Roasted Pears with cranberries, blue cheese and walnuts served over a bed of fresh arugula is a simple yet impressive recipe. This easy roasted pears salad is the perfect appetizer or salad any time of the year.
A simple yet impressive salad is the perfect addition to any meal. We love serving these roasted pears over a simple bed of arugula to create a delicious salad or appetizer dish. These roasted pears are stuffed with dried cranberries, blue cheese and walnuts before they are baked with a subtly sweet cider and port wine sauce. This dish is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving, Christmas or holiday menu.
How to make roasted pears
Follow a few easy steps to make this simple salad that is light, fresh and slightly sweet.
- First, prepare the pears by peeling, slicing in half, removing the core and removing the seeds. Use a knife to trim a small slice away from the rounded backside of each pear half so that they will sit in a baking dish without tipping over.
- Next, toss the pears with lemon juice and place them core side up in a baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine cider, port wine and brown sugar. Stir to combine and pour the mixture over and around the pears.
- Bake the pears for 30 minutes.
- Once the pears are baked, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Add arugula to the bowl and toss.
- Serve the baked pears over the arugula and sprinkle with salt and pepper, as desired.
While this salad is relatively simple, it makes an impressive dish for a dinner party or holiday event. And if you love pear recipes, try one of our favorite pear recipes below.
Pear recipes
- Pear Bread with Almond Glaze – homemade bread with a delicious almond glaze.
- Caramelized Pear Flatbread– a tasty appetizer or dinner!
- Pear and Avocado Salad – a fresh and healthy salad recipe made with pears, avocado and more.
Roasted Pears with Cranberries, Blue Cheese and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 3 ripe D'Anjou pears, peeled and sliced lengthwise into halves
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
- 3 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 3 tablespoon port wine
- 3 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 ounces baby arugula
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Using a paring knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear. Trim a small slice away from the rounded backside of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without tipping over. Toss the pears with 1/4 cup lemon juice. Place pears, core side up, in baking dish that is just large enough to hold the pears snugly.
- In a small bowl, combine the blue cheese, cranberries and walnuts; toss to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.
- In the same small bowl, combine the cider, port, and brown sugar; stir to combine. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears for 30 minutes, or until tender. While baking, occasionally spoon some of the basting liquid over the pears. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid. Add the arugula; toss well. Divide the arugula among 6 small plates and top each with a pear. Drizzle each pear with any excess basting liquid, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
- We love D'Anjou pears the best for this recipe because their texture is great for baking, but you can use another type of pear.
- If you can't find port wine, you can use a sweet red wine instead, such as Merlot, Shiraz or Chianti.
- You can omit the blue cheese or substitute it for feta or goat cheese.
This is the second recipe of yours that I’ve made and both have turned out amazing and were a hit:) I’ve been making a pear salad for years with raw pear but using baked pear – wow, brings out the sweetness so much more. Thanks:)
This is the perfect fall appetizer! I love the combination of sweet and savory!
This is such an elegant dish! I love the sweet and tangy flavors of the pears and blue cheese together!