Name: Roasted Pear & Pecan Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 bosc pears; 1 cup raw whole pecans; 1/2 pomegranate seeds; 10 oz baby spinach; 1/2 cup goat cheese; 1/2 cup olive oil; 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard; salt & pepper to taste

Easy to prep ahead, this spinach salad is filled with sweet roasted pears, mellow pecans, tangy goat cheese, and crunchy pomegranates with a simple homemade balsamic dressing is a perfect holiday side dish or a tasty fall dinner. This Roasted Pear Salad is a recipe you will be excited to make time and time again.

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Roasted Pear Salad

A wonderful winter inspired salad, using fruits that are in season! I have created this delightful Roasted Pear and Pecan Salad with a Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

This one is tasty and beautiful enough to be served as a side on Thanksgiving or Christmas but also easy enough to make on a weeknight.

Roasting the pears and the pecans in the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette is the key to this salad. Let me tell you roasting improves the flavors of your pear by about 1,000%. The pears become more flavorful and make the goat cheese all melty while the pecans get candied and crunchy, so good!

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette tops off the flavorful pears, melty goat cheese, candied pecans, and pomegranate seeds that add pop of color and freshness.

The Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette that tops off the salad is so simple to make with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and whole grain mustard.

So break up all of your holiday eating with this delicious Roasted Pear & Pecan Salad with a Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Ingredients

Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Maple Syrup
Whole Grain Mustard
Bosc Pears
Pecans
Pomegranate Seeds
Baby Spinach
Goat Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400º F.

In a small bowl combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, whole grain mustard, and salt & pepper to taste. Stir ingredients until fully combined to make vinaigrette.

Clean, pit, and slice each pear into 8 sections.

On a baking sheet combine pear slices, pecans, and 1/3 cup of the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. Toss together until pears and pecans are fully coated in the vinaigrette. Bake for 10 minutes, take out and toss. Bake for another 10 minutes (with the last 3-5 minutes remaining keep a close eye on the pecans to make sure they don’t start to burn).

When the pears and pecans are finished baking place on top of the spinach. Top with pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and your preferred amount of Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. Enjoy!

tips, tricks and questions

Can this salad be prepped ahead?

Absolutely. I make this ahead of time for Thanksgiving every year.

You will make the dressing. Roast the pears and pecans, wait for them to cool and then store them in an airtight container. Measure out the pomegranates and goat cheese and store in a separate container. Transfer the rest of the dressing to a container to store.

When it comes time to eat the salad, you can reheat the pears if you please or serve them cold.

Quickly add the spinach, pear mixture, pomegranates, goat cheese, and dressing to a large bowl.

Variations:

Swap out the pecans for walnuts
Use a flavored goat cheese

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Yield: 6 servings