Tasty Pear Salad With Mustard Dressing And Feta

Pear salad video

Ingredients & Substitutions for pear salad

Orange Mustard Dressing

How to make pear salad

Serving suggestions

Storage

Questions

More fall and winter salads

More recipes with fruit

This is the perfect side dish for a special family dinner and a delicious holiday meal. Dietary Note: Suitable for a vegetarian and gluten-free diet. For vegans, substitute non-dairy cheese for cheese. More info below. It’s a dance of sweet and sour, soft and crunchy, fresh and creamy. This is one of our favorite winter salads, perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We hope you’ll love it as much as we do.

Pears

You can use most pear varieties as long as you pick perfectly ripe pears. To choose the best pears, apply gentle pressure with your thumb to the top part of the pear (the stem or the neck). They are ripe when they yield to pressure. If you have unripe pears at home, place them in a fruit bowl at room temperature near other fruit like bananas and let them ripen for a few days. Our favorite variety for pear salad is Bartlett pear (also known as Williams pears) because they are incredibly juicy when ripe. Other excellent varieties are Anjou pears and red Anjou, Bosc pears, Comice pears, Concorde pears, and Forelle pears. Fresh pears are preferable to canned pears and pears in a jar.

Orange

Like pears, it’s best if you can find ripe oranges. They are sweeter and less tart.

Mixed salad greens

You can use a pre-washed mixed salad greens bag sold in most supermarkets. Ensure it contains some slightly bitter greens like arugula or radicchio to have a perfect flavor match with pears. An excellent mixed green leaf bag would have three or more types of lettuce leaves like baby lettuces, Romaine lettuce, endive, mustards, baby spinach, watercress, arugula, radicchio, kale, and other tender salad greens.

Feta cheese

Salty and creamy feta cheese is an excellent match with sweet pears. Substitute ricotta cheese for a softer texture and milder taste. Substitute pecorino cheese (like pecorino Romano or pecorino Sardo) for a chewier texture and more intense flavor. Goat cheese, gorgonzola cheese, blue cheese, and parmesan cheese are also excellent alternatives for this pear salad recipe. To keep the salad dairy-free, you can opt for non-dairy feta (we like Violife), homemade soy ricotta, or a store-bought cashew-based or almond-based cheese.

Walnuts

Walnuts and pears are excellent together. Substitute almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans. Crush them before adding them to the salad.

Pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate seeds or arils are delicious in this salad. They also add a beautiful bright red color. Substitute dried fruit like dried cranberries, apricots, figs, plums, and raisins for pomegranate arils.

Orange juice: substitute lemon juice for a tangier dressing. Apple cider vinegar: substitute red wine vinegar. American or Dijon mustard. Extra virgin olive oil: substitute olive oil or avocado oil. Maple syrup: substitute honey or agave syrup. Salt and black pepper.

Cut the pears in half, core them, then cut the pear halves into thin slices. Arrange the pears on top of the salad greens. Peel the orange, remove as much white flesh as possible, separate the wedges, and add them to the salad. Top with pomegranate seeds, crushed walnuts, and crumbled feta. Then, make the dressing by whisking together extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Drizzle half the dressing on the other ingredients, then serve as a delicious appetizer or side dish. Tip: save the remaining dressing for people wanting to add more to their portion. Serve it as a starter with a side of bread, such as:

No-knead focaccia with rosemary. Easy 10-minute crostini with a brush of oil and garlic. Italian bruschetta with eggplant, tomatoes, or olive tapenade.

Or serve it as a side dish with a wholesome main dish of your choice. For example:

Eggplant Parmigiana

Vegan Mushroom Pasta

Pasta e Fagioli

Mushroom Wellington

Refrigerator: store leftover pear salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing. The Italian one goes like this “al contadino non far sapere quant’è buono il formaggio con le pere”. Translated: “don’t let the farmer know how good cheese is with pears”. The French one goes like this: “Oncques Deus ne fist tel mariage comme de poire et de fromage”. Translated: “God has never made such a successful marriage as that between the pear and the cheese.” For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.