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    A Full Living » Blog » Salads

    Published: Jan 20, 2023 by Briana · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Arugula Pear Salad

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    arugula pear salad

    This Pear Arugula Salad is perfect for your holiday table or any day of the week. Peppery arugula is combined with sweet pears, pomegranate arils, tangy blue cheese, red onions, toasted walnuts, and salty, crispy prosciutto. Top it all off with a little creamy balsamic dressing for a great salad for cooler months!

    delicious arugula pear salad with red onions, blue cheese, walnuts, pomegranate, and crispy prosciutto.

    This salad is a delicious combination of sweet, salty, tangy, pungent, nutty, crunchy, and salty. Perfect for both a dinner party and when you're looking to liven up your winter salads during the week. It's filling and full of flavor!

    Looking for more simple salad recipes? Try this harvest salad with cranberry dressing, this burrata and prosciutto salad, or this simple spinach arugula salad recipe.

    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why we love this recipe
    • 🍐Ingredients
    • ✨Substitutions & variations
    • 🔪Prep work
    • 📋Instructions
    • ✨Tips & tricks
    • 💭Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Recipes To Consider
    • 📖 Recipe

    ❤️Why we love this recipe

    • A delicious salad - it's the perfect blend of peppery greens, juicy pears, salty cheese, and crispy, nutty, tangy, and pungent flavors. This salad has it all! It's a wonderful salad that you'll actually crave.
    • Easy to make - This recipe is ready in under 15 minutes.
    • Great for gatherings - This arugula pear salad recipe is great for dinner parties and holidays like Christmas dinner with bright colors and vibrant flavors.
    • Naturally gluten free - Made with wholesome ingredients, and no gluten, so it suits a variety of diets.

    🍐Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

    arugula pear salad ingredients graphic, with text overlaying to denote each ingredient.
    • Arugula
    • Bartlett pears - Or any sweet pear of choice. You will want firm pears that are also ripe. You'll need to make some thin pear slices, so you want the pears to hold up enough to do that.
    • Walnuts
    • Red onions
    • Crispy prosciutto - We like to make crispy prosciutto to top this salad, though it is optional.
    • Pomegranate seeds
    • Blue cheese
    • Kosher salt & black pepper
    • Dressing of choice - We like using our creamy balsamic dressing or honey lemon vinaigrette.

    Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

    ✨Substitutions & variations

    Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this salad.

    • Use any pear you prefer if you can't find bartlett pears. Comice pears, Asian pears, bosc pears, anjou pears, Tosca, and Concorde would all make excellent alternatives.
    • Add in more greens. You could always add baby spinach, butter lettuce, and/or baby kale in addition to the arugula.
    • Use different cheese. Crumbled goat cheese, feta cheese, and parmesan cheese would all make excellent alternatives to creamy blue cheese.
    • Add more fruit. Green apples or your favorite variety would make a wonderful addition to this salad.
    • Swap the walnuts. Almonds, pecans, or pistachios would all make great choices instead of walnuts.

    🔪Prep work

    • Prepare the creamy balsamic dressing up to 10 days in advance.
    • Prepare the crispy prosciutto up to 3 days in advance if desired.
    • Thinly slice the red onions and place them in cold water while you prep the other ingredients. This helps get rid of some of the pungent flavor.
    • Cut the pears into thin slices.
    • Measure out all remaining ingredients.

    📋Instructions

    Add walnuts to a skillet over medium heat. Toast, moving around constantly for 2-3 minutes until the walnuts are golden brown and give off a nutty aroma, then immediately remove from the skillet. (Image 1)

    toasting walnuts in an enameled cast iron skillet.

    Add the arugula to a large platter, bowl, or plate. Season with salt and pepper. (Image 2)

    Layer on the walnuts and blue cheese. (Image 3)

    arugula on. large plate sprinkled with salt and peper.
    arugula with walnuts, and blue cheese crumbles.

    Remove the red onion from the water (Image 4), then add it to the salad, along with the pomegranates. (Image 5)

    hand holding red onions in water in a small dish overtop of a salad.
    arugula salad with red onions, walnuts, pomegranates, walnuts, and blue cheese.

    Layer on the crispy prosciutto, (Image 6), and finally, add the pears. (Image 7)

    arugula salad with prosciutto, red onion, pomegranate, walnuts, and blue cheese.
    arugula pear salad with red onion, pomegranates, crispy prosciutto, blue cheese, red onion, and walnuts.

    Drizzle with dressing, and enjoy!

    pear arugula salad with balsamic dressing, pomegranates, blue cheese, walnuts, and red onions.

    ✨Tips & tricks

    • Layer the ingredients. This ensures that there's a bite of everything in each bite.
    • Don't dress the salad until right before serving. Dressing the salad in advance will make the spinach wilt.

    Need supplies? Shop our Amazon store! Stock your pantry, and find all of our favorite kitchen tools! A Full Living LLC earns a small commission through purchases on our storefront to help support this site.

    💭Frequently Asked Questions

    How to store the leftovers?

    This drink is best enjoyed right away, and we don't recommend making it in advance. However, if you need to save it, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.

    Can I make this salad in advance?


    You can make the salad up to 1 day in advance, wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge. Right before it's time to eat, add the dressing.

    More Recipes To Consider

    • Arugula Spinach Salad
    • Burrata and Prosciutto Arugula Salad
    • Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
    • Harvest Salad Recipe with Cranberry Dressing

    Did you try this recipe? Make sure to leave a 5-star review below! 🌟 This helps other readers find our recipes and encourages them to try them. Also, be sure to leave a comment with your experience. Follow along, and tag @AFullLiving on Instagram with your photos!

    📖 Recipe

    arugula pear salad.

    Arugula Pear Salad

    This Pear Arugula Salad is the perfect salad any day of the week. Peppery arugula is combined with sweet pears, pomegranate arils, tangy blue cheese, red onions, toasted walnuts, and salty, crispy prosciutto. Top it all off with a little creamy balsamic dressing.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Author: Briana

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup walnuts
    • 5 ounces baby arugula
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 4 ounces crispy prosciutto (One batch of our recipe. Uncooked prosciutto can also be used.)
    • ½ cup pomegranate arils (About ¼ of a large pomegranate)
    • ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 medium pears, thinly sliced
    • 4 ounces blue cheese
    • creamy balsamic dressing to serve (or any dressing of choice)

    Instructions

    • Place the thinly sliced red onions in a small bowl of cold water to cut down on some of the pungent flavors while you prep the other ingredients. In a skillet over medium heat, add walnuts. Move constantly for 2-3 minutes, until the walnuts are golden brown, then immediately remove from the heat and set aside.
    • Arrange arugula on a platter or plate. Season with salt and pepper.
    • Layer on pomegranate arils, blue cheese crumbles, pear slices, red onion, toasted walnuts, and crispy prosciutto. Drizzle on the creamy balsamic dressing. Serve and enjoy!
    • Store leftover salad separately from the dressing in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Notes

    • The crispy prosciutto can be prepared 3 days or so in advance and stored in the fridge.
    • You can make the balsamic dressing up to 10 days in advance, or use any other dressing you prefer. 
    • Walnuts can be substituted for any other type of nut.
    • If you don't prefer blue cheese, try parmesan cheese, creamy goat cheese, or feta cheese instead. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 544mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 731IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 156mg | Iron: 1mg

    These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.

    Did you love it?If you made this recipe, make sure to show us on Instagram at @AFullLiving or tag #AFullLiving! We love to see what you guys are making!
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
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