This easy arugula and pear salad features toasted pecans, shaved parmesan, and a quick lemon vinaigrette! Ready in minutes and easy to customize.
A quick pear arugula salad is simple, fresh, and perfect for fall! Sweet pears are a delicious complement to bright, peppery arugula, while toasted pecans and shaved parmesan help this recipe feel just a little bit fancy (you'd never guess it takes less than 15 minutes to make!)
This salad is easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner, but elegant enough for a side dish on date night or a pop of color on your Thanksgiving table. It's very forgiving and easy to customize: Add your favorite protein, extra toppings, or more veggies!
Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.
- Fresh pears. Look for ripe, fresh pears at the height of their season. We like Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc pears, but any variety will work. Slice into thin wedges, or cut into a large dice for easy bite-sized pieces. In the photos below, we cut a few long slices from our pear to use as a garnish, then diced the rest.
- Arugula is our go-to here (we love the crisp, peppery bite!) Swap it for baby kale, baby spinach, or a mix of your favorite greens.
- Our quick lemon vinaigrette uses olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Toast the pecans for best results
To toast pecans, place the nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook them for just a minute or two, stirring constantly, until they're fragrant and have barely darkened in color.
If you're short on time, you can skip this step. But if you have a minute to spare, toasting your chopped pecans will bring out a TON of extra flavor!
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the parmesan for crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.
- Add protein. Grilled chicken (à la our chicken arugula salad), salmon, or sliced steak are all tasty here.
- Mix up the fruit. Use apples (find inspo in our spinach apple salad!), peaches, strawberries, pomegranate seeds, or dried cranberries instead of (or in addition to!) pears.
- Add toppings. Thinly sliced shallots or red onions or toasted garlic bread crumbs are delicious here.
Step by step instructions
Add olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, a pinch of kosher salt, and a few turns of cracked black pepper to a small mason jar with a tight-fitting lid (Image 1, above). Attach the lid (2), then shake well (3) to form a smooth dressing (4). Set aside while you prep the rest of the salad ingredients.
If you don't have a mason jar, whisk the dressing together in a small bowl or measuring cup.
Make Ahead Tip: This lemon vinaigrette keeps well in the fridge. Make it in advance for easy salad assembly, or whip up a double or triple batch to use all week long. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.
Add arugula, toasted pecans, and pears to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the lemon dressing and toss to combine.
Transfer salad to a serving dish (optional). Top with shaved parmesan cheese and a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!
FAQs
Arugula wilts pretty quickly once it's dressed; we recommend making this arugula pear salad recipe just before you want to eat it.
Yes! If you're vegan, omit the parmesan cheese and be sure to use a vegan Dijon mustard. Make this salad a bit heartier by adding cooked grains (like farro, quinoa, or brown rice), or tossing in some butter beans or cannellini beans (similar to our arugula bean salad) for plant-based protein and extra fiber.
We love this delicious salad on its own or as a side dish! Try it alongside a cozy fall risotto, like our butternut squash risotto or red wine mushroom risotto.
It also pairs well with soup (like our creamy pear squash soup or bright tomato apple soup!) a cozy mushroom grilled cheese, or a loaf of crusty bread (try our cranberry pecan bread or asiago bread recipe).
This salad is also a great post-Thanksgiving meal (pair it with some repurposed leftovers, like a brie and cranberry sandwich, turkey mashed potato casserole, or some mashed potato gnocchi!)
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Arugula and Pear Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2-4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This simple salad with arugula and pears is an easy-but-elegant side dish! Perfect for a quick dinner or a side at your holiday table.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Vinaigrette:
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
For the Salad:
- ¼ cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted
- 1 pear, sliced
- 4 heaping cups fresh arugula
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the Dressing:
- Add dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Attach the lid and shake the jar vigorously for at least 30 seconds, until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Note: If you don't have a jar, whisk the dressing together in a small bowl or mix it in a small blender.
Assemble the Salad:
- Add toasted pecans, pear slices, and arugula to a large mixing bowl. Pro Tip: Reserve a few pear slices to use as a garnish later.
- Drizzle lemon dressing over the salad; toss to combine.
- Top with shaved parmesan and a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper. Garnish with reserved pear slices (optional). Serve immediately.
Notes
Additions and Substitutions. Add protein (grilled salmon, steak, chicken) if you like. Add cooked grains (quinoa, farro, barley, brown rice) or beans (chick peas, cannellini beans, butter beans) to this recipe to bulk it up. Swap the pecans for almonds or walnuts. Swap the pears for apples, fresh berries, or peaches. Use kale, spinach, or mixed greens in place of some or all of the arugula. Substitute goat cheese, feta, or shaved asiago cheese for the parmesan.
To adjust the dressing: Add a splash of maple syrup or honey for extra sweetness; for more tart flavor, add extra lemon juice. Use a good olive oil (we love EXAU olive oils!), because you'll definitely taste it in the dressing.
This recipe makes enough for a light coat of dressing. If you like a heavier dressing on your salads, or if you add extra ingredients to the salad, you may want to double the lemon dressing here (you likely won't need the full double-batch, but extra dressing will keep up to a week in the fridge!)
Serving sizes. This recipe makes two large servings (perfect for a main course) or 4 side salads.
Strict vegetarians should look for parmesan cheese made without rennet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 side salad
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 200.6 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.5 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Cholesterol: 3.6 mg
Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry
I love the simplicity of this recipe but it doesn't skimp on the flavors. The dressing with the arugula, pears, and pecans is a great combination. I added some grilled chicken for an entrée dish. This will definitely become a side salad when I want something quick and easy!