Arugula Pear Salad is a refreshing blend of peppery arugula, sweet, juicy pears, blue cheese crumbles and crunchy candied nuts, all tossed in a light, tangy dressing. Dressed and ready to eat in just 20 minutes!
Perfect for any season but I particularly love it in the fall. Honey lime fruit salad is my go-to for a summer salad.
This elegant, delicious salad will be the perfect starter to your winter or holiday meal. Utilize seasonal produce to really make salad shine!
People love when a salad has layers of textures and flavors to make things interesting.
Harvest Kale Salad will give you a nice crunch of autumn apples. Looking for something less "green"? Try Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad for a fun new side dish.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This easy Arugula Pear Salad recipe can become even easier! Make the dressing ahead of time so that you can quickly make the rest of the salad at serving time.
- Highlight the flavors of fall and early winter with seasonal produce such as pears! Add any extra to your holiday charcuterie board!
- The combination of crunchy, chewy, and crisp textures will delight your senses.
Recipe Ingredients
- Greens: Peppery arugula gives you a great, zippy bite as the salad base.
- Fruit: Feel free to pick multiple pears for a cheery look. We will also rehydrate dried cherries for more texture.
- Meat: Prosciutto adds a salty taste. You can either use it as-is (soft) or crisp it up.
- Nuts: Pecans make me think of winter and Thanksgiving! Purchase them to make Southern Pecan Pie and toast the rest here.
- Cheese: Blue cheese? Yup! Another great tangy flavor.
- Dressing: Sherry vinegar is a great ingredient to keep in your pantry. We then pull in other flavors from the salad such as orange juice to make the perfect vinaigrette.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not a fan of peppery taste of the arugula? Try a blend of baby spinach and spring mix. Really, any salad greens will work here.
- Swap out pecans for walnuts. Use any leftover pecans to make Pecan Cobbler!
- No dried cherries? Cranberries are the perfect substitution.
- Feel free to use crisp-cooked and crumbled bacon in place of prosciutto. Raw prosciutto is also a tasty option. Sometimes I wrap the pear slices in raw prosciutto then add the the arugula salad.
- Gorgonzola, Maytag, or Stilton all work for this salad but if you're not a fan of blue cheese then try feta cheese or goat cheese in its place.
- Any type of pear will work if you can't find red pears. Bosc pears, Bartlett pears, D'Anjou pears, etc.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Pear Arugula Salad
Step 1: Combine dressing ingredients in a mini food processor or blender.
Step 2: Assemble all salad ingredients and toss just before serving.
Expert Cooking Tips
- You can really use this as a type of framework recipe. Swap out the nuts, cheese, meat, etc. to use what you prefer or already have on hand.
- If making the dressing ahead, give it a good shake before using.
- Don't toss the salad with dressing until just before serving.
- Cherries can be soaked in orange juice up to 48 hours ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Try topping this Chocolate Tart recipe with some OJ soaked cherries!
Recipe FAQs
I only recommend making the dressing ahead of time, up to 5 days. You can store it in an airtight jar in the fridge so you can easily shake it before using. You can also toast the nuts ahead of time, but the salad really needs to be assembled just before serving. If you use hearty greens like arugula you can enjoy the leftovers the next day, but keep in mind the textures will start to feel the same.
I like to use a mandolin. Make sure you use the guard to keep your fingers safe! You can slice it in any direction you like, but I prefer to keep the pear whole to get that great pear shape into the salad. You'll only have a few slices in the middle around the seeds that won't be pretty, but the cook gets to enjoy those!
Pears can oxidize and turn a brown color after being exposed to the air for too long. Similar to apples and potatoes. You have two options. Either slice pears immediately before serving or slice pears then coat with some kind of acid. Typically I'll use a lemon water mixture, 4 parts water, 1 part lemon juice. Submerge the pears then allow to drain.
Honestly, any pear will do for this simple arugula salad! Depending on what my local grocer has, I'll use Bosc Pears, Asian Pears, D'Anjou Pears or whatever is looking most ripe. The flavors vary slightly but are similar enough to all work just as well.
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📖Recipe
Arugula Pear Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Sherry Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- 1½ teaspoon shallot finely minced
- 1½ tablespoon honey local hive is my favorite
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- 1 pinch black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Pear Salad
- 3 oz prosciutto crispy
- ½ cup dried cherries good quality
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 5 oz arugula
- 2 red pears sliced thin on mandolin
- ⅓ cup toasted pecans
- 2 oz blue cheese crumbles
- tt kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- tt black pepper
Instructions
Make Dressing
- Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor and blend on low for 10 seconds. While blender is still on, slowly drizzle olive oil into blender and continue to blend an additional 5 seconds after all oil is added
Make Salad
- Preheat oven to 350°F then line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lay prosciutto out in single sheets then bake 10 minutes until crispy
- Add dried cherries to a small bowl then cover with orange juice
- Toss arugula, pears, toasted pecans and blue cheese crumbles in a large salad bowl then sprinkle salad with salt and pepper
- Add crispy prosciutto and drained cherries to salad then drizzle with dressing and serve
Debbie
This salad has everything!!! This is my go to
Krista
Such a fresh fall salad with delicious homemade dressing! I love the dried cherries.