Fresh Arugula & Pear Salad with Blue Cheese

05/17/25

This show-stopper of a salad celebrates a timeless cheeseboard trio—sweet pear, punchy blue cheese, and toasted walnuts—layered over peppery rocket and finished with a light balsamic vinaigrette. Elegant and quick to prep, it's perfect for dinner parties, holiday tables, or cosy nights in. Vegetarian-friendly.

Jump to Recipe

Love a good cheeseboard? This salad will be right up your alley.

It’s got all the flavours and textures you’d expect—sweet, crunchy, fresh, funky—with a dose of goodness from leafy greens.

While the creamy blue cheese makes it feel decadent, the fresh salad and tangy balsamic vinaigrette keep it light—perfect for complementing your main without stealing the show. It’s my go-to autumn side salad when Beurré Bosc pears are in season (though it works great with other pear varieties too🍐).

Seasonal eating is one of the easiest ways to boost nutrition and flavour, with fruit and vegetables at their ripest and freshest here—something I always encourage as a Registered Nutritionist! For more healthy salad ideas, check out N&T’s collection of salad recipes.

Gather Ingredients

Type of blue cheese. During recipe testing, Danish Blue came out on top. It’s readily available at supermarkets and its texture is on point (semi-soft yet crumbly, so you get nice flecks of cheese throughout the salad). On the flavour intensity scale, I’d give it a balanced 6 out of 10. For something milder, try Gorgonzola Dolce. It’s creamy and slightly sweet, though too soft to crumble, so you’ll need to gently blob it in. After more funk? Go for Roquefort. It’s aggressive, in a good way.
Picking the right fruit. Look for pears that give a little when you press their skin, enough to hold shape when sliced. Like avocados, pears have a short window of prime. Too firm, and they’re floury; too soft, and they’re mushy.

Scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredients and detailed method.

Let’s Make: Pear Walnut Salad

Toast walnuts in a preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

Halve the pears and scoop out cores. Place cut-side down and thinly slice.

Fresh rocket tossed with balsamic dressing — Whisk together salad dressing ingredients until emulsified. Lightly toss together 2 Tbsp of the dressing with the rocket.

Layer half the arugula, pears, walnuts and cheese. Drizzle with half the dressing. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Test Kitchen Notes

Remove the pear’s tough, grainy core (no fun to eat!). I found the easiest way was using a small measuring spoon to scoop it out. If you don’t have one, a paring knife works too—just cut around the core, angling slightly toward the centre to remove it in one clean motion.
Slice the fruit not too thick, not too flimsy. Aim for slices that bend slightly when picked up with a fork. Not so thin they flop, but not so thick they snap.
Layer, don’t toss. I found this helped protect the delicate rocket leaves from getting crushed, and kept heavier ingredients from sinking—making the salad look prettier and taste more balanced.

Serving & Storage

This salad is best served freshly made. The rocket starts to wilt once dressed and pears brown once sliced. While quick and easy to make, to save time you can toast the walnuts and mix the dressing in advance. They keep well for a week.

I reckon this one’s a winner next to a juicy roast chicken and warm crusty sourdough. So good!

Thanks for reading! After another fall-inspired salad? Check out my Honey Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Salad🍂.