Autumn Pear Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
This autumn pear salad with maple balsamic dressing is stunning and delicious. You’ll love it along side any dinner!
I believe the jury may still be out on whether or not salad is allowed at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
I happen to love salad at Thanksgiving. But it has to be a really good salad to justify a spot. This amazing romaine salad and my favorite, favorite spinach salad come to mind as worthy options.
But since I’m a girl who likes to explore new recipe territory, I’m here to report that today’s autumn pear salad might just be the next Thanksgiving salad star.
Holy moly, this salad is good. Something about ripe, juicy pears nestled in salad makes me happy and this recipe is further amped up by pomegranate arils, little nubbins of Asiago cheese and crunchy bits of toasted cashews.
And that maple dressing? It’s become a total staple in my refrigerator (the other day I accidentally dipped my cucumber slices in it and was almost undone with the deliciousness).
If you’re wanting a very simple yet absolute show-stopper of a salad, this is it.
And if you are already thinking of how to use up those turkey leftovers, save this salad until the after-party; chop up the leftover turkey, toss it in with the salad and you’ll have your dinner (or lunch) made in minutes just sitting there staring you in the face and waiting for your taste buds to explode with excitement.
And if you are feeding a bunch of traditionalists at Thanksgiving, I double dog dare you to throw this salad out there and see what happens (triple dog dare you to replace their green bean casserole with it).
Hey, the worst that could happen is you’ll be out in the garage alone eating this straight out of the bowl. Not a bad way to go, if you ask me.
One Year Ago: Warm Russian Tea
Two Years Ago: Healthy Applesauce Carrot Muffins {a.k.a. Carrot Cake Muffins}
Three Years Ago: Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes
Autumn Pear Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
Maple Balsamic Dressing:
- 1 medium garlic clove, scored (meaning the surface of the clove is lightly cut a few times)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup
- ¼ cup half-and-half or whole milk (see note)
- Pinch of coarse kosher salt
Salad:
- 6-8 cups chopped green and red leaf lettuces
- 2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 ounces Asiago cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (or shredded)
- ½ – ¾ cup chopped, toasted cashews
- ½ cup pomegranate arils, craisins or dried cherries would be a good substitute
Instructions
- For the dressing, put the scored garlic clove in a jar and add all the other dressing ingredients. Put a lid on the jar and shake like your life depends on it. Refrigerate until ready to serve (this can be made a week or so in advance). Shake to recombine ingredients before using. If the dressing is overly thick out of the fridge, microwave it for 5-10 seconds to help loosen it up.
- For the salad, add the lettuce to a large bowl. Drizzle some of the dressing over the lettuce until lightly coated. Add the pears, cheese, cashews and pomegranate arils to the top and just lightly toss. Drizzle on extra dressing to taste. Serve immediately.
- Alternately, you can toss all the salad ingredients together and serve the dressing separately for individuals to add as they like.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: salad and dressing slightly adapted from Emily B., a longtime MKC reader – thank you, Emily!
Wowza – Get ready for a Compliment blast !!! Thanksgiving was easy peezy and delicious thanks to you. From the slowcooker turkey with easy gravy, life changing instant pot mashed potatoes, the Best slow cooker stuffing, autumn pear salad with maple balsamic dressing ( where have you been my entire life). Fresh Cranberry Chutney ( I don’t like cranberry sauce but I loved this) perfect flaky pie crust and pie boot camp, Magnolia lemon pie. Our entire Thanksgiving was from Mels Kitchen cafe. And the best thing…. The recipes are so easy that I was able to watch some football while dinner was a cookin. Thanks Mel
Could a neutral milk such as oat be substituted for the dairy milk?
I haven’t tried that, but it should work fine.
This salad dressing is SO good! My whole family loves it! I’ve been making it for years now. It’s good with and without the half and half. I don’t follow the actual salad part of the recipe all the time because the dressing is literally good on almost any salad! I usually add chicken or bacon to make it our main meal. Thanks for this delicious recipe Mel!
I’m making this tomorrow! Have you ever warmed the dressing? That was my plan when I thought I was going to use spinach but I decided on the red and green leaf instead. Just curious, thanks!!
I haven’t, but you definitely could!
Delicious!! This dressing is spectacular. My whole family loved this salad!
So so so good! This got great reviews and I will make this again for sure, especially the dressing! Thanks Mel
Excellent salad. Made this for my family to go with homemade mac n cheese. A big hit.
This salad is seriously delicious! I brought it to a family dinner and it was a hit, the dressing is especially delicious! Make it and it will be a new favorite! Thanks Mel!
5 stars! So delicious and easy to make!
This may be my new favorite salad! Loved it so much, I made it twice in one week. My picky husband even said “This dressing is the bomb!” 🙂
Yay! Glad you both loved it!
Like you, I think green salads that grace a Thanksgiving table need to be extra-special, and this one came through with flying colours! I liked everything about it, including that it was well-balanced between lettuce and the “good stuff”. I used shaved Parmesan because that’s what I had on hand, and the salad was delicious.
I’m making this for a family luncheon this weekend and can’t wait to try it! It looks delicious. If I only have minced garlic, can I use that instead of the garlic clove or will it alter the dressing too much? If it will be okay, how much should I use? Thanks, Mel! You’re my cooking hero.
That should work fine. 🙂
I made this dressing three days ago and have used it every day, but when I opened it today, it appears to be a bit chunky. It smells fine and it still tastes great ! How long do you usually keep this before it goes bad? May have to start making half of a batch.
I usually try to use it up within a few days but I’ve had it for a week or so in the fridge before. A lot will depend on how fresh the ingredients are to start with, I’m guessing.
Hi Mel, first thank you so much for all your amazing recipes! Second, do you think I could sub Parmesan for the Asiago? I just have some in the fridge I need to use right now.
Yep, I think that would work just fine.
THIS SALAD. So good! Made it for three major food gatherings–including Christmas day! The flavors are great–not too sweet but still amazing! Love the colors, textures and flavors and that Costco could save me and sell the pomegranate arils. Thank you or this delicious recipe!
Made a double batch of this salad for Thanksgiving…YUM!! Had some leftover dressing and planned another salad round on Sunday. When I pulled the dressing jar out of the refrigerator, I noticed some ‘chunks’ floating in it…UGH. Then I scooped one out for a closer look….it was a mushroom!! My hubby cleaned the kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner and dumped the leftover gravy in the salad dressing jar, thinking it was gravy…ok…same color….LOL. And I wondered what happened to the leftover gravy, or if there even was any….
Oh my gosh, Marilynne – that is so hilarious!
We had this with our Thanksgiving dinner today and it was a big, delicious hit! So many interesting flavors and textures in one salad, and very pretty to look at, too. It was definitely feast-worthy. Thank you for another great recipe, Mel.
Excited to make this for my husband’s side of the family today for Thanksgiving Day. I have everything prepped and ready to toss together for the meal. I’m using dried cherries in place of the “arils” :). Thanks for posting–can’t wait to taste it!
I tried this out on some dinner guests over the weekend. It was a tremendous hit. The dressing tastes best if it sits for a couple hours. I am making this for Thanksgiving for sure. The green bean casserole will not be missed.
I can’t wait to try this dressing! My favorite fall salad is spring mix, pear, blue cheese, bacon, spicy candied nuts, and a bit of red onion. I never come up with recipes myself, but I came up with that combination a few years ago as a major pregnancy craving. It stuck around and is still one of my favorites. I usually use either a balsamic vinaigrette or your pink dressing from your gourmet salad with it. But now I’m going to try it with this dressing. And I’m going to try adding the pomegranate! Thanks for all your hard work on this site. I love your recipes! (I made your French bread rolls and family style shrimp scampi for dinner tonight!)
Yum, this salad was delicious! I wasn’t a fan of the pomegranate in it, but it was still sooo good! My husband said this is his new favorite, and his old favorite was the spinach apple salad you (and we) love.
I had to laugh about the dare to take away the green bean casserole! My husband’s family is so traditional with their Thanksgiving food, but since we are hosting I’m changing it up! And this salad looks like the perfect replacement! And the rolls…I have to make those too!
I’m a little confused with the garlic. Does it just sit at the bottom of the dressing adding flavor? I’m planning on make this salad for Thanksgiving! Thanks.
Yep! It just adds flavor especially as the dressing sits.
This looks delicious but quick question: is there a substitute for the Dijon? I really dislike mustard!
Hi Becca – feel free experimenting with either leaving it out or subbing with something else (I’ve only ever made it with the Dijon).
Just curious, what is the point of the dairy in the dressing? Have you tried it without it?
I have and it’s tasty but the dairy in the dressing gives it a very full flavor profile and makes it obviously a bit more creamy – I prefer it with the dairy but it could be made without (the dressing will be thinner).
oh man! When the picture popped up on my computer I thought it was a salad with turkey and gravy on it! haha, now that is a creative thanksgiving dish 🙂
I love me some salad that is heavy on fruit, nuts, and cheese!
Haha, that would be taking things a bit far. 🙂
I was assigned to bring either a vegetable or salad to Thanksgiving dinner at my brother’s house. I am not a fan of the green bean casserole so this looks like the perfect fall salad to bring. I’ll try it out on my family this weekend.
This salad looks like just the ticket for any awesome fall meal, including Thanksgiving. Thank you! And, I am so impressed that you know what to call those pomegranate seed thingies. Truly a gourmet. For a moment I thought I was reading a Martha Stewart ingredients list–but then realized that I actually had most of these ingredients in my house right now and wouldn’t need to go to 3 different specialty stores and spend $100 on the side salad for my meal. Whew! Thanks for always upping my cooking game with your delicious (& gourmet) recipes, yet keeping it within the realm of real cooks cooking for real people. Happy Thanksgiving!
Haha, well trust me, I had to google first to make sure I was spelling “arils” right and when I’m talking to my kids, we just call them pomegranate seeds. 🙂
So often, I start my day with laughter after reading your posts. Thanks so much for the suggestion of adding leftover turkey to this salad for a dinner. This is my plan for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Love this site!