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Autumn Pear Salad
5 from 93 votes

Autumn Pear Salad

Autumn Pear Salad blends fresh spinach and salad greens with thinly sliced pears, dried cranberries, shaved Parmesan, and candied walnuts. A homemade balsamic vinaigrette with honey, Dijon, and shallot dresses the salad, providing a balance of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. Warm butter and brown sugar caramelize the walnuts, adding a crunchy, sweet contrast to the crisp salad ingredients.

Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings: 5
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Balsamic Vinaigrette
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp shallot finely diced
  • salt freshly ground
  • black pepper freshly ground
Salad
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
  • 1 Tbsp butter salted
  • 1 Tbsp light brown sugar packed
  • 7 oz spinach blend
  • 7 oz salad greens blend
  • 2 oz Parmesan Cheese shaved
  • 2 pear sliced thin (Bartlett or Anjou are great
  • 1/3 cup cranberries dried, sweetened

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a blender add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, diced shallot and season with salt and pepper to taste (I used a 1/4 +1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper). 
  2. Blend mixture until well emulsified, about 20 seconds. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to serve.
  3. In a medium skillet melt butter along with brown sugar over medium heat. Once mixture has melted add walnuts and cook, stirring constantly until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate in a single layer to cool.
  4. Layer lettuce and pears in a large bowl and toss with dressing, then top with parmesan, dried cranberries and candied walnuts and serve (alternately just layer all the salad ingredients then drizzle with dressing. Note: top this salad with dressing just before serving as it will wilt the lettuces after a while).