This colourful Asian Pear Chopped Salad is bursting with crisp pears, crunchy vegetables, sweet cranberries and tangy blue cheese, all on a bed of fresh crisp lettuce. It's a family favourite, perfect for potlucks.
❤️ Why you'll love this chopped salad
First, what is a chopped salad?
- A chopped salad differs from a green salad in that the ingredients are chopped into fairly uniformly sized small pieces. In that way, every forkful gives you a little bit of everything in one bite!
- Chopped salads provide more bang for your buck than green salads. Every forkful offers more interest, variety, texture and nutrition than a simple leafy green salad.
- Crisp pears with blue cheese make a winning combination. And when you use Asian pears (also called apple pears) their naturally sweet flavour complements the sharp and tangy blue cheese perfectly.
- This cheerful Asian pear salad will brighten the gloomiest day! This salad is crisp and colourful and it can be an ideal antidote for drizzly days.
I love this Crispy Fennel Apple Chopped Salad with Walnuts and this Fennel Apple Chicken Salad with Pumpkin Spice Pecans and Chopped Chicken Taco Salad.
But when pears are in season, this crisp and crunchy chopped salad is a favourite. I always buy extra pears so I can make this Asian Pear Slaw with Ginger and Lime as well!
🛒 Ingredients for Asian Pear Salad with Blue Cheese
Here are a few notes about the key ingredients in this recipe. You'll find a complete list with amounts in the recipe card below.
- pears: While I've made this salad using different types of pears, my favourite is the Asian pear, (sometimes known as apple pear.) They are naturally sweet and cruncy.
- blue cheese: or Gorgonzola cheese.
- dried cranberries: These offer a sweet contrast to the salty blue cheese.
- cucumber: for extra crunch
- red bell pepper: for colour and crunch
- red onion: for an extra pungent flavour. If you find these too spicy, soak them in cool water for 15 - 30 minutes, then drain the water off.
- pumpkin seeds: These add protein and are rich in antioxidants, iron, zinc, and magnesium. Substitute sunflower seeds, walnuts or pecans.
- romaine: You could substitute iceberg lettuce for romaine. It's important to use a crisp, crunchy lettuce in this chopped salad.
I usually dress this salad with a simple emulsion of oil and vinegar with a little sea salt or Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
It's also delicious with Maple Balsamic Dressing.
Instructions
This is an ideal recipe to prepare ahead of time.
- First, wash, dry, and chop the romaine and refrigerate it in a covered container.
- Next, chop the remaining fruit and vegetables. Combine in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
- Just before serving, top the romaine with the pear mixture and garnish with blue cheese and pumpkin seeds.
- Whisk olive oil and vinegar together with a pinch or two of sea salt and pepper and toss with the salad.
👍🏼 Helpful tips to make the best pear and blue cheese salad
I always feel uncomfortable when I'm out for dinner and I'm faced with a bowl of large leafy greens that are difficult to eat politely!
When you make this Asian pear salad, cut the greens into small bite-sized pieces. They'll co-operate by staying on your fork along with the other fruit and veggies, and you'll make the transfer from plate to mouth with a minimum of fanfare.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Any of the following main dishes will complement the sweet and salty flavours of this pear salad.
- Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
- Asian Glazed Garlic Chicken
- Easy Thai Baked Chicken
- Sesame Miso Salmon Rice Bowls
- Miso Glazed Salmon in Foil Packets
🗒 More salad recipes
- Hearty Tuscan Salad with Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
- Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries and Feta
- Chopped Chicken Taco Salad with Zesty Lime Dressing
🌟 Did you make this recipe?
When you make this asian pear salad, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! I love hearing from you. Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Asian Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1 head crisp lettuce (like romaine or iceberg), chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 winter pear or Asian pear, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice (to prevent browning)
- 1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ medium long English cucumber, seeded and chopped
- ¼ - ½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- sea salt or Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Toss the chopped pear with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Put the pear, pepper, red onion, cucumber, and cranberries in a bowl.
- Toss with olive oil and vinegar.
- Arrange chopped romaine lettuce on a serving platter or bowl.
- Top with pear mixture and garnish with blue cheese and pumpkin seeds.
- Serve.
Nutrition
(This recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been updated with new information and photos.)
Misty
This salad has such a nice variety of flavours. Made it recently for friends. Rave reviews! Thanks for making me look good!
Elaine
Ha ha! Happy to help out! Thanks for the 5 star rating!
Cathy
I made this salad for dinner tonight, substituting feta for the blue cheese for personal preference, and it's fabulous! I plan to put it on my Christmas menu this year.
Flavour & Savour
Oh, that's great! Thanks for letting me know, Cathy! That's a favourite of ours, too!
Suzanne
Whenever I feel like a different salad I can go no further than yours. Always tasty, different and really liked by my family. We live in Brisbane so it's always BBQ weather here. This salad will be introduced at the next BBQ. Thanks for this Elaine.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Suzanne,
I'm so envious of your BBQ weather! The sun is peeking out now, but it's bound to be a rainy week here. Someday we'll make it to Australia!! Thanks so much for your kind words!
Flavour & Savour
Great idea! Chopped salads are THE BEST! Hope the sun shines in your neck of the woods today.:)
Kathi @ laughingspatula
Wouldn't this dress up our Thanksgiving table and be a nice change! Lovely salad...I love chop chop!