Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad is delicious all year round. But it’s especially delicious during the holiday season when fresh pears are at their peak. 

I am absolutely in love with this salad. It’s so good that I would pay for it in a restaurant. Am I patting myself on the back for this one? Heck Ya! It’s that good.

One of the best things about this salad is the addition of simple small drops of goat cheese. They mix with the salad dressing and it creates a creamy tart sauce. I use a honey goat cheese that I buy at my local market, but you use plain goat cheese too.

This is also a very versatile salad. I garnished it with golden raisins, pine nuts, and sugar cranberries because it’s the holiday season. You can certainly garnish it with anything you’d desire, like dried cranberries, pecans, dried apricots, or leave it simple with just the lettuce, pears, and goat cheese. This would also be a wonderful salad to serve for brunch.

Pro Tip: If you want to make this salad ahead of time, toss the pears in fresh lemon juice so they don’t turn brown – just like you do with apples

If you like this salad, you’ll also like:

Spinach Salad/Pomegranate dressing      Cucumber-Melon Salad           Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad is delicious all year round. But it’s especially delicious during the holiday season when fresh pears are at their peak. 

• Author: krazykitchenmom
• Prep Time: 7 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 12 minutes
• Yield: 4 side salads
• Category: Salad
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: Holiday

Ingredients

• 2 Bartlett pears
• 1/2 bag of spring mix lettuce or butter lettuce mix
• 2 TBS soft honey goat cheese
• 2 TBS golden (yellow) raisins
• 10-12 sugar cranberries
• 3 TBS pine nuts

For the dressing:

• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 6-8 TBS Rice Wine Vinegar (I like it extra tangy. If you don’t, then cut back on the vinegar. Start with 3 TBS and add as needed until you like the taste.)
• 1-1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
• 1 individual-sized packed Truvia sweetener or 1 TBS sugar

Instructions

1. Place pine nuts in a small skillet and cook them on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently (you don’t want them to burn; you just want them to release their oils and start to brown slightly.)
2. Remove pine nuts from stove top and place on a plate to cool.
3. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the pears thin.
4. Arrange lettuce on a serving platter
5. Add pears.
6. Sprinkle with nuts, cheese, raisins, and cranberries (or whatever dried fruits and fruits you desire).
7. Place all dressing ingredients into a small jar with a lid and shake until combined.
8. Drizzle salad with dressing and serve immediately.