Home / Recipes / Dinner

Frisée Pear Salad with Pistachios & Dates

a bowl of salad with pears, cheese, frisee lettuce, and shallots; on a table

One of my favorite fall salads, made with seasonal ingredients! Easy frisée pear salad prepared with pistachios, dates, blue cheese, and a homemade mustard vinaigrette dressing. This easy pear harvest salad is an explosion of flavors! Make sure to add it to your Thanksgiving dinner menu. This frisée salad pairs perfectly with holiday dishes!

Watch My Pear Salad Video Reel

Watch my YouTube frisée pear salad video reel for quick, step-by-step instructions and see just how easy this salad is to make! Want to stay up to date on new recipes? Subscribe to my website email list and my YouTube channel for notifications!

Ingredients for Pear Harvest Salad

Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious pear salad. Find the full list of ingredients in the printable recipe card below.

  • Pears – just about any variety of pear will work well for this recipe. I love firm and sweet varieties such as Bartlett, D’Anjou, or Conference.
  • Frisée Lettuce – also known as curly endive lettuce. These crispy and refreshing greens have a touch of bitterness. You can also use mixed spring greens.
  • Pistachios – salted, roasted pistachios pair beautifully with pears for this fall salad.
  • Dates – I love sweet, large Medjool dates the most, but other types will work, too.
  • Blue Cheese – this cheese pairs so well with pears! If you’re not a fan of this cheese, you can substitute it with creamy goat cheese.
  • Lemon, Olive Oil, Mustard – for making the homemade dressing.

Supplies & Tools for the Recipe

Need some supplies or tools to make this delicious pear harvest salad at home? Shop my Amazon Affiliate links for the items I love! See Disclosure Statement.

a closeup image of pear salad in a bowl with a fork, on a table with pears

Easy Mustard Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Homemade salad dressings are my favorite! Not only do they taste better and fresher, but they’re also super easy to make!

  1. To make the dressing, zest the lemon first and place the zest into a large measuring cup. Squeeze in the lemon juice next.
  2. Pour in the olive oil and add the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Use a zester to grate the garlic and add it to the cup.
  3. Whisk all the ingredients vigorously, then set aside until ready to use.
a closeup image of salad dressing in a glass jar, on a table

Preparing the Salad Ingredients

I love how quick and easy this salad is to prepare! It’s made with just a few ingredients that pair together beautifully!

  1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a few tablespoons of baking soda. Submerge the entire head of frisée lettuce and swirl it around to clean. Do two additional clean rinses, then shake the lettuce dry.
  2. Cut off the end core from the head of lettuce, then chop the frisée into serving size pieces. Place the lettuce into a large serving bowl.
  3. Next, prepare the pears. Slice them in half, remove the core, then slice thinly using a sharp knife or mandoline slicer.
  4. Slice the shallot thinly into rings. Dice the salted pistachios. Chop the dates into small, pea sized pieces.

How to Make Frisée Pear Salad

  1. Sprinkle the sliced shallots over the frisée lettuce. Arrange the pear slices into fans, about 5 to 6 slices in each bunch, then add the pears over the lettuce.
  2. Sprinkle the diced pistachios and chopped dates over the top. Crumble the blue cheese and sprinkle evenly.
  3. Give the salad dressing a quick whisk and pour over the salad. Add the salad dressing right before serving; otherwise, keep it on the side!
  4. You can prepare the salad up to 4 hours ahead of time. Simply keep the salad covered and refrigerated. To keep the pears from browning, brush them lightly with lemon juice.
a closeup image of frisee pear salad in a large bowl, on a table

Serving Suggestions for Pear Salad

This delicious frisée pear salad is perfect for fall and the holidays – Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are some main dishes I love to enjoy it with:

several bowls of pear harvest salad on a table with pears
a woman holding a bowl of salad, standing in a kitchen

More Recipes to Try!

Enjoyed this delicious pear harvest salad? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to love!

Share it on Pinterest!

a pinnable, closeup image of pear salad in a bowl, with text overlay - 'Pear Frisee Salad with Dates, Pistachios & Cheese'
Print
a bowl of salad with pears, cheese, frisee lettuce, and shallots; on a table

Frisee Pear Salad with Pistachios & Dates

20 minutes prep + 0 minutes cook
12 cups
Incredible frisee pear salad with dates, pistachios, blue cheese, and mustard vinaigrette! This pear harvest salad is great for fall and Thanksgiving!

Ingredients 
US Customary – Metric

For Salad Dressing:

  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, or honey
  • 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 to 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • sea salt and black pepper

For Frisee Pear Salad:

  • 1 large head frisee lettuce, about 10 cups chopped
  • 2 large pears
  • 2 medium shallots
  • 1/3 cup salted, roasted pistachios
  • 6 large Medjool dates
  • 1/3 cup blue cheese, or goat cheese

Instructions

Making the Salad Dressing:

  • To make the dressing, zest the lemon first and place the zest into a large measuring cup. Squeeze in the lemon juice next.
  • Pour in the olive oil and add the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Use a zester to grate the garlic and add it to the cup.
  • Whisk all the ingredients vigorously, then set aside until ready to use.

Preparing the Salad Ingredients:

  • Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a few tablespoons of baking soda. Submerge the entire head of frisée lettuce for a few minutes and swirl it around to clean. Do two additional clean rinses, then shake the lettuce dry.
  • Cut off the end core/browned bottom from the head of lettuce, then chop the frisée into serving size pieces. Place the lettuce into a large serving bowl.
  • Next, prepare the pears. Slice them in half, remove the core, then slice thinly using a sharp knife or mandolin slicer.
  • Slice the shallot thinly into rings. Dice the salted pistachios. Chop the dates into small, pea-sized pieces.

Assembling the Salad:

  • Sprinkle the sliced shallots over the frisée lettuce. Arrange the pear slices into fans, about 5 to 6 slices in each bunch, then add the pears over the lettuce.
  • Sprinkle the diced pistachios and chopped dates over the top. Crumble the blue cheese and sprinkle evenly.
  • Give the salad dressing a quick whisk and pour over the salad. Add the salad dressing right before serving; otherwise, keep it on the side!
  • You can prepare the salad up to 4 hours ahead of time. Simply keep the salad covered and refrigerated. To keep the pears from browning, brush them lightly with lemon juice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup of salad | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 288mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1177IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg

Course:

Cuisine:

Holiday:

Leave a comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You Might Also Like