Golden Pear Greens Salad (Printable)

A vibrant mix of sweet golden pears, crisp greens, toasted walnuts, and creamy goat cheese tossed in honey-mustard vinaigrette.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 2 ripe golden pears, cored and thinly sliced
02 - 6 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, baby spinach, frisée)
03 - 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
04 - 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
05 - 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

→ Dressing

06 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
08 - 1 tablespoon honey
09 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool completely.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until fully emulsified.
03 - In a large bowl, combine mixed greens, sliced pears, red onion, and half of the toasted walnuts.
04 - Drizzle prepared dressing over salad mixture and toss gently to evenly coat all components.
05 - Divide salad among individual serving plates. Top each portion with crumbled goat cheese and remaining toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The contrast between the juicy pears and crunchy toasted walnuts creates texture magic that elevates this from just another salad to something genuinely craveable.
  • The honey-mustard vinaigrette comes together in seconds but tastes like something that should have taken hours to perfect.
02 -
  • Adding a squeeze of lemon juice to your sliced pears prevents browning if you're preparing components ahead of time.
  • Room temperature goat cheese crumbles much more easily and distributes more evenly throughout the salad than cold cheese straight from the refrigerator.
03 -
  • The vinaigrette can be made up to three days ahead and stored in a jar in the refrigerator, just bring to room temperature and shake vigorously before using.
  • When choosing pears, look for ones that smell sweet at the stem end, which indicates peak ripeness regardless of how firm they still feel.

Return