This Easy Autumn Pear Salad with Honey Mustard dressing will easily become a favorite Fall salad recipe. Made with fresh mixed greens, sweet pears, crunchy pecans, and dressed in a delicious homemade honey mustard dressing. It’s a great holiday side dish, or just a healthy lunch recipe.
Easy Autumn Pear Salad with honey mustard dressing is the perfect side dish to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It has the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and crunch from the pecans. It’s so easy to throw together and will impress all your guests at your holiday dinner party.
I happen to love salad at Thanksgiving dinner to balance out the heaviness from the other staple dinner recipes. This easy salad recipe can be made to fit your family’s taste buds. Substitute apples for the pears, use blue cheese instead of feta, and candy your pecans for that extra sweetness. The possibilities are endless.
And let’s take a second to talk about the homemade honey mustard dressing. It’s made with simple pantry ingredients, and is perfect to keep in your fridge any time you want to dress a delicious simple salad recipe.
This salad recipe is a must try at this years holiday dinner.
Ingredients needed for this delicious Autumn pear salad
- Mixed Greens
- Pears
- Craisins
- Feta Cheese
- Pecans
- Olive Oil
- Lime Juice
- Honey
- Dijon Mustard
- Salt And Pepper
How to make the best Autumn pear salad with honey mustard dressing
This Fall salad is so easy to throw together, but the flavors are so delicious. The hardest part is dicing up the pears.
- In a mason jar, combine olive oil, fresh lime juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake well to mix ingredients and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- In a large serving bowl, combine mixed greens, chopped pears, craisins, feta cheese, and pecans. Toss well.
- Serve with dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Tips for making this Autumn pear salad
- Cut the pears just before serving, pears tend to brown a bit where they are cut.
- Serve the dressing on the side to prevent wilting the salad.
- Dressing can be made ahead of time and chilled in the fridge. Just give it a good shake or stir before serving.
- Be sure to use fresh squeezed lime juice and not bottled. The flavor is so much better.
Can I use a different cheese?
Of course you can. If your not a big fan of feta cheese, try using blue cheese crumbles instead. Shaved parmesan cheese or even gorgonzola would be delicious in this salad. Use the cheese you prefer and like the most.
What type of pear is best?
I used Anjou pears when I made this salad, and they were delicious. Bartlett pears are also great. I recommend choosing the pears that are ripe and on sale at the time.
*You can even substitute apples for pears if you prefer.
How to tell when pears are ripe?
Pears ripen from the inside out, so you can’t judge their ripeness by looking at the skin. To test if a pear is ripe, apply gentle pressure near the stem end. I
f it gives slightly, it’s most likely ready to be eaten. Pears are one of the few fruits that don’t ripen successfully on the tree.
How to ripen pears quickly?
If you are unable to find pears that are ripe, simply place them in a brown paper bag on the counter top for a few days. This will speed up the ripening process.
How to candy pecans?
In a medium skillet melt one Tbsp. butter along with one Tbsp. brown sugar over medium heat. Once mixture has melted add pecans and cook, stirring constantly until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate in a single layer to cool.
Other favorite salad recipes
Autumn Pear Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 2 ripe pears, washed and diced
- 1/2 cup craisins
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice about 3 limes
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- In a mason jar, combine olive oil, fresh lime juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake well to mix ingredients and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- In a large serving bowl, combine mixed greens, chopped pears, craisins, feta cheese, and pecans. Toss well.
- Serve with dressing on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
Have you tried this recipe?
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