Arugula and Pear Bowl (Printer-friendly)

Peppery arugula meets sweet pears with creamy cheese and crunchy walnuts in this vibrant 15-minute bowl.

# What You Need:

→ Greens

01 - 4 cups fresh arugula

→ Fruit

02 - 2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced

→ Cheese

03 - 2 oz crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese

→ Nuts

04 - ½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

→ Dressing

05 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
06 - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
07 - 1 teaspoon honey
08 - ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - In a small bowl, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined.
02 - Place fresh arugula in a large salad bowl and add sliced pears, crumbled cheese, and toasted nuts.
03 - Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving, gently toss to combine, and serve immediately.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in fifteen minutes, which means you can stop pretending you have time to marinate things.
  • The peppery bite of arugula against creamy cheese and sweet fruit feels sophisticated enough to serve guests but honest enough to eat alone.
  • Nothing needs cooking, just slicing and whisking, so your kitchen stays calm and cool.
02 -
  • The dressing needs to emulsify or it will slide right off the leaves and pool at the bottom of the bowl—whisking the vinegar and oil together with the mustard as your anchor is the trick.
  • Pears brown fast once they're cut, so slice them last or toss them in a tiny squeeze of lemon juice to buy yourself some time.
03 -
  • Toast your own nuts in a dry pan for five minutes—your whole kitchen will smell like toasted pecans, and they'll taste so much better you'll wonder why you ever bought them already toasted.
  • Whisk the dressing with conviction and it will emulsify beautifully; half-hearted whisking leaves you with separated oil and vinegar that slides right off the greens.
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