Loaded with sweet pear slices, tangy goat cheese, and lots of toasted pecans, this pear goat cheese salad is the perfect fall salad!
Everyone needs a good fall salad up their sleeve! Pairing sweet pears and funky goat cheese in this gem of a salad is the ULTIMATE combo and just screams fall.
It’s gorgeous, nice and loaded with the goods, and even comes with a killer maple orange vinaigrette that bumps all the flavors up a notch!
Hello, beauty…
The real win about this pear salad though is it’s SO easy to whip up at a moment’s notice and will absolutely shine on any holiday table as a centerpiece salad.
This Pear Salad features…
- Juicy pear slices and tangy goat cheese
- Soft golden raisins and rosemary toasted pecans
- A sweet and tangy orange maple vinaigrette
- Minutes to make and goes well with a variety of meals
Making the Pear Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Unsalted butter
- Pecans
- Rosemary
- Spring greens mix
- Pears
- Goat cheese
- Golden raisins
- Orange juice
- Maple syrup
- Whole-grain mustard
- Apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil
Tips for Perfect Pear Salad
- Toast pecans with rosemary – let the pecans and rosemary toast in a little butter until fragrant and toasted. This adds a lot of depth of flavor to the salad!
- Assemble salad just before serving – this keeps the pears from turning brown and keeps the greens fresh.
- Make dressing ahead of time – whisk all the ingredients for the dressing and store in refrigerator until ready to dress salad.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.
- Try a different cheese – try feta cheese, shaved Parmesan, or sharp cheddar in place of the goat cheese.
- Swap out the pears – if you don’t have pears on hand, try using apples instead.
- Use a different nut – you can omit the pecans completely or replace with sliced almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or walnuts.
- Add chicken – top salad with shredded cooked chicken for extra protein.
- Use a different dressing – try a balsamic, red wine, or Italian dressing in place of the homemade.
What to Serve with Salad
This salad goes well with a wide variety of dishes, but is also definitely hearty enough to stand alone as a lunch or dinner salad.
We love serving this salad alongside soups, crusty homemade bread, roast turkey or beef, or mashed potatoes.
The flavors and textures of this salad are absolutely a DREAM together! The juicy pears, tangy goat cheese, crunchy rosemary pecans, and sweet golden raisins all just work.
New salad go-to? I’m thinking yeah.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Try these other killer salads next!
Pear Goat Cheese Salad
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 6 cups spring greens mix
- 3 medium pears, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup goat cheese
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (or regular)
Orange Maple Dressing
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Salad
- Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and rosemary and stir around 3-4 minutes until pecans are toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large serving bowl, combine spring greens, pears, goat cheese, golden raisins, and rosemary pecans. Set aside for a moment.
Orange Maple Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk orange juice, maple syrup, mustard, and vinegar until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to evenly coat. Serve salad immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 11/2/23.
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life says
Awesome, congrats on ZL girl! I still haven’t used ZP, but because I seriously crush on every single one of your recipes, that’s going to have to change 🙂
I am excited to see all your salad recipes! Me and winter salads don’t happen very often thanks to my lack of salad creativity. I love the pears and pecans in this one! Warm, toasty, and satisfying!
Sarah says
Aww you’re the sweetest thing ever, Mary Frances! Thanks so much, girl!
And oh gosh, you’ve GOTTA give winter salads a go this winter! It’s such a fun twist from the usual summer salads. 😉
Pierre says
Heavenly and sweet salad like you 🙂
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
I love fall-y salads like this!! Also, your pictures here are gorgeous!!
Sarah says
Thank you so much, Liz!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
This pear salad looks incredible, Sarah! I love everything about it. The dressing sounds fabulous, too! I love the OJ and maple syrup combination. Such a creative dish!
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Gayle! 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
Beautiful!! Just beautiful! I know summer has all the best produce so most people thing of summer salads, but I think fall salads are great too! There is so much good stuff, like these pairs, or apple slices to add!
Sarah says
Totally agree, Annie! Fall salads rock. 😀
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
This is such a great autumn salad! I love that you cooked the pears. I bet it makes them taste even better, and bring out the natural sugars. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever cooked pears. I am going to have to try this! That salad dressing? Yum!
Sarah says
Cooking the pears totally brings out the flavors—all the yum for sure! 😉 Thanks, Nat!
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
This looks really delicious! I love pears in salad. Nice pour shot, too! 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks, Kelly!
Rachael | Spache the Spatula says
This looks delicious and perfect for this weird Fall transition period!
And congrats the Ziplist thingy! I love Ziplist; they’re great 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks, Rachael! And ooh yes, the fall transition period…bittersweet isn’t it? 😉
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
I’m all about pears. They’re so delicious. I haven’t added them to a salad yet this year. What am I waiting for?!
Pinned.
Have a blessed day!
Sarah says
Pears are amazing in a salad—you’ve so gotta try that. 🙂 Thanks for the pin, Melanie!
Danielle says
This salad looks delicious and perfect for fall! Nothing wrong with enjoying salads year round, especially this one! Pinning 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks for the pin, Danielle!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Lol! I am surrounded by picky eaters too! And I can’t convince them that life is so much more fun and rich when you teach yourself to like things.
Autumn salads with fruit and nuts are my favorite! Those caramelized pears sound so good!
Sarah says
Haha! I almost feel bad for the picky members of my family—they miss out on so much amazing-ness! 😉
Renee @ Two in the Kitchen says
This. This is a GORGEOUS salad!!! I love how fresh and autumn-y it is. Just beautiful!!!
Sarah says
Aww thanks Renee! You’re the sweetest. 🙂
Isadora says
I am now convinced I need to move out of the desert, I had totally forgotten about jumping in fall leaf piles until just now. My yard is made out of rocks and the only leaves that we have that turn colors are so tiny they would never make a whole pile! I guess I will just have to settle for eating this delicious looking fall salad instead! I totally agree, salads are a 365 day thing, not just a summer thing 🙂
Sarah says
Ooh yeah! Jumping in the leaves is one of the best parts about fall for sure—definitely don’t jump in the rocks, though. LOL. And YES. Make this salad, girl! It’ll put you in a perfect-o fall mood. 😉
Rosie says
I made this for a potluck dinner. It was a winner. I added some gargonzola cheese to this and used spring mix salad instead of the romaine. This turned out very well. It’s a keeper!
Sarah says
That makes me so happy to hear, Rosie! Hope you enjoyed!
Rosemary Reager says
I made this salad for a girls weekend get-together and It was a huge hit! Note to self: quadruple the recipe next time, everyone wanted seconds.