Roasted Pear Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette

Try this delightful roasted pear salad for a flavorful side dish. It combines baked fresh pear slices with goat cheese, glazed pecans, and dried cranberries topped off with a homemade Dijon-lemon vinaigrette dressing.

roasted pear salad with lemon vinaigrette on a white salad platter

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This pear salad recipe makes the perfect simple, nourishing side dish. It’s so easy to make, taking only about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Like my vegan harvest salad, it would also be a great way to start a holiday meal to share with guests, served with roast turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and homemade cranberry sauce, crusty sourdough artisan bread or rolls.

roasted pear salad with lemon vinaigrette cranberries

Or, it would also be delicious served with weeknight meals, accompanying main dishes like roasted chicken, chicken cacciatore, or meatless baked ziti.

Salads like this one that feature fresh fruit are my favorite. For more fresh fruit salads, try this strawberry goat cheese salad, or this peach caprese salad with blueberries.

Supplies Needed for This Recipe

ingredients laying on a marble countertop

Roasted Pear Salad Ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Salad Ingredients

  • Pears: You’ll want to use pears that are still mostly unripe. Fully ripened pears won’t work as well as they will bake up too mushy. Any type of pear should work but Anjou, Bartlett or Bosc pears are all a great choice.
  • Olive oil: I like to use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for that full-bodied olive oil flavor.
  • Maple syrup: A touch of maple syrup accentuates the natural sweetness of pears and offsets the lemon juice and Dijon mustard vinaigrette dressing.
  • Spring mix: Spring mix usually contains a blend of leafy greens like arugula, baby spinach, and various types of lettuces.
  • Shallot: Shallots are basically just mild onions, kind of like a mix between yellow and red onion.
  • Goat Cheese: There are different types of goat cheese, and you can pick the one you prefer. I like a milder-tasting goat cheese.
  • Glazed pecans: Glazed pecans are simple pecans that have been roasted and sweetened with a sugar or honey coating. You could also used glazed walnuts if preferred.
  • Dried cranberries: The final touch to this delicious salad is dried cranberries, a tangy yet sweet addition that makes this salad so good.
roasted pear salad with homemade dressing and cranberries on a white serving platter

Dressing Ingredients

How to Make Roasted Pear Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette

roasted pears on a pan lined with parchment paper

1. Preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Cut the pears into slices and place in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil and maple syrup onto the pears and mix to coat.

sliced pears in a clear glass bowl with a rubber spatula

3. Place the pear slices onto the baking sheet in a single layer and bake.

4. Meanwhile, make the dressing by adding all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined.

homemade lemon vinaigrette salad dressing in a clear glass bowl with a whisk mixing it

5. Allow the pears to slightly cool before assembling the salad.

6. Assemble the salad by combining spring mix, sliced shallots, goat cheese, pecans, and cranberries. Arrange the roasted pears on top of the salad. Drizzle lemon vinaigrette on top of the salad and serve.

Roasted Pear Salad Tips

For this recipe, you don’t use fully ripe pears. Since the pears will become soft after roasting, ripe pears will be too mushy.

I recommend baking the pears right before you’re ready to eat so they are still warm and delicious when they’re served.

Seal leftovers in an airtight container and use within a couple of days.

roasted pear salad on a white salad platter

How to Serve

Start your meal with this salad, use it as a side dish, or eat it as part of a refreshing lunch.

And although this salad has enough sweetness that you might not want dessert, it would go well with a peaches and cream parfait!

More Side Dish Recipes

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!

roasted pear salad with lemon vinaigrette on a white salad platter

Roasted Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted pears, goat cheese, glazed pecans and cranberries combine with a homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing on a bed of spring mix.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 290kcal
Author: Joy Kincaid

Equipment

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Cut the pears into 1/4 inch slices and place in a bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon maple syrup onto the pears and mix to coat.
  • Place the pear slices onto the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 12 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the dressing by adding all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Allow the pears to slightly cool before assembling the salad.
  • Assemble the salad by combining spring mix, sliced shallots, goat cheese, pecans, and cranberries. Arrange the roasted pears on top of the salad. Drizzle lemon vinaigrette on top of the salad and serve.

Notes

For this recipe, you don’t use fully ripe pears. Since the pears will become soft after roasting, ripe pears will be too mushy.
I recommend baking the pears right before you’re ready to eat so they are still warm and delicious when they’re served.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 879IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
5 from 1 vote

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