The Best Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Pear Salad

We know there are a lot of salad recipes out there, but this is the best Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Pear Salad we’ve ever had. It’s the kind of salad you have at a restaurant one day and can’t stop thinking about after you go back home. It’s classy and elegant and feels like something that should be hard to make, but it’s not. This salad features delicate leafy lettuce, rich and toasted walnuts, funky and salty blue cheese, fruity pears, and a tasty toasted sesame soy dressing that combines savory, nutty, and sweet flavors. The result is a salad that is as simple and balanced as it is delicious.

Why We Think This is the Best Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Pear Salad

• So wonderfully balanced. It has savory, sweet, soft, and crunchy elements, and the lettuce and pears act almost like a palate cleanser for the stronger umami flavors. 
• Tastes fancy but is remarkably simple. The flavor profile is elegant and gourmet, but the salad itself is unfussy and easy to put together. The salad has only a few ingredients and the dressing is made of pantry and fridge staples.
• Can be customized to your liking. While we think this flavor combo is 100% as is, we know that not everyone likes pears, or walnuts, or (gasp) blue cheese. Feel free to change some of these things out (maybe use peaches, apples, or persimmons instead of pears), but if you change all of the elements, the end result will be entirely different. It will probably still be great, but it won’t be this salad.

Ingredients in the Best Blue Cheese, Walnut & Pear Salad

• Lettuce – we prefer butter lettuce, green leaf, or red leaf lettuce in this salad because of their delicate textures.
• Gorgonzola – you can use any blue cheese varietal, but we love gorgonzola for its creamy, mild flavor. If you hate all blue cheeses, you could switch it out to cubed manchego or parmesan, but it won’t be quite the same.
• Pears – we love pears with this salad, but you can also use apples or even peaches instead. For a special Fall treat, replace the pears with Fuyu persimmons, which are beautiful in this salad!
• Walnuts – using raw walnuts allows you to toast them in butter and a little salt yourself, which is part of why this salad is so good.
• Sesame Dressing – our dressing provides the perfect nutty and savory notes. It’s made with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and neutral oil, brown sugar, white vinegar, spicy brown mustard, a touch of mayonnaise for creaminess (use regular, kewpie, or plant-based), and sesame seeds.

How to Make This Salad

STEP 1: Toast the walnuts. In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter and add the raw walnuts and a pinch of salt (if you’re using salted butter, you can skip the salt here or add just a small amount). Toast the nuts in the pan, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the walnuts from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to cool.

STEP 2: Make the dressing. Place all the ingredients except sesame seeds into a high-sided container. Using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients until the dressing is emulsified. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Stir in the sesame seeds. 

STEP 3: Assemble the salad. Toss together the lettuce, gorgonzola, cooled walnuts, and pears in a large salad bowl. Add your desired amount of dressing and dig in!