Good gracious almighty. If doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the mark of insanity, I am a special kind of crazy. You see, I thought maybe I could move an entire home’s worth of belongings and get them organized in one day. Three weeks later, my second bedroom still looks like a photography studio exploded inside.
I thought maybe I could leave town for the weekend and get back to work right away, but yesterday didn’t work out so well. The fire alarms went off in my new apartment building for the first time and I’m still recovering from the shock. I understand that fire alarms should be loud, but forget the defibrillator—these could bring a mummy back to life. My ears ache just thinking about it.
And last week, I thought maybe I could just not sleep for a night to finish cookbook edits, which I managed to do—but I slept fourteen hours last night to catch up. Perhaps I should allow more time for recovery and extenuating circumstances, you say? Yeah yeah, I know, I know. (By the way, if you haven’t voted for the cover yet, you have just one day left!)
I’m also trying to make up for all the fresh, healthy food that I didn’t eat while my kitchen was in shambles. This green salad got me some bonus points in that area. It’s from a new cookbook called The Gourmet Kitchen by Jennifer Farley of Savory Simple, which offers a variety of gourmet recipes featuring fresh ingredients.
You know me; I couldn’t help but tinker with this recipe. Jennifer’s original recipe was inspired by bacon-wrapped, blue cheese-stuffed dates, which I loved before I swore off the bacon. I still really enjoyed it without the two slices of freshly cooked, crumbled bacon. I also tweaked the amounts of walnuts and blue cheese (a little more walnuts, a little less cheese).
This salad is a fun alternative to my favorite green salad. It would be a great addition to your holiday table, or your dinner table in general this time of year. With all the rich meals and holiday treats being passed around, it’s easy to forget the greens!
Pear, Date and Walnut Salad with Blue Cheese
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: Salad
This fresh green salad with pears, walnuts, dates and blue cheese is a fresh option for your holiday table! It’s a great side salad for fall dinners, too. Recipe yields 4 side salads.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Pinch of salt
- Several twists of freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- ⅓ cup chopped raw walnuts
- 5 to 6 ounces red leaf lettuce, torn into small pieces (about 5 to 6 cups), or spring mix
- 7 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced thin
- 2 Bosc* or Bartlett pears, unpeeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick pieces
- ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese (Jennifer used Roquefort; I used a more generic blue cheese option from Whole Foods but I think Gorgonzola would work well, too)
Instructions
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Taste, and adjust if necessary—I added some more mustard and another pinch of salt.
- To make the salad: First, toast the walnuts in a medium skillet over medium heat until fragrant, stirring often, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a medium serving bowl, combine the greens, dates, pears and toasted walnuts. When you’re ready to serve, drizzle in some dressing (you won’t need all of it) and toss until the greens are lightly coated, adding more if necessary. Serve in individual bowls with blue cheese sprinkled on top.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Gourmet Kitchen by Jennifer Farley.
*Pear notes: This was my first experience with Bosc pears, which you’ll probably see again in another recipe. I learned that they’re more firm than most varieties, but you know they’re ripe when they yield to gentle pressure at the neck.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the cheese. If you’re vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it nut free: Substitute sunflower seeds for the walnuts.
Change it up: If you don’t like blue cheese, goat cheese would be nice instead. I think this salad would also be great with slices of Golden Delicious apples, instead of the pears.
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Sarah | Well and Full
I’m in the middle of a move right now too and things are definitely not going as quickly as I thought they would be. But here’s to patience, right? :)
Kate
Good luck with your move, Sarah! Hope you’ll be really happy in your new space.
Meredith Youngson | Earth & Oven
Pear and blue cheese is suchhhh a good combo- I’m feelin’ it for my holiday salad lineup this year! The dates are such a good idea for texture!
Kate
Thanks, Meredith! All three go so well together.
Karlie
This looks so delicious! Good luck on everything — the cookbook coming out will be so worth it! xo
Kate
Thank you, Karlie! I sure hope so. :)
Taisha
Looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. I must also tell you I made your vegan lentil soup today. Delicious. I alsready shared the recipe with 4 friends. Yum!
Kate
Yay, thanks Taisha! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Christine | thyme & toast
Oh gosh, the blue cheese and dates make this salad. I definitely have been neglecting fresh greens lately, but this combo has me craving salad! Good luck with the cookbook and unpacking… hope everything regulates soon!
Kate
Thank you, Christine! I hope so, too!
Megan at Lush to Blush
Oh yummmm! I have to make this ASAP! What a delish winter salad!
Kate
Thanks, Megan!
Rhian @ Rhian's Recipes
This sounds delicious, I love the combination of different flavours and textures in here! Yum!
Kate
Thanks, Rhian! Hope you get a chance to try it soon.
Marian Walsky
That was really simple and delicious salad. My whole family loved it almost instantly! Thanks for sharing this!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Marian! I’m so glad.
Asiya Subhani
Salad mixed with dry fruits like dates and walnuts…Wow!!! I am in love with this salad and on top of it lovely blue cheese sprinkled…This is the perfect dry fruit salad for me…
Feestzaal
This is a really healthy yet tasty recipe! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Bernie
I happened to have the ingredients in my kitchen. Thanks for the suggestion.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Bernie! Hope you loved it.
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
I can’t wait to try this!
Harri
Looks so delicious, what a perfect combo. Will be making this on the weekend for sure!
Christine @ Yum and in Love
OMG YESSSSS!!! This salad reminds me of a delicious one we had at the most amazing Italian restaurant where I used to work. I forgot about it until now! I need to make this!
Kate
Awesome! I hope you love it!!
Amy
Absolutely delicious! Another winner.
Kate
Hooray, thanks Amy!
Cassie
Beautiful salad! I’ll have to try this but omit the cheese and maple syrup.
Susan Green
Made this for Christmas dinner and it was a big hit! Thank you.
★★★★★
Remy Bernard
This looks incredible. I know blue cheese sort of makes the dish, but is there another cheese you would reccomend if you have someone in the house that doesn’t like it? Thanks!
★★★★
Claudia
I made and loved this salad. My dates looked a bit dry. So, after cutting, I immersed the pieces in a small amount of water. By the time I was ready to assemble the salad they had hydrated beautifully. Also, tossing the salad didn’t work well for me, which made me assemble the salad, next time I made it, in layers (from the bottom up): lettuce, pears (bite size instead of slices), dates, walnuts, and cheese. I used feta cheese, and it was delicious!
★★★★★
Stef
Great combination, made it with Anjou pears and it was delicious. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
★★★★★
Paula
This salad was delicious. A little bacon would be yummy.
Kate
Yes, it can definitely be altered for meat-eaters :)
Rachel S.
I made this salad (and the carrot dill chickpea salad) for a potluck with my Argentine tango group. I received multiple compliments on both salads; everyone loved it!
Also, I used Gorgonzola cheese instead of blue cheese and it was delicious!
Kate
Thank you, Rachel!
Denise
Amazing!!! Loved finding this recipe, having all the ingredients and impressing my husband, we loved it!!!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Happy your husband was impressed. Go you! I appreciate the review, Denise.
Deb Reese
Outstanding ( and really easy) salad! Everyone loved it; we’ll be making this again. Thanks!
Kate
Great to hear, Deb! Thanks for sharing!
Betty
This salad is too easy to be great, however this dish is exceptional!
I have a question. My granddaughter is a vegartian. At 17 she only eats cheese, milk, bread and pasta. She dislikes vegetables.
Do you have a suggestion as to how we can get her to eat more protein and vegetables?
Love your site!
Thanks,
Bettybett
Kate
That’s a tough one! Does she eat soups at all? I know that can be helpful or get them in smoothies. Luckily, dairy has a good amount of protein.
Kathy
I made the salad with butter lettuce and all other ingredients in your recipe. My guests and I loved it!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Kathy! Thanks for your review.
Mobasir Hassan
A salad like this with some healthy ingredients like date,pear and walnut is a inspiration for food lovers . Eat healthy and keep healthy. Thanks for giving the new ideas for a healthy diet.
Kate
You’re welcome!
Stacey
Thanks for such a wonderful recipe. Your recipes always work perfectly. Thanks
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Stacey! Thanks so much for taking the time to review.
callen
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you for the quick (and amazing) dinner ideas.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Callen!
karena
The pear, date, walnut salad with blue cheese is lovely. But the seven screens of photos and musings about moving were more than little annoying. If I’m looking for a recipe, I’d at least like to see the ingredients before wading through the dreck.
Brittany
Do you think that dried figs would work in place of the dates?
I absolutely love the soft creamy texture of dates but was gifted a couple containers of dried figs and am trying to find uses other than just cheese plates.
Thank You!
Kate
You could try it! Let me know what you think, Brittany.
Annika
This is such an easy salad to put together and is absolutely delicious! I wanted a salad that included pears, walnuts and gorgonzola so this recipe seemed perfect.I used Asian pears since that’s what I received in my veggie box this week plus spinach. I had never added dates to a salad before but it was so good and I will definitely do this again. The dressing is very good and tied it all nicely together. My husband who would rather skip the salad even liked it a lot so this is definitely a winner! I will make it soon again
Esther
Made this for a Christmas work lunch and they loved it. Making again this year for two other events.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Esther! Thank you for your review.
Marianne
I doubled the recipe for a dinner party of eight. I did not double the dates because they were sticky when slicing them – tedious and time-consuming . Used Bosc pears and goat cheese, because that is what Costco had. :) Turned out wonderfully !! Everyone loved it ! I will make again. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Marianne! I appreciate your review.
Paula
Did this today and was absolutely delicious, didn’t add the mustard and cheese because i didn’t have, but it still tuned out great!
★★★★★
Tina
Thank you for the awesome recipe and tips for substitutes. It’s so delicious
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Tina! Thank you for your review.
Suzy
This was delicious and my guests raved! I used pecans rather than walnuts (because that’s what I had), and dipped the sliced pears into 1 cup of water w/ a squeezed lemon wedge to prevent browning. I tossed the greens in 2/3 of the dressing and served them on individual plates, topping each with the pears, dates, walnuts and blue cheese. I drizzled the remaining dressing on top. I think it makes a nicer presentation. It easily served 5; could have been stretched to 6.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Suzy!
Marggie
The salad was fabulous. I made it as per the recipe, minus the dates. Served with a blue cheese burger. Amazing. This salad will definitely be making regular appearances at my dinner table!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Marggie!
Lauren Rothenberg
Great salad. I added white meat rotisserie chicken. It was delicious.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Lauren! Thank you for your review.