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Arugula Salad with Pears and Goat Cheese

4.99 from 116 community reviews

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A simple, tasty pear salad recipe, with arugula, red onion, walnuts and two cheeses —creamy goat and blue cheese. This is a perfect arugula salad for everyday or having friends over.

Photo of a pink bowl of arugula salad with pears and walnuts on top.

We all need more simple salad recipes in our lives, and this arugula salad with fruit fits that description to a “T”, especially when it’s not summer (which is the time for this lemony orzo pasta salad).

Because I think a pear salad recipe should not only have crisp sweet pears in it, I went ahead and added two different kinds of cheeses (blue and goat).

Because why not? Also, there’s toasted walnuts and a smattering of thinly sliced red onion. This combination of nuts, soft cheese and sweet fruit makes a stunning radicchio salad as well as a delicious salad with shaved Brussels sprouts (another favorite!).

Photo of a wood salad bowl with red onion slices, arugula and sliced pears.

The dressing that ties this whole beauty together is a light and tangy-sweet vinaigrette, blended with lemon, white wine vinegar and a dash of honey.

You won’t have to gather many ingredients or fuss around too much with this salad, and it works for any meal situation. It’s one of those dishes you’d want to put out when friends come over for dinner, which in the spring or summer might be a fresh asparagus salad.

Photo of a serving of arugula salad, with a fork and dressing on the side.

Pear salad with cheese

Pears and cheese are a classic combination, and for good reason. Italians especially love pairing pears with cheese, and they must know something, right?

“Don’t tell the peasants how good cheese is with pears.”

– an Italian saying
  • Compared to other fruits like apples and peaches (also good with cheese, btw), pears have subtle acidity and a distinctive texture.

Those two qualities help the fruit balance beautifully with all kinds of cheese, especially young, soft goat cheese and creamy blue cheese.

Photo of a green pear on a cutting board, with wedges of blue cheese and goat cheese.

All about arugula

Arugula is one of my absolute favorite greens. Are you with me? I’ve seen arugula described as a “bitter” green, but I’ve always found it way more nutty and peppery tasting. Arugula pairs beautifully with everything from strawberries and feta cheese to hearty roasted cauliflower salad.

Plus, arugula is one of the easiest plants to grow from seed, especially if your thumbs aren’t the greenest. I’ve grown arugula in my garden when nothing else survived, and it always took off like gangbusters.

In hot weather, the leaves get very spicy — almost like horseradish spicy — but to me that fact makes me love it more.

Arugula Pear Salad with Cheese and Walnuts

Substitutions for arugula

Surprisingly (to me) not everyone is a fan of arugula. What !! If that’s you or someone you care about, think about subbing some or all of the arugula in this recipe with:

  • Watercress
  • Spinach
  • Baby mixed greens

Cheeses to use in arugula salad

One cheese was not enough when I first made this salad, obviously. I was torn over using goat cheese or blue cheese and decided a little of both was the best way to go.

TIP: Choose a soft, unripened goat cheese (the kind that comes in a log) and a creamy, cow’s milk blue cheese. Sweet Gorgonzola or Danish-style blue are both good blue cheeses to use.

  • Not a fan of goat OR blue cheese? A good Parmesan or sheep’s milk cheese like aged Pecorino would be delicious!
Photo of a pink bowl of arugula salad with pears and walnuts on top.

The best pears for salad

  • Bartlett: This variety is an all-around good choice for salads, snacking and even desserts. Bartlett pears are tinged with yellow when ripe and ready to eat. These pears are juicy, sweet and have a good amount of acidity to balance the sugar.
  • D’Anjou (or Anjou): This pear looks a bit like Bartlett – plump and green. It has a pleasantly crisp texture which makes it a perfect pear for salads and also roasting.
  • Comice: My absolute favorite pear to eat raw with cheese, and also what I used for this salad. Comice pears are green, blushed beautifully with red spots. They have soft, creamy flesh and are exquisitely sweet and juicy when ripe.
  • Bosc: This pear variety is hard to confuse with the others – it has a bronze-amber colored skin, and an elegant, tall shape. I find their flavor on the spicy side, but sometimes their texture is disappointingly dry. They’re a good pear for poaching in wine.
Photo of a wood salad bowl with arugula, goat cheese, walnuts and sliced pears.

How to cut pears for salad:

  1. Choose a pear that feels firm, but with a slight give at the top near the stem.
  2. This means the fruit is at a good stage of ripeness, not too soft (and overripe) or too hard.
  3. Wash the pear under cold water.
  4. Slice it in half through the stem, lengthwise.
  5. Remove the core with a small spoon. If you have a melon baller, use it instead and your pear-coring life will change!
  6. Lay each half cut-side down and slice into half-moons about 1/4-inch thick.

TIP: If you’re not making the salad right away, sprinkle the slices with lemon juice to help stop them from browning. Brown pears will still taste fine, but they don’t look as pretty on your salad.

Arugula salad dressing

The mix of nutty arugula greens, walnuts, salty cheese and sweet pears needs a dressing that mimics those very flavors.

You’ll find the dressing isn’t overwhelmingly sweet or sour, with a good balance of sweetness from honey, lemon juice and vinegar.

  • Rice wine or white wine vinegar has a milder acidity than other vinegars – around 4 percent – which helps the dressing taste less sharp.
  • Tip: I like to blend this dressing in a mini food processor because it emulsifies into a creamy texture. If you don’t have one (or a blender) whisk the ingredients in a bowl, adding the oil last in a steady stream while you whisk. Or simply combine the ingredients in a lidded jar and shake vigorously.
Arugula Pear Salad

Arugula Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Karen Tedesco
A simple and beautiful arugula salad everyone will love – a tasty arugula salad with pears, toasted walnuts, two kinds of cheese (blue and goat) and red onion all tossed in a light, lemony, honey dressing.
Print Pin
4.99 from 116 community reviews
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons chopped shallot, about 1
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Salad

  • 5 ounces prewashed arugula greens
  • cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 green or red pear, cored and sliced into 1/4″ half-moons
  • cup toasted walnuts*
  • 2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
  • ½ cup mixed microsprouts, optional
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions 

To make the dressing:

  • Combine all ingredients in a blender or mini food processor until very smooth. Note: The dressing can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Keep it refrigerated in a sealed container.

To make the salad

  • Put the greens in a large bowl or on a platter. Top with the remaining ingredients.
  • Drizzle with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the dressing and toss gently to coat. Serve the salad with additional dressing to taste on the side.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

  • Toss the salad just before serving so the greens don’t become soggy.
  • To toast walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the nuts are light golden brown.
  • If you don’t have a small food processor (or a blender) whisk the ingredients in a bowl, adding the oil last in a steady stream while you whisk.

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 553mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1114IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe? Search @Familystylefood or tag #familystylefood on Pinterest

Recipe developer Karen Tedesco of the popular website Familystyle Food in her kitchen making a kale salad.

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.

4.99 from 116 votes (94 ratings without comment)

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39 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This salad is great and incredibly simple to make. I can eat this every day for the rest of my life. I’m in love.

  2. Kaye Martell says:

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious I’m going to try it for Christmas dinner.

  3. 5 stars
    This is sooooooooo good! This will be in my regular rotation. I’ve made this recipe probably a dozen times in the last couple months, bringing it to various family and work gatherings. Everyone has gone nuts for it and wants the recipe! A couple times I used feta cheese and swapped the pear for apple because it’s all the store had and it was excellent too. Thanks for a homerun recipe 💓💓

  4. Very tasty combination of flavors. Everyone liked it at Thanksgiving. Thank you!

  5. Could I use white balsamic vinegar,

  6. Barbara Havrot says:

    5 stars
    So much flavour.
    Definitely will make for my next dinner party. Only used Roquefort cheese and wow!
    Used Portuguese Rocha pears which were nice and crunchy.

  7. Maria Farina says:

    5 stars
    Really good salad . I love it!

  8. 5 stars
    So I’m a cook and I made this recipe in bulk for a group of about 55 retired seniors. First let me say I was already excited because I love arugula and goat cheese (I regularly eat in on pizza), and I became extra excited when slicing the pears.
    This salad was scrumptious!! the dressing was finger licking good!! Seriously I’m usually not a big salad fan, but I chose to eat a giant bowl of this and savor every bite. Highly recommend!

  9. 5 stars
    Delicious salad! The dressing was really amazing too.

  10. 5 stars
    Loved it. Huge hit. Definitely on the repeat list !

  11. Can you please edit the ingredients to say white wine vinegar or rice vinegar? I used white cooking wine….

  12. Jacqueline Clark says:

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe! Loved this, so tasty. Going to make this often.

  13. 5 stars
    This was delicious! Definitely making again.

  14. 5 stars
    Perfection! My family loved it. It’s now my favorite go to salad for get togethers. The dressing is wonderful. I used rice vinegar and it came out delicious. The dressing is even tastier the next day refrigerated over night.

  15. 5 stars
    Hi Karen! Can the dressing be made and stored a few days ahead of serving? This recipe was fantastic.

  16. 5 stars
    I agree it was so good it wasn’t enough (lol)

  17. 5 stars
    This was a great salad. Tasty too. I added a bit of kale to the Arugula as well as a mix to toasted nuts. It was a winner for Mother’s day lunch. The dressing is lip smacking. It was a little thick for me (as I like dressing more oily vs creamy). Would definitely make it again

  18. 5 stars
    This recipe was so easy and good. I loved the dressing. My husband is normally not a fan of salads with fruit but he loved it and complained I didn’t make enough. Thank you so much

  19. 5 stars
    I made this salad for a fall party and it was a huge hit! Everyone wanted the recipe. I used rice vinegar in the dressing and it was perfect.

  20. Liza Finkel says:

    this looks so good — fresh, tasty, and healthy! I wish I had some right now. XO