Pear and Beet Salad With Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Have you ever had a plated salad at a fancy-schmancy restaurant? The kind where you take a bite and wonder how they came up with and made these few ingredients taste so amazing!

Well, I did it!

This is, hands-down, the best salad I have ever made.

I say this in fear of sounding like a freak, but every bite was, well, orgasmic.

Seriously!

Funny enough, the only reason I made it was because I had a package of cooked beets in the fridge that were about to expire. I bought some pears for the 9-Year-Old who requested them, and when I was shopping this weekend I spied goat cheese. Something I has never, ever bought.

Someone mentioned in a comment how well goat cheese and beets go together so I figured, what the heck? I'll give it a try.

Well, I'm glad I did! What an awesome combo!

I found goat cheese to be similar to feta but not as salty. Which reminds me, if you don't have goat cheese, feta would probably work, too.

I'm really into beets and mint together. It adds such a freshness while turning down that famous beet earthiness.

The pear was a great addition, adding sweetness and a different texture that really complemented the beets.

Here's what I did...

• ~20 fresh mint leaves (¼ tsp dried mint should work)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Healthy pinch of salt
• 8.8 oz (250g) roasted or cooked beets (I buy them cooked from Costco, but you can use canned or roast your own)
• 1 Bartlett pear
• 1 oz crumbled goat cheese
• 1 oz (28g) walnuts

Whisk and smash the mint, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to make the dressing.

Set aside.

Prepare the beets and the pear by cutting them in half and then slicing. Place them in a large bowl with the walnuts and goat cheese.

Pour the dressing on top and toss!

Separate into 2 servings or pile on a plate for a tasty lunch!

I ate half and saved the other mostly because I wanted to see how this salad would hold up. It was good the next day but much better fresh, so this is one salad I recommend making and eating right away to prevent the pears from softening too much.

Yield: 2 Servings

Pear and Beet Salad With Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Print

Easy to make pear and beet salad printable recipe.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• ~20 fresh mint leaves (¼ tsp dried mint should work)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch of salt
• 8.8 oz (250g) roasted or cooked beets (I buy them cooked from Costco, but you can use canned or roast your own)
• 1 Bartlett pear
• 1 oz crumbled goat cheese
• 1 oz (28g) walnuts

Instructions

1. Whisk and smash the mint, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to make the dressing.
2. Set aside.
3. Prepare the beets and the pear by cutting them in half and then slicing. Place them in a large bowl with the walnuts and goat cheese.
4. Pour dressing on top and toss!
5. Separate into 2 servings or pile on a plate for a tasty lunch!
6. I ate half and saved the other mostly because I wanted to see how this salad would hold up. It was good the next day but much better fresh, so this is one salad I recommend making and eating right away to prevent the pears from softening too much.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 154mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g