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

    Published: Nov 21, 2012 / 5 Comments

    320 shares
    • Facebook148
    Recipe Print

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

    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:

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

    Brown Sugar Walnuts:

    Caramelizing walnuts

    Caramelized Onions:

    Caramelizing onions

    Sliced Pears:

    Pears

    Arugula salad with caramelized onions, brown sugar walnuts, pears, and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
    5 from 1 vote

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

    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. 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American, French
    Servings 6 people
    Calories per serving 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
    • ½ cup walnuts
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 5 oz arugula
    • 1 pear , thinly sliced
    • ¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese , crumbled

    Instructions 

    Salad Dressing:

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

    How to caramelize onions:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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

    Nutrition Information
    Arugula salad with caramelized onions, walnuts, pears, and Gorgonzola cheese
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    253
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    21
    g
    32
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    4
    g
    25
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    8
    mg
    3
    %
    Sodium
     
    92
    mg
    4
    %
    Potassium
     
    209
    mg
    6
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    14
    g
    5
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    10
    g
    11
    %
    Protein
     
    3
    g
    6
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    655
    IU
    13
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    6.2
    mg
    8
    %
    Calcium
     
    79
    mg
    8
    %
    Iron
     
    0.8
    mg
    4
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
    « Painting with light
    Happy Thanksgiving! »
    320 shares
    • Facebook148

    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Elena @ GiftaholicWorld

      March 15, 2015 at 12:43 pm

      This is so beautiful. Your're dish stimulating my appetite and my sense at the same time. Thank for this gorgeous and undeniable healthy dish.

      Reply
    2. Tash

      November 28, 2012 at 1:25 am

      How glorious - it's nice to see a little something light and green at this time of year, when everything is gearing itself towards stodge and fat-laden foods. I will definitely give this a go, except I might change the cheese for a Wensleydale or something sharp because I am not a blue cheese person! I will grab some salad leaves soon and get making this salad 🙂

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 28, 2012 at 10:31 pm

        Substitute Gorgonzola cheese with whichever one you like. Goat cheese would also go pretty well.

        Reply
    3. Laura Dembowski

      November 22, 2012 at 1:18 pm

      My parents and I now stay home for Thanksgiving and make our own meal - prime rib - but when we used to travel, I would have loved this salad for dinner. I don't eat any traditional Thanksgiving foods and I would have happily eaten all of this salad. Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply
    4. Monique

      November 22, 2012 at 7:00 am

      Love the ingredients..we favor them too all together:)

      Reply

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