10-minute pear and apple spinach salad with honey mustard dressing recipe! This Autumn crunch salad is loaded with pecans, pomegranate, and cheddar cheese.
Hey, Rhubarbarians! Today you are getting THE salad that I've been eating all season long: a pear and apple spinach salad.
Think: Fruit, nut, and cheese salad. Mmmmm....
I'm one of those people that could eat fruit, nuts, and cheese for every meal and be in heaven. All those cheese boards I keep seeing around the internet RN are just so dreamy. Add a few hunks of chocolate and a glass of wine and a cheese board is basically my idea of the best time ever.
But, we can't just eat fruit and cheese and nuts, can we? We can if we toss in some greens and call it a salad! Huzzah!
Over this past summer I became obsessed with fruity, nutty, cheesy salads. I ate this summer glow salad like CRAY! A few years ago, Belgian endive came into my life and I was forever a happy gal mixing it with apples, goat cheese, and walnuts.
Pear and apple spinach salad
This pear and apple spinach salad has EVERYTHING you want if you are a fruit and cheese lover like me. Apples, pears, pomegranate, cheddar, and pecans. Super simple, but super amazing.
There are a whole lot of fall vibes going on with this salad, but it transitions into winter very easily. Pears, apples, and pomegranates are still in season in the winter!
Variations on this fall or winter spinach salad with fruit
- Try out a different cheese: feta, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella maybe. Get really fancy and try cubes of havarti, or one of my favorite cheeses, manchego!
- I used d'anjou pears and fuji apples, but you can use any type of pear or apple you'd like. You just want a very firm pear and a very crunchy apple.
- The pomegranate arils add a nice tart crunch to this salad, but it can be very time consuming to seed a pomegranate, so you might leave them out. I found some pomegranate seeds in the refrigerated produce section at my grocery store!
- Try out a different nut: almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts. They would all be mega tasty!
How to make homemade honey mustard dressing
Homemade honey mustard dressing is by FAR better than any store bought you will find. It's also incredibly easy.
You only need 4 ingredients: mustard, honey, olive oil, and water. That's it!
Combine these ingredients in a small container with tight fitting lid. Shake until the dressing is emulsified. OR, you can whisk everything together in a small bowl until emulsified. You do you!
You can make a larger batch of the dressing and keep some in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. You won't regret it!
How to make a pear and apple spinach salad
It only takes 10 minutes to make a pear and apple spinach salad! Core and dice your pears and apple. Cube your cheese, and chop your pecans.
Add these to a large bowl along with the pomegranate arils and greens.
Make your honey mustard dressing (see above) and pour over the salad. Toss to coat and add a sprinkle of pepper.
Voila!
Recipe
Pear and apple spinach salad with honey mustard dressing
Ingredients
- 2 firm d'anjou pears. Cored and diced
- 1 fuji apple. Cored and diced
- 1 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 6 cups packed baby spinach leaves
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 3 teaspoon honey
- 6 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 teaspoon water
- sprinkle of pepper
Instructions
- Combine the pears, apple, cheddar, pecans, pomegranate arils, and spinach in a large bowl.
- Combine the mustard, honey, oil, and water in a small container with tight fitting lid. Shake until emulsified.
- Pour as much dressing as you'd like over the salad. Season with a sprinkle of pepper and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I hope you’ll give this pear and apple spinach salad a try! Snap a pic and give me a shout on social media #Rhubarbarians!
Trish
P.S. Want to see what I’m cooking up this week? Check out my Instagram stories! And don’t forget to join my FaceBook community of vegetarian cooks!
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Molly Kumar
This looks super yum and perfect for a quick lunch. I'm always looking at new salads n this fits right in. Love the dijon honey dressing too.
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks Molly! 🙂
Donna
Noe this is my kind of salads, so much flavor going on in one bowl, and so much color to boot! I could eat this over and over during the colder months and not complain one bit!
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks, Donna! I've been eating this one like crazy and I'm definitely not mad about it lol! 🙂
Dana
I love pears in salads! I've paired apples with cheddar cheese often (amazing combo), but usually I pair pears (ha) with brie or goat cheese. Can't wait to try this mix! Any salad with fresh stone fruit, strong cheese, and crunch is right up my alley.
Oh, and I'm so with you with cheeseboards. So many beautiful goodies to pear with the best of the goodies: cheese!
Patricia Bozeman
Cheers to that, Dana! 🙂
Traci
Yep, this is the perfect salad for winter. I forget how much produce is at its peak during these cold, wet months. And thank goodness for that! Such a simple, yet nourishing salad...and I'm crazy about any dressing with dijon in it. This salad won't last long once it hits the table! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Patricia Bozeman
This salad definitely doesn't last very long lol! Thanks, Traci!
Tracy
Oh my gosh my cheese, fruit, nut plate dreams have come true - everything in a salad!! This is gorgeous and such a good idea. I could seriously live off of these as well - and that honey mustard dressing? Sounds perfect!!
Patricia Bozeman
haha it totally is like a cheese plate in salad form. We are on the same page, Tracy! 🙂
Gloria
This looks like the perfect healthy salad to get the New Year started in the right direction. I just bought some pomegranates today...and this looks like a great place to use them. This would make an awesome dinner salad. Nutritious and delicious for sure.
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks, Gloria! Let me know if you make it with those pom seeds! 🙂
Debra
Yum! I'm all about texture in salads and love that you have so many crunchy ingredients. I also enjoy the myriad of flavors you've got in that bowl. Such a creative mixture of ingredients. A great way to get some greens in.
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks, Debra! 🙂