Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
This Fresh Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing is composed of sliced pears topped with tangy blue cheese dressing and toasted slivered almonds.
Sometimes it’s hard to come up with new things to share with you here on the blog. It’s something like having writer’s block. Except with pots and pans. A cooking block? So whenever that happens, I always try to think back to recipes that I loved as a child. Those dishes that were special favorites and still make me smile today.
This recipe was inspired by one of those childhood favorites. A luscious pear salad.
I think I remember Mama saying she learned the recipe in her high school Home Economics class, but I could be wrong about that. No matter. It was one of my most favorite things that she put on the table during my childhood years.
The salad consisted of a halved pear topped with a little dollop of mayonnaise and plenty of grated cheddar cheese. Yum. So simple and so delicious. The contrast of the sweet pear with the smooth, creamy mayonnaise and the tangy cheddar cheese was just an unbeatable combination. I still serve that salad even after all these years and I never tire of it.
But I thought maybe I’d do a little update of it. Not to make improvements really, just to put a little different spin on it. That’s how this Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing came about. I used sliced, fresh pears topped with a lightened blue cheese dressing and toasted almonds for a little crunchy texture. And it is just divine.
Truth time – I made this while BeeBop was working in the garage on a project and ate the whole thing before he came back in the house. He didn’t even get a taste :-)
How to Make Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
The first step is to make the dressing. Combine the yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, blue cheese, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir together until well mixed. Stir in a little milk or cream until the mixture is the consistency you like for dressing. Set it aside.
Toast the slivered almonds in a 350 degree oven. Watch carefully since they will burn easily. I speak from experience.
Halve the pears, remove the core and slice crosswise.
Transfer each sliced pear to a lettuce-lined salad plate. Drizzle with dressing and top with toasted almonds. Add additional blue cheese crumbles if desired.
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
- Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Grapes
- Spring Salad with Strawberries and Sweet Balsamic Dressing
- Carrot and Dried Cranberry Salad
- Sweet Corn Salad with Seared Sea Scallops
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
I’d LOVE to know what you thought!
Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked it!
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Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 fresh pears core removed, sliced
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- Lettuce
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup low-fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 ounces blue cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Combine the yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, blue cheese, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Stir until well combined. Add enough milk or cream to create the consistency of dressing you prefer. Set aside.
Toast the Almonds:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Check after about 6 minutes and watch closely to prevent burning.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Assemble the Salad:
- For each serving, place a sliced pear atop a lettuce-lined salad plate. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and additional crumbled blue cheese.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Even though I’ve always been a plain green salad fan for most of my life I’ve been mixing fruit into salads for a couple of months now and I love trying new combinations. These pears look perfectly juicy:)
I love the combination of pears and blue cheese; it’s one of my favorite salads. This looks so pretty Lana; makes me want to run out and find some pears stat!
Sounds like a perfect post to me! I love the idea of adding blue cheese to a pear salad, sounds refreshing! Hugs, Terra
Pears and blue cheese are one of my all-time favorite food combinations and this salad looks out of this world good!!
I love the simplicity of it and the childhood memories.
Can’t wait to try this updated version of a salad I also enjoyed. I make it now for my grandsons and add a maraschino cherry on top.
Still a great classic recipe, isn’t it Gay?
Oh I am so totally making that dressing
Good for much more than just this pear salad, too :-)
yes Lana, I do love your updated version… grew up on that same pear salad too, our moms must have had the same teacher. Pinned this as it will be on our menu soon – have a great week and enjoy this fine weather…
After I wrote this post I did a Google search to see if anybody had ever posted that old pear-mayo-cheese salad. You’d be surprised at how many accounts there are online! And everyone loved it. Talked about how their mamas and grandmas made it all the time. Those old classics are just the best, aren’t they?
Love this salad!
Thanks, Maria.
I love blue cheese and pears together and this simple salad is a “must try”! Love it!
Megan – I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! It’s a favorite here.