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Pear Salad with Creamy Pomegranate Dressing

This Pear Salad will have everyone coming back for seconds with its tango of bright, tangy, fresh flavors and crunchy, creamy, crispy textures! It’s loaded with crisp pears, sweet and crunchy caramelized walnuts, punchy red onions, salty toasted pepitas, creamy feta, goat cheese or gorgonzola and sweet tart pomegranate seeds over a bed of fresh spring lettuce mix all drizzled with CREAMY Pomegranate Dressing!  Of course, feel free to mix and match your favorite ingredients (loads of variations included).  This Pear Salad recipe is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast and every potluck and company dinner in between!
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 -8

Ingredients

Salad

  • 10 ounces spring salad mix
  • 2 pears, sliced or chopped (Anjou, Bosc or Bartlett are great)
  • 3/4 English cucumber, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup roasted and salted pepitas (may sub. sunflower seeds)
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (may sub 1/3 cup dried cranberries)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta, goat cheese or Gorgonzola
  • 1 recipe caramelized nuts <<click for recipe (I use walnuts) (may sub roasted/not candied pistachios)

Dressing

  • 1 5.3 oz. container Pomegranate Greek Yogurt (I use Chobani)
  • 3 tablespoons Asian Sweet Chili Sauce (see notes)
  • 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (depending on how tangy you like it)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Whisk all of the salad dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the salad. (Dressing can be made and refrigerated up to 5 days in advance.) Once chilled, adjust to taste, if desired, by adding honey for sweeter or vinegar for tangier.
  • Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. If serving entire salad immediately, drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. If there might be leftovers, dress individual servings.

Video

Notes

  • Customize the salad.  The salad ingredients and measurements are simply suggestions.  See the post for LOTS of variations.  You can add/swap any ingredients for your favorite veggies and fruits as long as you maintain a balance of sweet, tangy, and crunchy; if you swap out an ingredient, replace it with something with a similar flavor profile and texture. 
  • Cherry yogurt: Cherry Pomegranate by Fage is also great.  If you can’t locate either, substitute with cherry, strawberry or raspberry yogurt, adjusting the vinegar and/or adding honey as needed.
  • Asian Sweet Chili Sauce:The addition of Asian Sweet Chili Sauce to your salad dressings is a game changer! This ingredient is sweet and tangy with a kick but will NOT make the salad spicy or taste remotely like an Asian dressing. You can find it the Asian section of your grocery store; I use Mae Ploy brand. 

Prep Ahead

This Pear Salad recipe can be made 100% ahead of time then just tossed together when ready to serve.
  • Pears: The pears can be sliced up to 24 hours ahead of time and soaked in a mixture of apple juice and a splash of lemon juice; no need to rinse. Another option is to toss them for 10 minutes in a mixture of ½ cup water and 2 tablespoons lemon, rinse then dry.
  • Vegetables: The bell peppers, cucumbers and red onion can be chopped up to 24 hours ahead of time.  Store veggies in separate airtight containers or in sealable bags with a paper towel so they stay fresh and crisp.
  • Nuts: The walnuts can be caramelized up to one week ahead of time and stored in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature. I often like to double the nuts for future use.
  • Dressing: The dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I actually recommend making the dressing ahead of time because it allows time for the flavors to build and meld. Dressing also tastes 1000X better chilled.
  • Assemble ahead: If you need to bring the Pear Salad to a gathering, layer the ingredients in this order so it doesn’t get soggy, then toss when ready to serve:
    • pomegranate arils
    • cucumbers
    • red bell peppers
    • pears
    • red onion
    • salad mix
    • pepitas
    • caramelized nuts
    • crumbled cheese