Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Gorgonzola
This roasted pear salad recipe is made with arugula (rocket), walnuts, gorgonzola, farro, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Perfect as a side salad – it’s easy, nutritious, and so flavourful. Plus, it’s only 10 ingredients and 35 minutes to make!
Have you ever tried roasting pears before? It’s so easy to do and it makes the pears so soft, sweet, and delicious. They really take this simple pear arugula salad up a notch and make it something more unique!
This roasted pear salad is meant to be served as a side dish. It would be great for a dinner party in the fall or winter – your guests will love the sweet and savoury flavour combination 🙂
As a dietitian, I’m happy to share that pears are packed with nutrition benefits like fiber and vitamin C. Likewise, arugula is a great source of vitamin K and vitamin A!
In this post I also share some advice for roasting pears, tips for making this salad in advance, along with a handful of recipe modifications to suit your dietary preferences.
Want more delicious, hearty salad recipe inspiration? Check out my roundup of fall and winter salad recipes for more ideas!
Ingredients Needed
All you need to make this pear salad recipe are 10 simple ingredients:
- pears
- baby arugula (rocket)
- gorgonzola cheese
- walnuts
- farro
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- lemon
- garlic powder (or fresh garlic)
- honey
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Recipe Modifications & Ingredient Swaps
- You can do this with raw pears if you’d prefer a faster recipe! Be sure to use riper pears than you would if you were to bake them.
- Arugula can be swapped for another leafy green like baby spinach, baby kale, or a spring mix. You could even try this with heartier kale – just be sure to give it a bit of a massage first!
- Instead of walnuts, you could use pecans. If you don’t eat nuts, you could swap them for pumpkin seeds or omit entirely.
- Farro can be swapped for quinoa, millet, or barley. If you’re gluten-free, be sure to choose a gluten-free grain (farro is not GF!)
- If you don’t like gorgonzola or other blue cheeses, you can use shaved parmesan instead. It would likely also taste good with crumbled goat or feta cheese.
- For a dairy-free option, you can try using a dairy-free alternative to one of those cheeses listed above.
- For a vegan option, use a dairy-free alternative to blue cheese and swap the honey in the dressing for maple syrup.
How To Make In Advance
If you’d like to make this salad in advance, you can do the following the day or morning before:
- Bake the pears, then transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge.
- Cook the farro and store it in a separate airtight container in the fridge. I have a whole blog post about how to cook farro perfectly if you need some tips!
- Make the balsamic dressing and keep it in a separate jar in the fridge.
When you’re ready to serve the salad, you can combine the cooked pears and farro with the remainder of the ingredients, then toss everything in the balsamic dressing. This will help to prevent things from getting soggy!
Tips For Roasting Pears For Salad
Never roasted pears before? It’s super easy to do and makes the pears taste absolutely delicious! It really brings out their sweetness 🙂
Here are some tips:
- What type of pears to use? I recommend using either Bosc, Bartlett, or Anjou varieties for roasting. I personally used Bosc here, but all of these types are readily available in most grocery stores in North America.
- Level of ripeness. Make sure your pears are not too ripe, or else they will become too soft and soggy. Use pears that are harder than you would eat them raw. Trust me – they will soften and sweeten perfectly!
- How to cut pears for roasting? For this recipe, I’ve cut each pear into 8 even pieces. To do so, cut each pear in half lengthwise, and then into quarters. Remove the core, stem, and seeds. Then cut each quarter in half to make 8 pieces!
- How do you know when they’re done? Your roasted pears should be lightly browned and tender enough that you can easily slide a fork into them. Be sure not to roast them for too long (no more than 12-15 minutes), or else they will soften too much for this salad.
Pear Nutrition Benefits
Pears are an excellent source of dietary fibre. One medium-sized pear provides 6 grams of fibre, or about 22% of your daily needs.
In addition to fibre, pears are also a source of essential micronutrients, such as:
- vitamin C
- vitamin K
- potassium
- copper
Arugula Nutrition Benefits
Arugula is an incredibly nutrient-dense food and an excellent source of many micronutrients.
A 2-cup serving of arugula (40 grams) provides over:
- 50% of your daily vitamin K needs
- 20% of your vitamin A needs
- 8% of your daily vitamin C, folate, and calcium needs
More Easy Pear Recipes
- Ginger Cinnamon Baked Pear Oatmeal
- Vegan Pear Ginger Smoothie
- Pear & Brie Cheese Salad Skewers
- Butternut Squash & Pear Soup
- Ginger Pear Chia Jam
Did you give this Roasted Pear Salad Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
No More Boring Salads Ebook
Enjoy this recipe? You will love my 134-page eCookbook of 60 easy, delicious, and nutritious salad recipes. You’ll get instant access from your phone, tablet, or computer – ad-free!
Get the Recipe: Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Gorgonzola
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro, dry (how to cook farro)
- 4 pears (Bosc, Bartlett, or Anjou)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (to toss pears)
- 6 cups baby arugula (rocket)
- 1 cup walnuts, raw
- 1/2 cup gorgonzola, crumbled
- Salt + pepper, to taste
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp garlic powder (or 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced)
- Salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook farro. I have a post all about how to cook farro on the stovetop, if you need some tips!
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Leaving the skin on, slice pears into 8 even pieces, removing the core, seeds, and stem. Place on the baking sheet, then toss in 1 Tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread pears out evenly on the baking sheet, then transfer to the oven. Roast for 12-15 minutes, until pears are lightly browned and tender enough to slide a fork through them easily. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- While the pears roast, make the balsamic dressing by adding all dressing ingredients into a jar with a lid. Shake together vigorously to mix. Alternatively, you could whisk the dressing together in a bowl.
- To a large salad bowl, add arugula, cooked farro, baked pears, walnuts, and gorgonzola. Pour dressing overtop and toss to combine, seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve + enjoy!
Notes
- Bake the pears, then transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge.
- Cook the farro and store it in a separate airtight container in the fridge
- Make the balsamic dressing and keep it in a separate jar in the fridge.
- When you’re ready to serve the salad, you can combine the cooked pears and farro with the remainder of the ingredients, then toss everything in the balsamic dressing. This will help to prevent things from getting soggy!
- You can do this with raw pears if you’d prefer a faster recipe! Be sure to use riper pears than you would if you were to bake them.
- Arugula can be swapped for another leafy green like baby spinach, baby kale, or a spring mix. You could even try this with heartier kale – just be sure to give it a bit of a massage first!
- Instead of walnuts, you could use pecans. If you don’t eat nuts, you could swap them for pumpkin seeds or omit entirely.
- Farro can be swapped for quinoa, millet, or barley. If you’re gluten-free, be sure to choose a gluten-free grain (farro is not GF!)
- If you don’t like gorgonzola or other blue cheeses, you can use shaved parmesan instead. It would likely also taste good with crumbled goat or feta cheese.
- For a dairy-free option, you can try using a dairy-free alternative to one of those cheeses listed above.
- For a vegan option, use a dairy-free alternative to blue cheese and swap the honey in the dressing for maple syrup.
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
Pin it for later:
8 Comments on “Roasted Pear Salad With Arugula, Walnuts & Gorgonzola”
Whole family loved this! New fall staple for us 🤭 I used spring mix, left off the farro since we were pairing with pizza, and subbed goat cheese for the Gorgonzola. 10/10 Carrie always has great recipes!
Hi Rae! Thank you so much for leaving this kind review! I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this one. Love that you made those substitutions and that it turned out great for you!!! Can’t wait to see what you make next 🙂
Delicious, easy, and such a nice fall treat! I made this as a side salad for dinner and my husband and I loved it! I would never have thought to use pears in a salad, but the flavors go so well together! I may make this again for thanksgiving!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Jen!! It’s so appreciated. I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed this one. And that you discovered the beauty of pears in salad – they add the perfect touch of sweetness! I hope it’s a hit at your thanksgiving dinner too 🙂
Excellent salad. Both my husband and I enjoyed it.
I’m so happy to hear that you both enjoyed it, J! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. It’s so appreciated 🙂
Yes! I made the pear salad for a dinner party last night. Huge hit! Now that pears are in season I will use more recipes but this one? Huge hit! Thanks Carrie!
Hi Jean! Thank you SO much for the kind words!! It’s so appreciated. I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit at your dinner party!!
PS. if you need more ways to use those seasonal pears, you can check out all my pear recipes HERE for more inspiration 🙂