Sauteed golden pears, crunchy pecans and soft golden raisins star in this simple green salad that would make a fabulous accompaniment to any fall dinner!
We’re going back to the simple stuff today. Yeah, don’t laugh—the title may be ridiculously long, but this salad is ALL about the simple stuff.
Because, well. The past week was pretty dang indulgent. 😉
Simple stuff meaning golden sauteed pears, crunchy pecans, soft golden raisins, crisp lettuce and pretty much everything drool-worthy.
Oh, and a tangy orange-maple vinaigrette to top it all off, but I couldn’t fit that into the title…
So FYI: My salad craze doesn’t stop once we hit fall. I spend basically ALL summer feasting on salad after salad, and I’m just not gonna be able to give up salads for the next 5-ish months. As you’ll soon see, I have MANY fall/winter salads up my sleeve that are pretty epic.
On a little bit of a different note, I have some exciting news for you guys! I am proud to announce that as of yesterday, Whole and Heavenly Oven now offers Ziplist! Some of you may know what ZL is already, but for those of you who don’t, Ziplist is pretty much your best friend in any recipe planning and organization.
It offers your own recipe box AND shopping list all online where you can save your favorite recipes, plan your meals, write your shopping lists, and more!
Now that WAHO is a partner with Ziplist, you’ll be able to save ALL of my recipes to your own personal recipe box on my blog! How awesome is that?! Your meal planning just got 10x more easy. 😀
So getting back to this salad….
This simple green salad is super-fresh and light, but still has that cozy-fall feel to it that instantly makes you think about warm scarves, hot cups of chai tea, and jumping in piles of leaves.
Yes, I still jump in piles of leaves. Totally the best part about having to rake up all those little devils.
That, and the piping-hot cup of hot cocoa and the crunchy caramel apple I usually treat myself to when I come inside. ♥
I used golden pears for this salad (they were on clearance) but you could totally use regular pears too—I personally enjoy golden pears better because A: They’re prettier. And B: They’re prettier.
Makes sense, right? Pretty food tastes pretty good, I’ve noticed…
Before tossing ‘them gorgeous pears in your salad, there’s one itty-bitty step we gotta do first—The gods of extra-calories were whispering in my ear to caramelize those pretty pears in a little bit of butter+ a dash of maple syrup.
Yes, that was a pretty good decision. 😀
Make sure NOT to overcook the pears though, otherwise you’ll end up with mush. Just stir ’em around in the pan until they’re just tender.
Let them cool for a few….
Toss ’em in those greens and sprinkle on those pecans and raisins.
Drown it all in dressing.
Hellooooo, gorgeous.
Okay, so my fam is the weirdest: Get a load of this:
My siblings for reasons that are totally unknown to me, cannot stand the golden raisins and pecans in this salad.
Fo’ real. I was washing the dishes and noticed that just about EVERY one of their plates still had those lusciously-crunchy and super-soft golden raisins sitting in a discarded pile.
I’m just like, SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE?! You are skipping the bestest part!
To be honest with you, sometimes I worry about their tastebuds….
But you and I aren’t weird like that are we? Good. Let’s just eat all the salad and forget about those picky people we all have in our life.
You know what YOU’RE having for dinner tonight. 😀
Autumn Pear Salad with Pecans + Golden Raisins
Ingredients
- 3 medium golden pears or regular cored and sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute pears in butter and syrup until just barely tender. Remove from heat and cool.
- Meanwhile in a large bowl, toss lettuce with pecans and golden raisins. Top with cooled pears.
- In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Gently toss salad to evenly coat. Serve immediately.
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.