Warm Roasted Pear and Arugula Salad with Feta, Walnuts and Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
A fall arugula pear salad with honey-roasted pear wedges, toasted walnuts, salty feta and pomegranate, dressed in a tangy honey-Dijon cider vinaigrette.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Serves
- 4
Warm Roasted Pear and Arugula Salad with Feta, Walnuts and Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette is a vegetarian side recipe made with firm-ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, olive oil, honey. It takes 37 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 371 calories, 6 g of protein and 5 g of fiber.
Roasting the pears at high heat caramelizes their cut sides and concentrates their sweetness, so they stand up to peppery arugula instead of getting lost. Toss the greens with the dressing first, then lay the warm pears on top so the arugula barely wilts rather than going limp. Use firm, just-ripe pears such as Bosc or Anjou; soft ones fall apart in the oven.
Ingredients
Roasted pears
- 2 large454 gfirm-ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 tsp7 ghoney
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine sea salt
Dressing
- 3 tbsp41 gextra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ tbsp23 gapple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp21 ghoney
- 2 tsp10 gDijon mustard
- 1 tbsp10 gshallot, very finely minced
- ¼ tsp1.5 gfine sea salt
- ¼ tsp0.6 gblack pepper, freshly ground
Salad
- ½ cup59 gwalnut halves, roughly chopped
- 5 oz142 gbaby arugula
- ½ cup75 gfeta, crumbled
- ⅓ cup57 gpomegranate seeds (optional)
Kit: rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, small skillet, large salad bowl, small jar with lid
Tips
- Pick pears that give only slightly near the stem; very ripe pears go mushy in a hot oven.
- Leave space between the wedges on the pan. Crowded pears steam and won't brown.
- Toss the greens with the dressing at the table if you're serving buffet-style. Dressed arugula starts to wilt within about 15 minutes, especially under warm fruit.
Swap ideas
- Crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese instead of feta
- Goat cheese makes it creamier and milder, while blue cheese gives a bolder, funkier contrast to the sweet pears.
- Pecans instead of walnuts
- The nuts taste sweeter and more buttery, with less bitterness.
- Maple syrup instead of honey
- Gives the pears and dressing a deeper, caramel-like sweetness.
- Half arugula, half baby spinach
- Makes the salad less peppery, which suits younger or more cautious eaters.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
371kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 5.3 g 27%
- Sugars
- 18.1 g
- Sodium
- 437 mg 19%
- Potassium
- 344 mg 7%
- Calcium
- 178 mg 14%
- Iron
- 1.5 mg 8%
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg 12%
- Vitamin B12
- 0.32 µg 13%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Pears, raw, bartlett (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Honey, Salt, table, Vinegar, cider, Mustard, prepared, yellow, Shallots, raw, Spices, pepper, black, Nuts, walnuts, english, Arugula, raw, Cheese, feta
Method
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Toss the pear wedges with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp honey and a pinch of salt, then spread them cut side down in a single layer with space between them.
Roast for 10 minutes, flip each wedge onto its other cut side, and roast 8–12 minutes more, until both cut sides are golden-brown at the edges and a knife slides in easily but the wedges still hold their shape.
While the pears roast, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, until fragrant and a shade darker, 4–6 minutes. Tip them onto a plate right away so they don't scorch.
Make the dressing: add the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, Dijon, minced shallot, salt and pepper to a small jar, seal and shake hard until creamy and emulsified, about 20 seconds. Taste and add a little more honey or vinegar to balance.
Just before serving, toss the arugula in a large bowl with about two-thirds of the dressing until lightly coated, then spread it on a platter.
Let the pears cool for 2–3 minutes so they're warm rather than hot, then arrange them over the arugula. Scatter the feta, walnuts and pomegranate seeds on top, drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve immediately.
Storage: This salad is best eaten right away. You can refrigerate the dressing in a sealed jar for up to 1 week (shake it again before using) and keep the toasted walnuts airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days. Roasted pears keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Rewarm them at 400°F for 5 minutes and assemble the salad just before serving.
Questions
- How much protein is in warm roasted pear and arugula salad with feta, walnuts and honey-dijon vinaigrette?
- Each of the 4 servings has 6 g of protein, 5 g of fiber and 371 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is warm roasted pear and arugula salad with feta, walnuts and honey-dijon vinaigrette vegan?
- No, it's vegetarian rather than vegan because it contains honey and honey and feta. Everything else in it is plant-based.
- How long does warm roasted pear and arugula salad with feta, walnuts and honey-dijon vinaigrette take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 22 minutes of cooking, so 37 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make warm roasted pear and arugula salad with feta, walnuts and honey-dijon vinaigrette ahead?
- This salad is best eaten right away. You can refrigerate the dressing in a sealed jar for up to 1 week (shake it again before using) and keep the toasted walnuts airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days. Roasted pears keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Rewarm them at 400°F for 5 minutes and assemble the salad just before serving.
- What can I substitute in warm roasted pear and arugula salad with feta, walnuts and honey-dijon vinaigrette?
- Crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese instead of feta — goat cheese makes it creamier and milder, while blue cheese gives a bolder, funkier contrast to the sweet pears.. Pecans instead of walnuts — the nuts taste sweeter and more buttery, with less bitterness.. Maple syrup instead of honey — gives the pears and dressing a deeper, caramel-like sweetness.. Half arugula, half baby spinach — makes the salad less peppery, which suits younger or more cautious eaters..
- Does warm roasted pear and arugula salad with feta, walnuts and honey-dijon vinaigrette contain tree nuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes tree nuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 23, 2026 ·American
