, and peel them to make the dressing. • You will likely have leftover over beet dressing. Add a small amount at a time. Substitutions
• Spinach- substitute arugula, romaine, or mixed greens • Pears- swap fresh apples • Nuts- walnuts or almonds are great alternatives. If you need nut free, replace with sunflower or pumpkin seeds for crunch • Cheese- feta or gorgonzola would be delicious in this salad • Don’t like or have craisins- raisins or even pomegranate seeds would be a great substitute • Although this homemade beet dressing is delicious with it- you can use your favorite homemade or bottled dressing. Raspberry vinaigrette is a delicious compliment to this salad!