Pear Quinoa Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese

Whip up a little something special with this Pear Quinoa Salad. With poached pears, walnuts and goat cheese, this is a quinoa salad recipe that is perfect for your holiday table.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Gluten Free, Healthy, Quinoa

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 364kcal

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

4 pears Red Bartlett, peeled
2 ½ cups white wine
¼ cup coconut palm sugar or organic sugar
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 shallot chopped or 1 Tablespoon red onion
4 cloves garlic minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ cup olive oil
10 cups mixed spinach and arugula
1 cup cooked quinoa
4 ounces goat cheese or nut cheese
¼ cup walnuts toasted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine wine and sugar. Bring to a boil.
Cut the bottoms straight across so that the pears can stand up. Carefully place the pears in a saucepan. Add water if necessary so that the pears are submerged about half way up. Cover the pot and turn to medium-low. Poach until the pears are soft, about 35 minutes. (They should be easy to cut but still hold their shape.) Allow to cool and slice, discarding core.
Meanwhile, Make the dressing by combining the vinegar, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Add in olive oil in a steady stream.
Put salad together by combining the greens, quinoa, goat cheese and pears. Toss with desired amount of dressing. Top with walnuts and serve.

Nutrition