This festive Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Pears is topped with pomegranate seeds and toasted pistachios. It’s perfect to serve at any holiday dinner or at brunch.
I always feel like there should be a few green veggie dishes at a holiday dinner. It makes feel better about eating a second sliver of pumpkin pie. This salad is light and simple to make. I dressed each salad serving separately with vinaigrette. Then I added the goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, and toasted pistachios.
What You’ll Need to Make This Salad
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Shallot
Balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad:
Arugula
Romaine lettuce
Pear – I used an Anjou pear, but you can use any pear you like
Fresh goat cheese
Fresh pomegranate seeds
Pistachios
How To Make Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Pears
Here's a few tips to help you when making this salad.
How To Choose a Pomegranate
Look for pomegranates that feel heavy and are a bright, dark red — the darker the color, the sweeter the fruit. Pomegranates will last in the refrigerator for two weeks and on your countertop for about a week. Pomegranates are full antioxidants and vitamin C.
What’s The Best Way To Seed A Pomegranate?
I like to score the pomegranate four times, then place the pomegranate in a bowl of water. Pull the quarters apart while submerged, and the seeds will begin to release. The pith (the white pieces) will float to the top, and the seeds will sink to the bottom. Scoop the pith out and drain the seeds. The seeds can be refrigerated for five days or kept in the freezer for three months.
How To Toast Pistachios
In this recipe, I toasted the pistachios in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the shelled pistachios on a baking sheet with parchment paper on it. Toast the nuts for 5 – 10 minutes. You want the nuts to be lightly browned. Keep your eye on the nuts, because they can burn very quickly.
How to Make the Balsamic Vinaigrette
I used a mason jar to mix the vinaigrette. Add the shallots, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper to the jar first. Close and shake well. Stream in the oil, close the jar, and shake well again. If there’s leftover vinaigrette, it will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Ingredients
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Arugula Salad
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 cups romaine lettuce torn
- 1 ripe pear cored and cut into cubes
- 2 ounces fresh goat cheese crumbled
- Fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup pistachio toasted and chopped
Instructions
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In a small bowl or mason jar, combine the shallot, vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Mix or shake well.
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Slowly stream in the olive oil and whisk well. If using a mason jar, pour in the olive oil and shake well. Set aside.
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In a large bowl combine the arugula, romaine, pear and lightly toss. Serve the salad on individual plates and lightly dress each serving with the vinaigrette. Top with and top with desired amount of goat cheese, pomegranate seeds and pistachios.
Recipe Video
Did you make this recipe?
I would love to know if you made any substitutions and switched it up to put your spin on this recipe. Snap a pic and post it to Instagram. Tag @lisamarietodd and hashtag #anappetizinglife. Enjoy!
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