Spinach and Pear Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette is an absolutely fabulous, gourmet salad recipe.

spinach and pear salad on white plate with fork

This is such a beautiful salad recipe to add to your dinner menu. The easy-to-make, homemade dressing is tossed with fresh spinach leaves. Toasted pecans, fresh pear and blue cheese are additional salad components. It all makes for a delicious spinach and pear salad that you’re going to love!

ingredients displayed for spinach and pear salad

Ingredients needed:

  • red wine vinegar and rice vinegar
  • vegetable broth
  • shallots
  • olive oil
  • fresh parsley and fresh rosemary
  • fresh spinach leaves
  • toasted pecans
  • fresh pears
  • crumbled blue cheese

pouring dressing onto spinach and pear salad

How to make Spinach and Pear Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette:

The homemade rosemary vinaigrette is easily made in a blender. Red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, vegetable broth, shallots and olive oil are processed until smooth. Then you can pour the vinaigrette into your favorite serving vessel and season it with fresh parsley, fresh rosemary and salt and pepper.

To assemble the salad, you will simply toss fresh spinach and toasted pecans in a bowl with the salad dressing. I suggest adding a little dressing at a time until you reach your desired amount. You can always add more to individual servings. To plate, divide the salad between four plates or salad bowls and top with pear slices and blue cheese. Drizzle more dressing on top, as desired.

spinach and pear salad on plate

How to toast pecans:

Place the pecans on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Keep an eye on them so they don’t brown too quickly or burn. Alternately, you can toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir them with a wooden spoon until lightly browned, and then remove them from the pan onto a paper towel or cutting board to cool.

spinach and pear salad on white plate

What are the best pears to use for salad?

The pears are the star of the show here, so you’ll want to use your favorite just-ripe pears to add to the salad. Bartlett, Bosc and Anjou are common varieties that work well for salads. You want to use pears that are barely ripe. They should have a sweet smell and yield slightly when squeezed. A perfect pear for salad will be sweet and juicy, but still a bit crisp and firm.

spinach and pear salad close up

Try this yummy pear salad the next time you need a new salad recipe! Add chicken to make it a main dish salad. Enjoy!

Here are a few more spinach salad recipes you might like to try:

If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.

spinach and pear salad on white plate with fork
5 from 2 votes

Spinach and Pear Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette

A fabulous gourmet salad recipe!
Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients

VINAIGRETTE:

SALAD:

  • 4 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted pecans
  • 2 medium ripe pears, unpeeled (cored and thinly sliced)
  • ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Instructions 

PREPARE THE VINAIGRETTE:

  • In a blender, process the vinegars, broth, shallots and olive oil until smooth. Pour into a small dish. Stir in the parsley and rosemary. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:

  • In a large bowl, toss the spinach and pecans with enough dressing to coat. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Top with sliced pears and sprinkle with cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 194kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 337mg, Potassium: 1478mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 22372IU, Vitamin C: 72mg, Calcium: 290mg, Iron: 7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 2 votes

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2 Comments

  1. Jessi Graven says:

    5 stars
    Such great flavors! My husband and I received some Harry & David pears over the holidays and this is how we ate each one!

  2. Alex says:

    5 stars
    Pears and blue cheese – a perfect combination