Arugula and Pear Bowl (Printable Version)

Peppery arugula meets sweet pears with creamy cheese and crunchy walnuts in a balsamic honey dressing.

# Needed Ingredients:

→ Greens

01 - Fresh arugula, 4 cups

→ Fruit

02 - Ripe pears, 2 whole, cored and thinly sliced

→ Cheese

03 - Crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese, 2 ounces

→ Nuts

04 - Toasted walnuts or pecans, ½ cup, roughly chopped

→ Dressing

05 - Extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons
06 - Balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon
07 - Honey, 1 teaspoon
08 - Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# Steps:

01 - In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
02 - Place fresh arugula in a large salad bowl. Add sliced pears, crumbled cheese, and toasted nuts.
03 - Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad immediately before serving. Gently toss to combine all components.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in less time than heating up leftovers, yet tastes like you actually tried.
  • The peppery bite of arugula against sweet fruit is somehow both refreshing and deeply satisfying.
  • It's the kind of salad that makes you feel virtuous without tasting like virtue.
02 -
  • The arugula will start to wilt the moment dressing touches it, so timing matters more than you'd think for something so simple.
  • Overripe pears turn mealy and collapse when you slice them, while underripe ones taste like nothing, so the middle ground is where the magic lives.
03 -
  • Toast your nuts in a dry pan for two minutes before chopping—the smell alone will convince you this step matters, and it absolutely does.
  • Taste the dressing on an actual arugula leaf before you commit to the whole salad, because balance in a tiny bowl translates differently once you've dressed a full batch.
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