Sweet Peas and Saffron

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Spinach Pear Salad with Gouda and Hazelnuts

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A delicious spinach pear salad topped with Gouda cheese, toasted hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds, all tossed in a tangy vinaigrette. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

overhead view of pear salad in white bowl

This recipe was originally published in 2014. It has been updated with fresh photos, tips and a video in 2019! Same delicious recipe.

When it comes to salads, I’m unapologetically opinionated. It must have something sweet, something savory, something crunchy and something creamy.

This spinach pear salad has all of the above and gets bonus points for the pretty factor. The red + green means it would be perfect to grace your holiday table!

With the toasted hazelnuts and gouda, it feels special, but it can be our secret that it’s incredibly easy to prepare 😉

Reasons you’ll ♡ this spinach pear salad

  • it’s simple to prepare but is perfect for a special occasion
  • it tastes amazing!!
  • it looks beautiful and would be great for a holiday meal

side view of 1/2 pint jar with white wine vinaigrette

Which ingredients do we need?

  • spinach– or any leafy green. Arugula would be a great alternative!
  • pomegranate seeds– which you can de-seed in advance. See my method in this How to Eat a Pomegranate post!
  • gouda– I went for a regular gouda, but you could be adventurous and try different flavors! If you can’t find gouda, goat cheese or feta cheese would be a delicious alternative.
  • pear– a used a Bartlett pear for this recipe but really any pear will be great in this pear salad including Bosc or Anjou.
  • hazelnuts– be sure to take the extra time to toast them…this makes ALL the difference in this salad! If you are short on hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts would be a great alternative.
  • white wine vinaigrette– we are using my favorite white wine vinaigrette in this recipe. It is tangy but neutral and lets all the other flavors shine.

toasting the hazelnuts for the pear salad recipe

How to make this pear salad recipe

The best thing about this pear salad recipe (other than the amazing flavors, of course) is the fact that you can prep components ahead.

  1. toast hazelnuts– I highly recommend doing this as it brings out so much more flavor. This can be done a week or more ahead of time!
  2. de-seed pomegranate– do this  up to 3 days ahead and store in the fridge.
  3. shake up vinaigrette– can be done up to a week ahead.
  4. things to do right before serving– cube gouda, chop pear, toss salad in vinaigrette.

This salad is absolutely delicious, but it does not keep well. I recommend not doing step 4 until right before you are ready to eat. After dressing, the salad is good for about an hour.

overhead view of spinach pear salad (tossed up)

Does this pear salad recipe work for meal prep? Unfortunately this salad is not great for meal prep thanks to the pears. If you left off the pears, it *might* work layered in a mason jar keeping leafy greens away from the dressing, but I have not tested.

Can I swap an ingredient in this recipe? Yes, this is an extremely flexible recipe! Check the ‘ingredients’ section above for swap suggestions.

What to serve with spinach pear salad? This is a great holiday meal and goes well with a number of sides and entrees. Here are some suggestions:

close up view of pear salad on fork

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this spinach pear salad with hazelnuts and gouda. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

Tips & equipment for perfect pear salad:

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Spinach Pear Salad with Gouda & Hazelnuts

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas, classic, gluten-free, holiday, Thanksgiving, traditional
Calories: 267kcal
Servings: 4 -6
A delicious spinach pear salad topped with Gouda cheese, toasted hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds, all tossed in a tangy vinaigrette. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1/3 cup hazelnuts (coarsely chopped)
  • 5 oz baby spinach (140g)
  • 1 pear (cubed)
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1/2 cup Gouda cheese (cubed)

Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon dijon
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a pan, toast hazelnuts over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden brown. This will take around 10 minutes.
  • Shake together all vinaigrette ingredients.
  • Combine all salad ingredients and toss in dressing. Serve immediately.

Notes

* make ahead- hazelnuts may be toasted and dressing shaken together up to a week ahead. Pomegranate may be de-seeded up to 3 days ahead.
** do not slice pear or toss salad in the vinaigrette until just before serving.
*** this salad does not keep well and must be eaten within an hour of dressing

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 batch | Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4125IU | Vitamin C: 15.5mg | Calcium: 235mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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Comments

  5. Isadora

    Gouda is one of my favorite things too! This is totally a Friday worthy salad and I love all the ingredients, Denise! I love adding fruit and nuts to my salads, they add such great taste and texture! I could eat this salad for lunch all week 🙂

    Reply

  6. katie

    I need more of these kinds of salads in my life! This spinach salad look amazing, and I haven’t had gouda cheese on anything in way to long..pinned 🙂

    Reply

  8. Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen

    I can’t believe I haven’t had a hearty spinach salad in so long! For some reason, when the cooler weather hits I really start to crave spinach salads like this one (I love all the goodies you have in there – yum!!). Pinned 🙂

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Geraldine! Thanks so much for the inspiration for this salad! When I saw that you put Gouda in your salad, I just had to put it in mine, too 🙂 Love it, absolutely delicious!

      Reply

  16. Helen @ Scrummy Lane

    Ooh, this is my kind of salad … minimum ingredients and maximum taste. I also love that the proportions in your dressing are really easy to remember – 2, 2, 2 and then a smidge of mustard. I can work with that! It always irritates me that I haven’t got these kinds of things clear in my head and always end up having to look up a recipe, which makes the whole thing not so fast any more.
    Anyway, thanks for a wonderfully creative but simple salad idea. Love it and sharing!

    Reply

    • Denise

      I agree with you, simple recipes are the best 🙂 And it wasn’t intentional for the dressing measurements to be like that, but I’ll take it! Thanks, Helen!

      Reply

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