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–+ servings
Harvest Pear Salad in a large bowl
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5 from 5 votes

Harvest Pear Salad

This Harvest Pear Salad is light and fresh with all the flavors of fall! With pumpkin spiced pecans, cranberries, and pears, it is a favorite fall dish.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Refrigerate1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pear Salad, Salad
Servings: 6
Calories: 330kcal
Author: Echo Blickenstaff

Ingredients

  • 1 bag Spring mix bagged salad
  • 3 fresh pears sliced
  • pumpkin spiced pecans see instructions below
  • 1/3 cup Feta cheese crumbles
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries

For pumpkin spiced pecans

  • 1 cup whole pecans
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

For dressing

Instructions

For the dressing:

  • Combine cranberries, orange juice, and sugar in a medium-sized sauce pan. Cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly, until all the cranberries pop. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
    cranberry sauce in a sauce pan
  • Pour cranberry mixture into a blender and add olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
    Cranberry Vinaigrette in a small glass pitcher

For the pumpkin spiced pecans:

  • Mix sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl until blended well. Add pecans and sugar mixture to a skillet.
    pecans, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a skillet
  • Cook over medium until sugar is melted - stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn the sugar. It will seem like the sugar is just clumping, but keep stirring - it will melt and coat the nuts. As soon as sugar is melted onto the pecans, pour pecans onto aluminum foil to cool.
    pumpkin spice candied pecans in a pan

For the salad:

  • Layer all ingredients in a large bowl.
    Spring mix in a large bowl with sliced pears, pecans, feta cheese, and dried cranberries
  • Serve with Cranberry Vinaigrette Dressing.
    Harvest Pear Salad on a plate drizzled with cranberry vinaigrette dressing

Notes

Recipe Tips:
  • Make the dressing ahead of time. It will stay good in the refrigerator. Just stir or mix it up before serving.
  • The dressing will be thick and creamy. If you prefer a thinner dressing, add small amounts of water (1 tablespoon at a time) until desired consistency is reached.
  • Make the spiced pecans ahead of time so they have plenty of time to cool before serving.
  • Make the salad as close to serving as possible so the lettuce doesn't get soggy.
  • Mix up the ingredients; try different cheeses or fruits in the salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 487mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg