Pomegranate Pear & Pecan Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Fresh spinach salad topped with pomegranate seeds, crisp pears, crunchy pecans, feta cheese, and creamy poppyseed dressing.
Want more refreshing, crowd-pleasing salad ideas? Check out my Strawberry Spinach Salad, Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad, and Creamy Balsamic Peach Salad!
Heads up: I’ve teamed up with Diamond of California Nuts to bring you this amazing salad recipe because I personally love the brand and their products!
Isn’t pomegranate the official fruit of winter? Do seasons have official fruit mascots? Because each of the United States has an official state bird and (I recently learned…) a state bug. If there is an official state bug, there should definitely be an official fruit for each season. Here’s my opinion for seasonal fruits:
Spring: The Strawberry. (And other assorted berries…)
Summer: The Orange. (And similar citrus fruits…)
Fall: The Apple. (And possibly the cherry…)
Winter: The Pomegranate. (Preferable to accompany the pear.)
Agreed? Excellent. The official seasonal fruits have been established.
This salad screams CHRISTMAS to me. The deep red pomegranate seeds, plus two shades of green in the spinach and pears, and a little dash of white from the feta cheese. It’s definitely a Christmas salad. That being said, if I can get my hands on a pomegranate in June, you better believe I wouldn’t pass up this salad.
You could pair a fruity or balsamic vinaigrette with this salad, but my ultimate favorite is this creamy poppyseed salad dressing. It goes so well with the pomegranate, pears, pecans, and feta. And the great thing about a salad like this is that you could easily turn it into light n’ hearty main dish by throwing some grilled chicken on top. Mmmmm. Now I’m craving the salad!!!
More Recipes to Try
- Pomegranate Salad – the easiest crowd-pleasing side dish you’ll make all season long.
- Autumn Harvest Chicken Salad – an easy, flavor-packed favorite you will crave again and again.
- Apple Pecan Salad with Maple Vinaigrette – the perfect no-fuss side that elevates any dinner table.
When you make this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on social – I love connecting with you and seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Pomegranate Pear & Pecan Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1-2 pears, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup pecans, whole, or roughly chopped, (such as Diamond of California Pecan Halves)
Dressing
- ⅔ cup mayo, (see notes)
- ½ cup Half & Half, (I used fat free), or ither milk, see note
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 teaspoons poppyseeds
Instructions
- Blend all salad ingredients together (except for poppy seeds) until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- In a large bowl toss spinach leaves, sliced pears, pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, and pecans. Serve with poppyseed dressing.
- *If preparing ahead of time, toss together all salad ingredients except for pears. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Add pears just before serving.
Notes
**You can sub plain greek yogurt for the mayo. This will create a different flavor but it will be healthier. I suggest trying 1/3 cup mayo, 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt before you dive into full greek yogurt. 🙂 Milk: (any percentage of milk will work- the higher the percentage, the creamier your dressing will be)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oranges ripen in winter…not summer.
I made this salad for a garden club meeting today with great success! I used splenda 3 tablespoons instead of sugar to make the dressing sugar-free and it was delicious! Love your recipes, thank you!