Perfect for the holidays or any time of year, this Pear Arugula Salad is an incredibly delicious combination of salty and sweet! Easy to make crispy prosciutto, sharp red onions and peppery arugula meet sweet pears, dried cranberries and a honey red wine vinaigrette for an elegant side dish, ready in 20 minutes!
- That Stunning Salad! - Every dinner party and holiday get-together needs a stunning salad that's big on flavor! Pear Arugula Salad is it, the perfect blend of sweet and savory!
- Crispy Prosciutto! - If you love prosciutto, you've gotta try crispy prosciutto! It's just baked simply in the oven and comes out deliciously light, salty, and crumbly. Try it on this Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup and this Italian Mixed Greens Salad!
- Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, or try my Blueberry Pomegranate Feta Salad, this Blue Cheese Apple Walnut Salad and this Maple Butternut Squash Harvest Salad!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Just a few ingredients, minimal prep, and a quick homemade shake-it-in-a-jar dressing, you'll love this easy salad!
- Prosciutto - Crispy prosciutto takes our favorite Italian cured meat and transforms it into something entirely different! It bakes up quick in the oven and is light, salty, flakey and amazing in a salad!
- Arugula - Along with the prosciutto, peppery sharp arugula is perfect to balance the sweet elements of the salad. I used a 4 ounce box of baby arugula, but any lettuce mix could be used.
- Dried Cranberry - Perfect for the holiday season, little pops of red dried cranberry give this salad a sweet chewy bite! Pomegranate seeds or dried cherries would be good substitutes.
- Feta Cheese - Creamy salty feta is great for this salad, although blue cheese would work too. Buy feta cheese that comes as a block in a tub of brine, and crumble it yourself for the best quality and freshness!
- Red Onion - A few sharp red onion slices give this salad strong flavor, while a milder shallot, scallions or chives would be fine too.
- Pear - Any kind of pear will work, just make sure it's ripe by leaving it on the counter a day or two. Pears give this salad natural sweetness, and could be swapped with apple slices. We love pears, try my Pear Blueberry Crisp too!
- Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette - Homemade vinaigrette is easy to shake up in a jar! It's heavy on the honey, enhancing the sweet ingredients, and the dijon mustard helps it emulsify. Don't skip the minced fresh garlic, it's the best!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
A quick bake of the prosciutto and this salad comes together in no time!
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lay the slices of prosciutto out on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 2 - Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, watching it carefully towards the end.
It will crisp up as it cools.
Step 3 - Add all ingredients for the dressing to a jar with a lid and shake well to emulsify.
Step 4 - Thinly slice the pear just before serving.
Toss the arugula with about half of each ingredient and a bit of the dressing.
Step 5 - Add the salad to a serving platter or bowl, then add the remaining ingredients arranged over the top. Drizzle with a bit more dressing.
Helpful Tips
- Shake the Dressing to Emulsify - Homemade vinaigrette in a jar is by far the easiest way to make salad dressing! Just add everything to a jar, including the fresh minced garlic clove, and shake! The dijon mustard is a natural emulsifier, holding the dressing together!
- Use a Ripe Pear - Pears need to be ripe! Refrigeration slows ripening so just leave the pear on the counter for a day or two. Wait to slice the pear until just before serving. If you're bringing the salad to a party, bring the pear and slice it when you're ready so it doesn't brown!
- Salad can be Tossed or Arranged - I like to toss half the ingredients with the salad, add it to the platter, then arrange the rest over the top. That way you can get a little of everything in each bite, but also see what all is in there! You can fan out a few pear slices here and there and drizzle the top with a bit more dressing.
- What to Serve it With - This salad is excellent for the holidays, goes well with the Thanksgiving turkey, roast beef or ham, but is great for weeknights too! It also goes well with brunch, egg dishes, Mother's Day, or any special occasion! Try this Strawberry Blueberry Salad too!
Recipe FAQs
Prosciutto can be an expensive ingredient! Skip the tiny overpriced packages and buy prosciutto from the deli counter! It seems expensive per pound, but you don't need very much. Ask for it sliced super thin and without paper between each slice, no need to pay for the weight of the paper! Get just the amount you need, it doesn't weigh much, and is usually way cheaper and fresher than the packages.
A 4 oz box of arugula serves about 6 to 8 people depending on how many other side dishes you have. But, a simple trick for portioning lettuce is to just grab a handful, about what you think 1 person would eat, and toss it in your bowl. Count out the handfuls for each person you are serving. Then adjust your toppings accordingly.
If you want to get ahead with prepping this salad, start by making the dressing. It will keep for a month in the fridge, just leave it on the counter to come to room temperature and shake to emulsify. You can make the crispy prosciutto a day in advance and refrigerate. It won't be quite as good as fresh from the oven, but you can microwave it a few seconds to re-crisp. You can also make the crispy prosciutto an hour or so ahead of time and let it sit on the counter. The rest of the salad can be arranged on a platter and kept in the fridge, just wait to add the sliced pears, crispy prosciutto, and dressing until you're ready to serve.
Yes! Homemade vinaigrette is easy and delicious, but any flavor of store-bought vinaigrette is fine too!
More Salad Recipes!
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Pear Arugula Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
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Print Pin RateIngredients
For the Salad
- 4 to 6 slices prosciutto
- 4 ounces arugula
- 1 pear ripe, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup dried cranberry
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ⅕ cup red onion sliced
For the Dressing
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay the prosciutto slices on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake 10 to 14 minutes, carefully watching it towards the end. They will crisp up as they cool.
- Add the ingredients for the dressing to a jar with a lid and shake well to emulsify (or whisk in a small bowl).
- Add the arugula to a large bowl along with about half of the feta, cranberries, red onion, crispy prosciutto, sliced pear and a little dressing. Toss the salad, add to a serving platter or bowl, then arrange the top with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with a bit more dressing and serve.
Notes
- Make sure your pear is ripe, leave it on the counter a day or two until it is slightly soft when pressed.
- Wait to slice the pear until just before assembling so it doesn't brown.
- Vinaigrette - Dress the salad just before serving. You may not need all the dressing, extra can be stored in the fridge for a month. Dressing can be made ahead.
- Substitutions - Arugula could be any salad mix. Pears could be apples. Dried cranberries could be swapped with pomegranate seeds or dried cherries. Blue cheese would work in place of feta. Red wine vinegar could be replaced with white wine vinegar and maple syrup for the honey. Regular or whole grain dijon mustard are both fine.
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