This is a perfect salad for everyday or having friends over. The main cast of characters includes peppery arugula, sweet sliced pears, juicy red grapes, creamy goat cheese and a scatter of ruby red pomegranate arils. 2 soft pears (Bartlett pears is my choice) 4 cups arugula, trimmed. We all need more simple (and tasty) salads in our lives, and this arugula pear salad fits that description to a “T”. Salad: Combine the arugula, romaine, pears and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Toss the arugula with a couple of tablespoons of the dressing, and divide on top of each salad. It’s perfect to serve at any holiday dinner or at brunch. This can be done several days in advance, and the arugula will be well-drained and crispy. Drizzle over each salad… Tear or slice prosciutto into bite sized pieces. It has big, strong flavors — bitter, sweet, salty, and pungent — and yet it’s extremely simple to put together! This festive Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Pears is topped with pomegranate seeds and toasted pistachios. Add the arugula, fennel, parsley and goat cheese and season with salt and pepper. We’ve also enjoyed this Arugula, Pomegranate and Pear Salad as a main course, with rotisserie chicken. Our Arugula Pear Salad with Spiced Walnuts and Goat Cheese may not … Top with dressing. When ready to serve, place the pears in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon juice over and around, toss to coat the pears. Arugula Pear Salad with Goat Cheese A simple, tasty pear salad recipe, with arugula, red onion, walnuts and two cheeses – creamy goat and blue cheese. I always feel like there should be a few green veggie dishes at a holiday dinner. 1/2 goat cheese or gorgonzola. Top each plate with the goat cheese (grate finely if using firm, aged goat cheese, or simply crumble if using soft goat cheese). Pair it with the sweetness of seasonal pears, candied nuts… and the lightness of goat cheese with our champagne vinaigrette… wait, WOW!. Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add all but 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl. Add the arugula, fennel, parsley and goat cheese and season with salt and pepper. Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl (this works best if the cheese is very cold). Just make sure your pear is firm and sweet, and the cheese is soft and smeary — these flavors are all made to go together. It makes feel better about eating a second sliver of pumpkin pie. Topped with goat cheese, candied pecans and pomegranate seeds, then drizzled with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette – you’ll love every bite of this healthy salad! The peppery bite of arugula enlivens any salad. Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl (this works best if the cheese is very cold). When ready to serve, place the pears in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon juice over and around, toss to coat the pears. To prepare salad: Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. It’s so robust that I can be content with this and some good bread for dinner on a weekday night. For the dressing: Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing into a screw top jar and shake vigorously for 1 minute. The contrast in this salad between the sweetness of the pear and pomegranate, and the tartness of the goat cheese, is lovely. This arugula and pear salad, with pomegranate and goat cheese, is a great way to use the beautiful seasonal fruits and vegetables that are available this time of year.