Arugula salad with caramelized onions, walnuts, pears, and Gorgonzola cheese

Arugula salad with caramelized onions, brown sugar walnuts, pears, and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Healthy, delicious salad – perfect side dish for all kinds of main dishes!

I haven’t posted a single Thanksgiving-related recipe this season, and what am I posting the night before the Thanksgiving Day? Not a recipe for stuffing, pie, pumpkin soup or potato gratin. No. I am posting a salad recipe. A Thanksgiving salad recipe – Arugula salad with caramelized onions, walnuts, pears, and Gorgonzola cheese. Who eats salads on Thanksgiving, you might ask?

Truth be told, I’ve been so busy for the last 2 weeks (but I won’t mire you with details), that all of my Thanksgiving cooking this season will have to happen only on one single day, which is tomorrow. Besides, arugula seems to be a very much Thanksgiving type of green, isn’t it? So, it’s not too bad for a pre-Thanksgiving night. And, on a second thought, this arugula salad could be a great post-Thanksgiving detox meal, as well: you know, after eating too much turkey, it might not be a bad idea to just have a simple arugula salad for lunch the next day. So here it goes:

Brown Sugar Walnuts:

Caramelized Onions:

Sliced Pears:

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Arugula salad with caramelized onions, walnuts, pears, and Gorgonzola cheese

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Arugula salad with caramelized onions, brown sugar walnuts, pears, and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.  Easy, healthy, delicious arugula salad.  Perfect for every day or for holidays. 

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 253 kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

Salad Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Honey

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion , thinly sliced
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 5 oz arugula
• 1 pear , thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese , crumbled

Instructions

Salad Dressing:

1. Mix vinegar with agave nectar, then add oil, whisking until emulsified.

How to caramelize onions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium size frying pan on medium-high heat. Add thinly sliced onions to the pan once oil gets very hot. Cook onions, stirring constantly, until they turn brown and caramelize to your liking, about 10-15 minutes. While caramelizing onions, add a pinch of salt to your taste.

How to caramelize walnuts:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in the medium frying pan on medium-high heat, add walnuts and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, to coat the walnuts until caramelized. Allow them to cool.

Assemble salad:

1. Add arugula leaves to a large salad bowl.  Add caramelized walnuts and caramelized onions. Add the salad dressing and mix. Top with sliced pears and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.

Nutrition Facts

Arugula salad with caramelized onions, walnuts, pears, and Gorgonzola cheese

Amount Per Serving

Calories 253 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 8mg3%

Sodium 92mg4%

Potassium 209mg6%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 655IU13%

Vitamin C 6.2mg8%

Calcium 79mg8%

Iron 0.8mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.