Description
This asian pear salad with walnuts and a maple mustard dressing is fall & winter salad GOALS. Made with tender salad greens, thinly sliced asian pear, toasted walnuts, sweet pomegranate seeds, optional feta cheese, and a punchy maple mustard dressing that makes the salad truly shine. Perfect for festive dinners and weeknight meals alike!
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 5 ounces mixed salad greens or arugula
- 1 Asian pear
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese (optional, may use a dairy free feta as a substitute)
For the Maple Mustard Dressing
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the pear. Add juice of half a lemon to a medium sized bowl with cold water. Core and thinly slice the Asian pear and add to the bowl of lemon water to prevent them from browning while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Toast the walnuts. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add walnuts to a large baking sheet and spread out in an even layer. Transfer to the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes, until the walnuts smell toasty and are lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a cutting board to roughly chop. Set aside.
- Make the salad dressing. While the walnuts are toasting, add all dressing ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined and emulsified. Taste and whisk in a little more salt if desired. Set aside.
- Assemble the salad. Drain the pears in a colander and lightly pat dry with paper towel. Add the salad greens to a large bowl or platter along with the pear, walnuts, pomegranate, and feta (if using), reserving a little bit of each to garnish the salad. Drizzle with about 1/3 cup of the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add a little more dressing as desired. Top with the remaining pear, pomegranate, walnuts, and feta. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
If you’re serving this salad as a side with other fare it’s perfect for 6 people. For larger portions, it will make about 4 servings.Â
Any extra dressing that you might have can be tucked away in the refrigerator to use for other salads! It should keep for up to 2 weeks. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the olive oil to come to room temperature. Give it a good shake in a jar to re-emulsify before using.
Nutrition facts are calculated as if you use about 1/2 of the salad dressing yield.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Cold prep
- Cuisine: American