Radicchio, Pear, Gorgonzola, Pomegranate, and Walnut Salad
Whew. That was a mouthful. Literally and figuratively. I contemplated leaving out an ingredient or two in the title, but they all deserve their own little spotlight.
Believe it or not, this salad was never meant for the blog. Nuts, right? That is a very odd thing in and of itself, because let’s face it, most of the ‘creative’ or ‘new’ dishes that come out of my kitchen are designed to be shared with all of you.
As wacky as it sounds, it feels a bit…crazy (odd choice of words, I know)…to make something and just…eat it.
You know, like a normal person. That’s what normal people do, right?
No pressure to take pictures (or chase down daylight) or interrogate Connor with questions like, “OK, but seriously, what do you actually think?” over and over again.
Actually, let’s be honest, I would probably do both of those things even if I didn’t have this food blog. Hello, instagram!
My point is…this salad recipe evolved out of brainstorming for last week’s Thanksgiving Day feast. I offered to contribute a bunch of dishes for that day, and knew that I wanted to bring along a colorful salad. After all, if you are going to get away with serving a salad at Thanksgiving (most people would disapprove of this entire concept altogether), it better be interesting.
You get extra points if you serve a salad that involves cheese, because let’s face it, those are–without a doubt–the best kinds of salads.
Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, this salad deserves a little bit more attention–so part of me knew that I needed to recreate it to share it with all of you.
Obviously, the Gorgonzola cheese is crucial to this salad. It contributes saltiness and a little bit of funkiness to every bite–but the pomegranates and pear are equally as special. I’m officially a fruit-in-my-salad person now.
The sweetness of the fruit and vinaigrette pair perfectly with the bitterness of the radicchio, which makes up a hefty portion of the salad. Although I made the vinaigrette with fig balsamic vinegar (which I noted in the recipe), feel free to substitute this with a high-quality balsamic vinegar.
This salad is super festive, colorful, and perfect for the holiday season ahead!
This recipe serves a decent crowd (4 to 6 people roughly), but can easily scale up or down, and would make a great first course or side dish for all of those wonderful holiday dinners ahead of us.
Could pomegranates be more festive? I mean, really.
My love for that fruit has no bounds.
Radicchio, Pear, Gorgonzola, Pomegranate, and Walnut Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons fig balsamic vinegar (or high-quality balsamic vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons toasted walnut oil
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 pinches of salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
- 1 head of radicchio
- 2.5 ounces mixed baby greens
- 2 Bosc pears, cored, quartered, and sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
- 3/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate arils
- 3 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Slowly pour in the walnut oil, followed by the olive oil, whisking continuously with your other hand, until the mixture is emulsified. Smash the garlic clove with a side of a knife and add it to the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Slice the radicchio in half, remove the core, and slice the radicchio perpendicularly into 3/4-inch-thick ribbons. Combine the radicchio and mixed greens in a large salad bowl. Add the pear chunks, walnuts, and pomegranate arils. Slowly add the vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens, and gently toss the salad. Top the salad with the crumbled gorgonzola cheese and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 251mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g
A Beautiful Plate provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.
I love a good salad chalk full of “stuff”, so I’m glad you left in all the fun ingredients here. I mean, gorgonzola and pomegranate?! YES!
Gorgeous salad! Pinned!
Thanks for sharing, Tori!
Well, if that isn’t the prettiest salad I’ve ever seen!
I love when I get to make something and JUST eat it. It feels so easy! But I’m definitely glad you decided to share this salad with us. Gorgeous colors, Laura!
Fruit in salads is my favorite, I always have fruit in my salads! This is so great!
Thanks Tieghan! I’m a convert!
Looks great!
I am in love with the ingredients in this salad, especially the nuts and gorgonzola! Very brave of you to bring a salad to thanksgiving. I bet this didn’t disappoint.
I know! People could have been really mad at me, ha! Thanks Mariana!
Wow, this salad looks delightful! I’m a huge salad fan and will definitely add this recipe to my rotation. Thanks for sharing!
This looks fantastic – so crisp and delicious Laura!
Wow Laura, what a stunning salad! The combination of pears, Gorgonzola and walnuts is one of my absolute favorites! And the pictures… I just want to jump right in!
Thanks so much Nora! You’re the sweetest!
Is that red cabbage I see? Love it! You know this salad looks impressive, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t do salads. I am definitely putting this in my rotation!
Radicchio, but close! Thanks Aida, that’s a big compliment!
Two things. 1. POMEGRANATES. All about them right now. 2. I literally do the same thing to Kevin, “I know you like it, but do you REALLY like it?? You can be honest!” Haha. Gorgeous and totally blog-worthy.
Seriously! I might have to do a pomegranate week or something. That is how far my obsession goes. Pretty sure we are kindred spirits! 🙂
This looks absolutely insane! Yum! Andplusalso, I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels a little bit crazy some days when all I want to do is photograph my food then ask my husband 1,000 questions about how he really feels about a recipe. Ha!
OK so many things: 1) YUM to this salad, 2) I need to get more pomegranates in my life! You’ve inspired me and 3) Your photos are just so darned stunning.
I bought these pomegranates at Wegmans, and they were literally the size of my HEAD!!! So good. Thanks so much Steph! 🙂
What a stunning salad! I am a big fan of fruits and nuts in salad. Best part of it is that they are super delicious and healthy.
Beautiful photography, as usual…
Cheers!
Laura, I’m so glad you decided to share this salad with us because it is a total babe! Also, I spent a weekend just a little bit ago NOT making any blog food and it was miraculous how much time spooled ahead of me 🙂 This looks like my kind of salad!
Seriously, how amazing is making non-blog food?! HA! 🙂 Thanks Amy!
Yum! can you make this for Christmas or anytime!!!!!
I am so with you on the “it feels weird to be eating something without photographing it first” thing, but I have to say that your salad is spectacularly gorgeous, and I’m so glad it made its appearance in front of the camera. 🙂
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I am always up for being the girl who brings the fun salad to a holiday feast! Even if I’m the only one who’s eating it. More for me in this case is a good thing. A really good thing.
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Absolutely stunning salad. The colors are brilliant, and it tastes good, too. Didn’t have fig olive oil, but I had blood orange olive oil, and pear infused balsamic vinegar. I also added an orange to this and used some of the juice. A special holiday salad. Thanks for sharing.
Vicky
Wow! This looks so good! Love pomegranate salad ! <3
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MUST have this salad over the weekend 🙂 Pinned!
Thanks so much Marla!
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This looks DIVINE! I too am a fruit-and-cheese-in-my-salad kinda gal! Making this tonight
Just had this salad and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe
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I made this today for lunch and it was great! So many interesting and different tastes and beautiful colors too!
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Wonderful wonderful salad. Just because, or with girlfriends and champagne…Lovely