Looking for an elevated yet simple salad for your next dinner party? This arugula pear salad recipe is the perfect side dish for any time of year! It's flavorful and tangy from the soft goat cheese and a simple vinaigrette. I highly recommend making this delicious side salad when pears are in season!
I don't know about you, but for me to eat a salad, it has to be FULL of flavor. In general, I like a tangy salad with lots of acidic flavors. This arugula pear salad would go soooo well with Thanksgiving or holiday dinners for a few reasons. First, pears are in season! Also, the light tanginess will perfectly balance all of the heavy dishes throughout the meal.
Table of Contents:
🎥 Watch the video of this recipe
🥗 Why you'll love this Arugula Pear Salad
- It's Tangy and Tart. Like it said, the best salads are very zingy. This one definitely has all the strong flavors from vinegar, mustard seeds, shallots, and goat cheese.
- This salad is NOT boring. I haaaate boring salads, and we won't put up with them anymore!
- Pears are in season! Salads in winter can still be light and refreshing as long as you use in-season fruit, like pears! You can also toss in apples, pomegranates, cranberries, etc!
🥘 What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh Arugula - Arugula or baby arugula is the best option! If necessary, substitute with some other mustard greens or spring mix. Baby spinach is sort of a last resort here.
- Bosc Pears - Bosc or bartlett are the best pears for this recipe! Bartlett are a bit sweeter, while bosc have a more crisp, "classic" pear flavor. Make sure they're somewhat ripe pears.
- Shallot - I don't recommend substituting this. Use the smallest shallot you have, or half of a medium-sized one.
- White Wine Vinegar - Champagne vinegar can work too, and perhaps apple cider vinegar, though this will impact the flavor more.
- Whole Grain Mustard - I LOVE whole grain mustard. It has such a great texture and doesn't taste like yellow mustard at all. I highly recommend it. If needed, substitute with a good-quality dijon.
- Olive Oil - This is the base of the salad dressing, so use a tasty olive oil! Since this is uncooked, extra virgin olive oil stands out here.
- Agave - Use honey to substitute or brown rice syrup.
- Goat Cheese - Crumbled goat cheese goes beautifully with the sweet pears and peppery arugula. Use flavored if you wish, but plain is suggested. Blue cheese or feta cheese can be substituted if preferred.
- Optional: Chopped walnuts or toasted pine nuts compliment the sweetness of the pear and add a nice crunch to an already delicious salad.
Tools and Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowl
- Cutting Board
📋 How to make an Arugula Pear Salad
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
If necessary, rinse and dry your arugula.
Thinly slice a shallot and at least half of a pear, or a whole one.
Step 2: Make the Vinaigrette
This homemade light vinaigrette is the perfect mix of tangy and tart to balance the sweet juicy pears. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add white wine vinegar, agave, olive oil, and whole-grain mustard, with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Whisk vigorously until the oil in fully emulsified with the other liquids.
Step 3: Assemble the salad
In a large mixing bowl (not the serving bowl), add arugula and shallots with about half of the dressing.
Toss to combine with hands or tongs.
Sprinkle in some of the crumbled goat cheese and gently combine again.
Plate the salad in your serving vessel, then top with remaining dressing (or serve on the side), remaining goat cheese, and thinly sliced pears.
If desired, arrange the pear slices in a cascading manner, as pictured.
Serve room temperature and enjoy!
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- You could potentially substitute goat cheese with another tangy, crumbly cheese. Feta is a good alternative here.
- Be careful to dry the arugula fully if you need to wash it first. If you have a salad spinner, use that. Otherwise, be sure it is completely dry before using. If not, you may have a soupy salad.
- Feel free to toss in some other fall/winter fruits like apples, cranberries, pomegranates, or even some oranges!
Recipe FAQs
I would ONLY recommend saving this for later if the dressing has not been added. Otherwise, it will become too soft and soupy. Store in an airtight container to lock in the freshness.
Bosc pears are typically brown on the outside and they have a more crisp "pear-like" flavor. Bartlett pears are green on the outside and tend to be sweeter and a bit softer. Either one will work in this recipe!
If necessary, a crumbled feta can be a good substitute for goat cheese in this arugula pear salad as feta is also tangy and soft.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Arugula Pear Salad with Goat Cheese
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 oz Arugula
- 1 Shallot very small
- ¼ cup White wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Agave or Honey
- ¼ cup Crumbled Goat Cheese or more
- 1 teaspoon Whole grain mustard
- ½ Bosc pear or bartlett pear. More than ½ is fine too.
Instructions
- If necessary, rinse and dry your arugula.
- Thinly slice a shallot and at least half of a pear, or a whole one.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, add white wine vinegar, agave, olive oil, whole grain mustard, with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Whisk vigorously until the oil in fully emulsified with the other liquids.
- In a large mixing bowl (not the serving bowl), add arugula and shallots with about half of the dressing.
- Toss to combine with hands or tongs.
- Sprinkle in some of the crumbled goat cheese and gently combine again.
- Plate the salad in your serving vessel, then top with remaining dressing (or serve on the side), remaining goat cheese, and thinly sliced pears.
- If desired, arrange the pear slices in a cascading manner, as pictured.
- Serve room temperature and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You could potentially substitute goat cheese with another tangy, crumbly cheese. Feta is a good alternative here.
- Be careful to dry the arugula fully if you need to wash it first. If you have a salad spinner, use that. Otherwise, be sure it is completely dry before using. If not, you may have a soupy salad.
- Feel free to toss in some other fall/winter fruits like apples, cranberries, pomegranates, or even some oranges!
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