Spinach Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Goat Cheese
Serves 4 to 6
Time 15 min
Take advantage of pears in season and try a new variety in this twist on a popular dish. A little sweet pear (or apple or dried fig) makes the dressing especially good.
Special Diets:
Ingredients
- 3 Anjou, Bosc or Comice pears
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 3/4 pound spinach, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Method
Chop 1 pear and slice remaining two.
Put chopped pear, oil, vinegar, mustard and honey into a blender and purée.
Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons water, more if needed, to thin for a pourable dressing.
Put spinach, onion, walnuts, goat cheese, sliced pears and dressing into a large bowl and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
Three Twists on the Original
Apple Cheddar Spinach Salad
Replace pears with apples, walnuts with pine nuts and goat cheese with small cubes of sharp cheddar.
Quinoa Spinach Pear Salad
Add 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa to spinach salad mixture.
Fig Spinach Salad
Replace pears with 3/4 cup dried figs (1/4 cup chopped for dressing, remainder sliced thinly in salad).
Nutritional Info:
Per serving: 340 calories (210 from fat), 24g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 230mg sodium, 28g carbohydrates (8g dietary fiber, 13g sugar), 8g protein.
Note: We've provided special diet and nutritional information for educational purposes. But remember - we're cooks, not doctors! You should follow the advice of your health-care provider. And since product formulations change, check product labels for the most recent ingredient information.
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Ingredients
- 3 Anjou, Bosc or Comice pears
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 3/4 pound spinach, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled