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Home Vegetarian

Pear Salad with blue cheese

By:Nagi
Published:30 Aug '21Updated:22 May '23
61 Comments
Recipe v Dozer v

This Pear Salad is a stellar combination of flavours reminiscent of your favourite cheeseboard: juicy pear with piquant pops of blue cheese, toasty walnuts and a Honey Mustard Dressing. Peppery rocket (arugula) is an ideal refreshing contrast to use as the leafy base.

This is an excellent salad option for a starter, or as a stylish side salad!

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket Arugula in a serving bowl, ready to be eaten

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese

This is a salad that’s all about classic and natural pairings, things we *always* see on cheeseboards. That’s because they just work so well together, yet you may not have thought about combining them in a salad. Combos like:

✓ Fruit and blue cheese

✓ Fruit and honey

✓ Fruit and nuts

✓ Cheese, honey and nuts (have I covered all combos there? 😂)

Oh, plus some leafy greens. This transforms our “cheese board” into a salad!

It’s a delicious way to use pears when they’re in season for something other than dessert (such as this Pear Pistachio Tart or this Pear Blue Cheese Slice). It’s also one that blue cheese lovers can get excited about! 🙋🏻‍♀️

Fork picking up Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket Arugula

What goes in Pear Salad with Blue Cheese

Here’s what goes into this Pear Salad:

Ingredients in Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket Arugula

Pears

I actually use 1 1/2 pears which for me is a nice amount for a whole package of rocket/arugula (standard size 120g / 4oz which is around 5 packed cups). If you want a more pear-forward salad, feel free to use more pears, it’s really up to you.

Best type of pears – Use any variety you want, as long as they’re ripe. I used Beurre Bosc pears (the ones with the cinnamon-coloured skin) which are fairly common and good value here in Australia when in season. Packham, Josephine, Corella Pears, even nashi pears – they all work.

Close up of pear slices for Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket Arugula
Sliced Beurre Bosc pears for this Pear Salad.

Blue Cheese

Best to use one that is slightly creamy but still firm enough to be crumbled, like pictured. As a key ingredient in this salad, the better the cheese, the better the dish! Here are my favourites:

  1. Roquefort – Made from sheep’s milk, this famous French cheese is creamy enough to be spreadable but firm enough to crumble. This is my favourite to use for most blue cheese salads. Other French blues I like to use: St Agur, Fourme d’Ambert, Bleu d’Auvergne. These are sold at most Harris Farms and some Woolies these days (Australia).

  2. Gorgonzola – An Italian blue that ranges in texture based on variety, from ultra creamy to more crumbly. I like gorgonzola piccante (90 days aged, creamier, most rounded flavour), followed by the better value gorgonzola dolce (60 days aged, milder, and excellent value for money).

  3. British Stilton – Slightly sharper than the above two, this cheese is not for the faint hearted! Try to get an aged one for a smoother flavour.

More options: Danish blue cheese is also a good option for a better value option. And for those who are new to blue cheese, Blue Castello is a good one to start with (the most mild, and good value). Australia also produces some excellent blues these days that are not hard to find like those from King Island.

Avoid blue cheese that is like brie (ie. too creamy to crumble on salad) or really firm and crumbly ones, which are too crumbly to stick to the salad ingredients (they just fall to bottom of bowl).

Rocket (arugula)

I think this peppery lettuce is ideal for this salad because the sharp flavour contrasts nicely with all the other tastes going on. A more neutral leafy green, like baby spinach, wouldn’t really bring anything to this dish in my view.

Walnuts

Walnuts is a classic choice for a blue cheese salad. Though actually, other nuts will work just as well like almonds, pecans, hazelnuts. I wouldn’t use peanuts (bit odd, I think?) or macadamia nuts (maybe too rich with blue cheese).


Honey Mustard Dressing for Pear Salad

Honey Mustard Dressing for Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket Arugula

I opted for a Honey Mustard Dressing here because honey with pears, walnuts and cheese is a classic pairing. Sweet, savoury, nutty, creamy, juicy – it pushes all the right buttons!

  • Honey – For the flavour, sweetness and to thicken the dressing.

  • Dijon mustard – Also to help thicken and emulsify the dressing while adding a touch of tang and flavour.

  • Cider vinegar – The main tanginess in the dressing. Any mild(ish) vinegar will work in its place – white wine vinegar, champagne or sherry vinegar,

  • Extra virgin olive oil (or ordinary olive oil) – The better the oil, the better the dressing! If you have flavoured nut oils like hazelnut or walnut oil, they’d also be wonderful to use instead here.

Drizzling Honey Mustard Dressing over Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket Arugula

What to serve with Pear Salad

As a starter

This is a salad that’s ideal for serving as a starter. Never underestimate the power of a good salad as a starter! If it’s interesting enough like this and has a bit of wow factor, it sets a great tone for the rest of the meal.

Meal

As a meal, serve it with a side of home-made bread if you would like to a light but satisfying meal:

Close up of crispy crust of world's easiest yeast bread
World’s Easiest Yeast Bread recipe – Artisan, NO KNEAD crusty bread
Overhead photo of Rosemary Garlic Focaccia on a wooden board, ready to be served
Focaccia recipe (it’s incredible)
Close up of sandwich bread without yeast
Sandwich Bread WITHOUT yeast
Close up of slice of Irish Soda Bread (no yeast bread)
World’s best No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread
Close up photo of a stack of Savoury Cheese Muffins
Savoury Cheese Muffins
Overhead photo of freshly baked brioche in a loaf pan, fresh out of the oven
Brioche
Cheese, Herb & Garlic Quick Bread (No Yeast)
No Knead Soft Dinner Rolls fresh out of the oven, ready to be eaten
Breads

As a side salad

As a side salad, because the blue cheese makes it quite rich (even though each serving only as a little crumble) try to serve it with something that doesn’t have an overwhelmingly strong sauce. Otherwise, you’ll just have too many flavours competing on your plate – and we want this salad to shine!

Here are some suggestions:

  • Roast chicken – A beautiful classic roast chicken served with the herb-garlic-butter pan juices

  • Crispy Herb Roast Chicken pieces – This is a family favourite to make in big batches

  • Prime Rib (Standing Rib Roast), Marinated Roast Beef or Marinated Beef Steak – Big beefy flavours are an excellent pairing with blue cheese generally.

  • Pork! Either a roast pork (with crackling, of course!), pork chops with a savoury rub or Lemon Garlic marinated pork chops.

Overhead photo of golden Roast Chicken with crispy skin, fresh out of the oven, bathed in garlic-herb-lemon butter.
Roast Chicken
Beef Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib) medium rare with slice cut, showing the inside
Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)
Fork picking up slice of pork chop flavoured with pork rub
Just a great Pork Rub
Showing juicy inside of steak after using Steak Marinade
Beef Steak Marinade
Pouring gravy over roast chicken
CRISPY Herb Baked Chicken with Gravy (easy roast chicken!)
Close up of Pork Roast with Crispy Crackling
Pork Roast with Crispy Crackling
Sliced Marinated Roast Beef on a platter with roasted vegetables, ready to be served
Marinated Roast Beef
Overhead photo of Grilled chops on a plate with potato rosti and salad, made using amade using a great Pork Chop Marinade
A Great Pork Chop Marinade

Enjoy! – Nagi x

PS No video today as it’s a “easy salad day” where I’m sharing 3 fairly straight forward recipes (this salad, Roasted Large Mushrooms with Green Onion Thyme Butter and Chargrill Charlie’s Copycat Japanese Slaw). But if you really want a video for this one, just leave a comment below and I’ll do it when I get a chance!

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Close up photo of Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket Arugula

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Rocket

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Side Salad
Western
5 from 16 votes
Servings5 – 6 as a side
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Classic combination of ingredients, cheeseboard favourites transformed in salad form with the addition of pepper rocket lettuce!
Ideal to serve as a starter, light lunch or as a side for a main that's not too rich.
We go light on the dressing here because the blue cheese and juice from the pears act as part of the dressing. See Note 1 for my recommende blue cheeses.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pears , any type, juicy and ripe (or nashi pears or sweet apples)
  • 3/4 cup walnuts , whole (sub almonds, pecans)
  • 120g / 4oz rocket/arugula lettuce
  • 120g / 4 oz roquefort, gorgonzola, stilton or other good blue cheese, creamy but can be crumbled into chunks (Note 1)

Honey Mustard Dressing:

  • 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Dressing: Shake Dressing in a jar.
  • Pears: Halve then scoop out core. Place cut face down and slice into 3mm / 0.12" slices. (Note 2)
  • Walnuts: Spread on tray and toast in a 180°C/350°F oven for 8 minutes or until they smell nutty. Leave some whole, break some in half with hands.
  • Dress rocket: In a large bowl, toss rocket with 2 tbsp Dressing.
  • Assemble: Pile 1/3 rocket on a platter. Scatter with 1/3 pears, 1/3 walnuts, 1/3 blue cheese crumbled into small chunks. Repeat twice more. Drizzle with remaining Dressing just before serving.

Recipe Notes:

1. Blue cheese – Look for a blue that is creamy so it sticks to the salad but still firm enough to crumble into chunks with your fingers (though your fingers will be smeared with blue cheese!). Blue brie is too creamy, cheddar-like ones are too hard – they just end up at bottom of bowl.
My favourite (in order): Roquefort (other French blues I like: St Agur, Fourme d’Ambert), Gorgonzola Piccante, Gorgonzola Dolce, good British Stilton. For a good value option, opt for a Danish. If you’re blue cheese-shy, Blue Castello is a safe bet – very mild.
Generally with cheese, you get what you pay for.
2. Slicing pears – The slices should not be paper thin, or even so thin they completely “flop”. They should have a slight bend when picked up with a fork, as pictured in post. But they should not be so thick that they crack when you stab with a fork!
Amount to use: 1 1/2 pears is the perfect amount to me for the specified amount of rocket. If you want a more pear forward salad, use more.
Stop pears browning: If not assembling in 30 min, drizzle lightly with lemon juice to stop them from going brown.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 266cal (13%)Carbohydrates: 9g (3%)Protein: 9g (18%)Fat: 23g (35%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mg (6%)Sodium: 509mg (22%)Potassium: 241mg (7%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 760IU (15%)Vitamin C: 4mg (5%)Calcium: 186mg (19%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: blue cheese salad, pear and blue cheese salad, pear salad
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Life of Dozer

Dozer, the warm glow of sunset is flattering on you! If only your snout wasn’t covered in slobber splatters and you didn’t have a speck of eye snot on your cheek…… 😝

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61 Comments

  1. Jo Butler says

    July 23, 2023 at 10:08 pm

    5 stars
    The fam bam loved it. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Jules Baumann says

    January 1, 2023 at 7:40 pm

    5 stars
    A great salad … everyone loved it. The dressing is amazing!
    Personal tweaks: I cut the rocket into smaller bite-size pieces & reduce the amount of cheese

    Reply
  3. Cheryl says

    December 27, 2022 at 7:32 pm

    5 stars
    This was the loveliest salad I’ve ever made!! I made this & your Pumpkin (I had to use Sweet Potato as I overcooked the Pumpkin – doh!), Spinach & Fetta salad on Christmas Day & both were an absolute hit!! Thank you Nagi x

    Reply
  4. Maree says

    June 20, 2022 at 7:16 am

    5 stars
    This is my go to salad. Love this recipe! Made it with shaved parmesan this time pregnant women eating so no blue cheese allowed.
    It was so delicious!

    Reply
  5. Felishia says

    March 22, 2022 at 5:00 am

    5 stars
    These flavors really go well together! If you’ve got some nice sweet pears and good quality blue cheese you’re really going to love this! I’ve made it at least 4-5 times in the past two weeks and hasn’t failed to make everyone comment on how good it is! Super simple to throw together and always a crowd pleaser. You won’t miss with this one!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 22, 2022 at 5:57 pm

      I am happy that you liked it Felishia! N x

      Reply
  6. Jude says

    February 14, 2022 at 10:24 am

    Oh my Gosh Nagi! Made this as a side for a family BBQ and it was a total HIT! People hadn’t had blue cheese with pear and rocket before and they couldn’t believe how well it all went together. I tasted the dressing b4 it went on the rocket and I wasn’t sure about it, but once ON the salad, it was amazing! I swapped the honey out for a sugar free Maple syrup instead (as we had 2 diabetics), and it worked very well, & was abs delish! People went back for seconds of this salad alone, and nothing else! It was a truly stunning salad and can’t believe how easy it was! The Gorgonzola was to die for on it!! I’ve never had that blue cheese before and it was soooooooo good. Toasted walnuts were beautiful. Unfort there was none left for me to have seconds 😭 Thank you. A total winner!! Will def make again!

    Reply
  7. Jayne Crayton says

    February 5, 2022 at 9:13 am

    5 stars
    I am not a salad person, but I had some pears to use up. Used spinach instead of arugula & it was so good, I may be. Convert. Thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 5, 2022 at 11:43 pm

      Glad I could convert you Jayne! N x

      Reply
  8. Kris says

    December 26, 2021 at 6:45 pm

    5 stars
    This is what tasty and simplicity is all about. Pear and blue vein is always a marriage made in heaven, team that with the honey dressing and walnuts and it is better again.

    Agree with Melanie, don’t skip toasting the walnuts. I don’t usually like walnuts but I do like them in this salad.

    Another Nagi winner!

    Reply
  9. Melanie Smit says

    October 31, 2021 at 8:21 pm

    5 stars
    Wow!! This is fantastic! We made it yesterday and are on our way to the shop for more ingredients to make it again today. To roast the nuts is a must. I always skip the nuts roasting part in any recipe, but we did the roasting for this one and it just brings out the flavor.

    Reply
  10. Jana says

    September 23, 2021 at 6:59 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Wednesday is comfort food day for me, and today I decided to go for this salad, with creamy gorgonzola as this was the only blue cheese I could get hold of, along with your crispy herb baked chicken with gravy and the truly (TRULY!) crunchy roast potatoes that you adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe. Oh Nagi, what can I say … I almost cried when I realised there was not a crumb left on my plate, that’s how good it was. Just wonderful. <3

    Reply
  11. Debbie Ann Weeks says

    September 16, 2021 at 10:24 am

    This pear rocket and walnut salad looks Devine I am going to make it today I can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 16, 2021 at 3:06 pm

      Enjoy Debbie! N x

      Reply
  12. Aila Sironen says

    September 5, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    Made this fabulous salad for lunch today. Wow so good

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 6, 2021 at 9:32 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Aila!! N x

      Reply
  13. Lynda says

    September 2, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    5 stars
    This elegant but simple salad gets my vote. Couldn’t wait to gather all the ingredients and indulge myself. Only thing I did differently was not to bother toasting the walnuts. Might try that next time. Thanks Nagi for another tastebud sensation

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 3, 2021 at 11:47 am

      Toasting them really brings out a lovely flavour, I’m so happy you enjoyed it Lynda!! N x

      Reply
  14. Gail Stanley says

    September 2, 2021 at 11:12 am

    Made this tonight! Absolutely fabulous! Keeper recipe! Will make again.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 3, 2021 at 11:53 am

      Thanks so much for the great feedback Gail! N x

      Reply
  15. Ann says

    September 1, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    I vote for the pear salad

    Reply
  16. Helen says

    August 31, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    5 stars
    I get excited when I open up and there is a new salad recipe (or two or three) to try. Loved it. Thanks Nagi. Stay safe 😘

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 1, 2021 at 1:37 pm

      Enjoy Helen!!!! N x

      Reply
  17. MaryAnne Hatters says

    August 31, 2021 at 9:30 am

    Something a little different and fancy but easy. Impressed the guests.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 31, 2021 at 1:39 pm

      And that’s what we love MaryAnne! N x

      Reply
  18. El says

    August 31, 2021 at 6:40 am

    I am pregnant and can’t have blue cheese. Would feta work as a substitute?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 31, 2021 at 11:13 am

      Hi El, yes you could use feta if you like! N x

      Reply
  19. Christy Stratton says

    August 31, 2021 at 6:39 am

    I love your recipes!…especially your carnitas!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 31, 2021 at 11:14 am

      That’s a firm favourite Christy!!! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes thanks so much for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  20. Carol Eldon says

    August 31, 2021 at 6:27 am

    5 stars
    Love this salad!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 31, 2021 at 11:14 am

      Me too Carol – a little bit fancy but perfect for any day! N x

      Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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