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    Home » 30 Minute Meals

    Pear and Walnut Salad

    By Robyn | Published: Sep 24, 2020 | Modified: Sep 24, 2020

    TO THE RECIPE

    This quick and easy pear and walnut salad, with shavings of parmesan and a simple lemon dressing, is a delicious lunch, side or dinner party starter.

    one shallow bowl of walnut and pear salad with leaves and parmesan with extra lemon dressing to the right and quartered pear to the bottom of the image

    Ready in under 10 minutes this pear salad recipe is an easy, throw together kind of salad. I often make it to accompany barbecued meat or fish, or as a simple lunch with some soup and bread.

    Slices of juicy pears are mixed with crunchy walnuts, salty parmesan cheese, and peppery salad leaves. A simple 2 ingredient lemon olive oil dressing brings it all together.

    I love using walnuts in salads, especially this beetroot salad with feta and walnuts, and quinoa salad with halloumi and fennel. Not only to they add crunch, but a degree of ‘meatiness’ and substance.

    The lemon vinaigrette is just lemon juice whisked with olive oil, salt and black pepper. That’s it! It adds a lovely freshness to the salad, and you can make it a couple of days ahead and store in the fridge until needed.

    pear salad with Italian leaves, walnut and shaved parmesan served with dark rye bread, with extra lemon vinaigrette on the side

    FAQ and Tips:

    Which Pears should I use in this salad?

    Use bartlett, packham, or Corella pears (as I’ve used in the images)

    How to tell when pears are ripe?

    When ripe, pears should give slightly when gently pressed near the stem.

    Which Salad leaves should I use in this salad?

    I like to use a mixture of rocket (arugula), chicory, curly endive and radicchio, which are often available as a pack of Italian salad leaves. Feel free to use whichever leaves you prefer; you could make the salad with baby spinach, mache, or mizuna. If serving to kids, I use baby spinach and mache, or something sweet rather than bitter.

    Can I make this salad ahead?

    The dressing can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving it as the oil may solidify slightly.

    How do I make parmesan shavings?

    Use a vegetable peeler and peel down the edge of the wedge of parmesan, as you would peel a carrot.

    Tip: Cut the pears just before you serve them in the salad, as they can begin to brown if left.

    Make it your pear walnut salad:

    Nuts: You can use pecans or almonds instead of the walnuts.

    Cheese: Use goats cheese or blue cheese instead of the parmesan

    Vegetarian salad: use a supermarket Italian-style hard cheese, but make sure it states the cheese is vegetarian.

    Make it a vegan salad: use a vegan parmesan cheese, or leave out altogether. If you don’t use any cheese substitute then add a pinch more salt to the dressing.

    Serving to kids: As mentioned above, I tend to use sweeter lettuce varieties when serving the salad to children, as bitter leaves such as radicchio and endive tend to be left. If younger children are present, then I serve the nuts in a bowl on the table and older family members can help themselves and sprinkle the nuts over the salad before eating.

    Why not try…

    If you like this recipe, you might also like these other easy salad recipes:

    • Watermelon Mozzarella Salad with Basil
    • Green Beans with Feta and Almonds
    • Carrot Orange Salad with Feta

    two plates of pear walnut salad with dark rye bread just visible in top of image

    Pear and Walnut Salad

    Author: Robyn

    This quick and easy pear and walnut salad, with shavings of parmesan and a simple lemon dressing, is a delicious lunch, side or dinner party starter.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Course appetiser, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 people as side
    Calories 90 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Lemon dressing

    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • salt and black pepper

    Salad

    • 7oz (200g) mixed salad leaves approx 4 handfuls, a combination of rocket, chicory, lambs lettuce
    • 1 pear cored and finely sliced
    • ½c (50g) walnuts
    • ¼c (25g) Parmesan cheese shavings

    Instructions
     

    • In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice with olive oil and season with a little black pepper and pinch of salt (not too much salt as the parmesan cheese is salty)
    • Gently toss the leaves with the sliced pear and walnuts.
    • Place in serving bowl/plate and scatter over the shaved parmesan.
    • Drizzle over the dressing.
    • Serve straight away as the pear can go brown.

    Notes

    Toasted Walnuts: You can lightly toast the walnuts in a dry pan or under the grill for a couple of minutes to bring out more flavour.
    Making the salad ahead of time: Although it is best served straight away, you can toss the sliced pear in a little lemon juice to prevent them from going brown.
    Salad leaves: I like to use a mixture of rocket (arugula), chicory, curly endive and radicchio, but use whichever you prefer, or buy a pack of Italian salad leaves.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 63mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 142IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword lemon dressing, parmesan salad, side salad, walnut salad

    HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?

    I’d love to see your creation!

    Tag me! #atmrsjoneskitchen
    Tag me! @atmrsjoneskitchen

    Or just leave a comment below!

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    Robyn Jones, Recipe Developer & Food Photographer

    Robyn Jones

    Recipe Developer | Food Photographer | Writer

    Hi! I'm Robyn, a toddler mum with a passion for all things food! Having moved internationally 7 times in the past 12 years I have developed a love of making international recipes into family friendly ones you can make in your own home, with local ingredients; wherever you live!

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