Roasted Pear Salad

Craving a salad during the colder months? Our roasted pear salad combines sweet roasted pears with bitter radicchio, creamy goat cheese, and an easy vinaigrette for the perfect cold weather salad.

Cold weather meals can be challenging, especially when it comes to salads.  While summer is filled with fresh produce, we naturally gravitate more towards comfort food as the weather gets cooler, but sometimes you need a little freshness to liven up those gloomy days.  That’s where this roasted pear salad comes in; sweet, bitter, crunchy and fresh, it’s the antidote to those heavier meals that are an inevitable part of the holiday and winter season while still featuring some of the flavors of the season.

It’s an elegant looking salad you could certainly serve for a special occasion or holiday meal but it’s also easy enough to make any day of the week.  Eat it for lunch or serve it as part of a larger meal. What makes this roasted pear salad so delightful is the interplay of contrasting tastes and textures.  Sweet roasted pears are balanced with fresh mixed baby greens and bitter radicchio, tossed with toasted walnuts, dried fruit and creamy goat cheese.

Roasted Pears

Roasting pears intensifies their sweetness even further as they caramelize in the heat of the oven.  The process is simple, just toss the slices of ripe but firm pears with a bit of jam and olive oil and pop them in the oven until tender and golden.  The dressing is easy as well; just a simple white wine vinaigrette blended with a little more jam and a hint of Dijon mustard to pull all the flavors together.

Radicchio

Since raw radicchio can sometimes be intimidatingly bitter on its own, it’s best to pair it with other strong flavors to balance it out. In this salad the roasted pears and radicchio complement each other, the sweetness of the fruit taming the naturally bitter edge of the radicchio. Toasted walnuts, dried figs and creamy goat cheese bring additional textures and flavors to the mix.  Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

Ingredient Notes:

(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.  As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

• Pears – I prefer to use ripe but firm Bosc pears for roasting as they retain their shape and become silky and tender when roasted.  You can also use Bartlett or Anjou pears if you’d prefer.
• Jam – You’ll need a mild flavored, naturally sweetened jam like apricot or fig for both roasting the pears and making the dressing.
• Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil.
• Vinegar – Use either white wine or champagne vinegar.
• Dijon Mustard – Use a good quality Dijon mustard for the best flavor.
• Shallot – You’ll need a small shallot for the dressing.
• Mixed Baby Greens – Use any mix of baby greens you’d like.
• Radicchio  - You’ll need a small head of radicchio, or choose a salad mix that already contains radicchio if you’d prefer.
• Walnuts – Choose raw walnuts and toast them for a few minutes in a 350 F oven after the pears are done roasting.
• Dried Figs – I’m using dried figs but you could also use dried apricots or the dried fruit of your choice.
• Goat Cheese – You’ll need a small log of fresh goat cheese.

How to Make a Roasted Pear Salad:

1. Toss the pears with the jam and olive oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet.
2. Bake until tender, and then set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette by whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, jam, mustard and shallot.
4. When ready to assemble salad, add the radicchio and salad greens to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Top with roasted pears, dried fruit, walnuts and goat cheese.
5. Serve immediately.

Variations:

• Use maple syrup instead of jam.
• Use pecans instead of walnuts.
• Use raisins instead of dried figs.
• Omit goat cheese for a vegan version.

More Salads:

• Roasted Cauliflower Salad
• Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 Servings

Winter Pear Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This roasted pear salad combines sweet roasted pears with bitter radicchio, creamy
goat cheese, and an easy vinaigrette for the perfect cold weather salad.

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Ingredients

For the Roasted Pears:

• 2-3 ripe but firm Bosc pears, cored and sliced into 8ths
• 1 teaspoon/5ml naturally sweetened apricot or fig jam
• 2 teaspoons/10ml extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅛th teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1 ½ Tablespoon/22ml white wine vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons/45ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons/10ml naturally sweetened apricot or fig jam
• 1 teaspoon/5ml Dijon mustard
• 1Tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

For the Salad:

• ½ small head of radicchio, washed and chopped
• 5oz/60g mixed salad greens
• ¼ cup/30g walnuts, raw or lightly toasted if desired
• ⅓ cup/40g, dried figs, halved
• 2oz/56g goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Roast the Pears:

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
3. Toss the pears with jam, olive oil and salt and spread evenly on baking sheet.
   
4. Bake 20 minutes, or until pears are tender. Set aside until ready to make
   salad.

Make the Vinaigrette:

1. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, jam, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Assemble the Salad:

1. Add radicchio and salad greens to bowl and gently toss to combine.
2. Top with roasted pears, walnuts, figs and goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes

Variations:

• Use maple syrup instead of jam.
• Use pecans instead of walnuts.
• Use raisins instead of dried figs.
• Omit goat cheese for a vegan version.

Dietary Info:

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Egg-Free, Refined Sugar-Free

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 339mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.