Pear Gorgonzola Salad

4.98 from 47 votes

This Pear Gorgonzola Salad is made by tossing arugula and radicchio in a balsamic vinaigrette and topping with creamy Gorgonzola, pears, and glazed walnuts.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Servings:

Calories: 510kcal

Author: Chef Molly Pisula

Ingredients

For the Salad

1 cup walnuts 3.2 oz/90 g
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon chile powder or cayenne pepper
3 cup arugula 2 oz/60 g
1 small head radicchio or red chicory 7.8 oz/220 g
4 ¼ ounces Gorgonzola cheese crumbled (120 g)
3 small pears 13 oz/375 g

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
4 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/175 degrees Celsius.
Toss walnuts, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and chile powder together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spread out into a single layer.
Bake for 8 minutes, stir gently with a spatula, and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until nuts are lightly toasted and caramelized.
Remove and let cool on sheet pan, then break them up with your hands if the nuts stick together.
Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together shallots, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup.
Slowly whisk in olive oil to emulsify dressing.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare your greens by rinsing and patting dry. Cut or tear the radicchio into bite-sized piece.
Slice pears.
To serve, combine arugula and radicchio and toss with 1 tablespoon of the dressing.
Add pears, gorgonzola, and glazed walnuts and toss.
Serve additional vinaigrette on the side.

Notes

Substitutions: This salad has lots of possible ingredient swaps. Use any kind of blue cheese or goat cheese instead of gorgonzola. Switch the pears with apples or persimmons, depending on the season. Use baby spinach or baby kale in place of the arugula. So many options!

Make-Ahead Instructions: This salad is best fully assembled not long before you want to serve. However, you can make the components in advance. Make the vinaigrette, glaze the walnuts, and rinse and dry the salad leaves. Because pears brown quickly after cutting, you'll have to wait to slice those until you're ready to serve. But with everything else done at that point, assembling the final salad will be easy!

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