Description
Crisp pears, creamy blue cheese, and a tangy lemon vinaigrette come together in this elegant, Barefoot Contessa-inspired salad—perfect for entertaining.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Salad
- 6 cups mixed greens (arugula, spinach, or mesclun mix)
- 2 ripe pears, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
For the Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or apple cider/apple juice mix)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and freshly ground black pepper until fully emulsified. This creates a balanced, tangy-sweet vinaigrette.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the mixed greens, thinly sliced pears, crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts or pecans, and dried cranberries, if using. Gently toss the ingredients together to evenly distribute the toppings.
- Add the Dressing: Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad mixture. Toss the salad gently to coat all the ingredients evenly, taking care not to bruise the pears or greens.
- Serve: Transfer the salad to individual plates or serve directly from the bowl. Enjoy immediately for the freshest taste and texture.
Notes
- Use pears that are just ripe for the best combination of sweetness and firmness.
- Swap blue cheese for feta or goat cheese if preferred.
- The dressing can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Add grilled chicken to make this a main-course salad.
- Pecans or walnuts can be toasted in a dry skillet for extra flavor in just a few minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: No-cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 10mg