Tangy Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Made this for a family holiday gathering and everyone loved it! Some simple changes made: decreased sugar from 3/4 to 1/2 cup and used sliced almonds in place of walnuts. Only needed to use 50% of the dressing. Will make often! Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!

Delicious. My housemate first wondered about the addition of ketchup, but then everybody kept on wondering what the lovely dressing was made of... Ketchup came as an enjoyable surprise to everyone!

this was a hit! I made it last night when we had guests over and they all couldn't stop telling me how great the taste was! I used feta cheese instead of bleu cheese since I didn't have any and it was still delish! I was making it for 5 people and changed: one head of lettuce, no red onion, one pear, toasted pecans (handful), about 3 ounces of feta. and for the dressing: 3 tbsp. distilled white vinegar, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. ketchup, 4 tbsp. olive oil. still tasted great!!!

Phenomenal recipe - received rave reviews for this one! I substituted Balsamic Vinegar for White Vinegar, and Carmelized Pecans (just melt 1c sugar in pan and toss in pecan halves) for Walnuts.

Wow, this blew me away. I was planning on making a pear - bluecheese - walnut salad but i wasn't sure what dressing to use on it. I tried this and loved it. Unfortunately it takes a disgusting amount of sugar.

From Lara Mashburn: After making this so many times, I agree, too much dressing. I use half the dressing, and rather than tossing it to coat the salad, I let my family drizzle it over the salad. That way, you can save the salad for leftovers (even though the pears get a bit soggy) the next day.

This was yummy! I didn't have fresh pears so subbed some canned sliced pears & I subbed white wine vinegar for the distilled white. I also used chopped pecans instead of walnuts...next time I will not chop the pecans as small, I think it needs some bigger chunks. I used gorgonzola cheese & loved the flavor it added & I topped the salad w/ some leftover grilled chicken. This did make wayy to much dressing for the salad put it is a good dressing that can be used for many other salads...it was kinda reminiscent of French dressing but lighter. Served the salad w/ gewurztraminer (a white wine that pairs really well w/ both chicken & pears) & some club crackers & it was a very nice, Spring meal that was super easy.

I definately agree that the dressing should be halved, waaaaay too much. I made this salad for our Canadian Thanksgiving and everyone went crazy for it!! I changed it to 8 servings and no one could get enough! Goes great with Turkey!

Really yummy. Next time I will use more blue cheese. Also, this makes enough dressing for two salads.

I made this for our neighborhood holiday party and people were very complimentary. I used 1/2 of the dressing it called for and it was still well coated. I added some mini plum tomatoes for color. Great recipe and it was easy to make.

This is a very good version of similar salads I have been served in restaurants! I have one recommendation, though, which would help in ease of preparation. When you're making the dressing, gently heat the vinegar, stir in only a scant 1/2 cup of white sugar, so that it is incorporated (melted). Let cool, whisk in the ketchup, then slowly whisk in the salt and oil; set aside for an hour (covered) at room temperature to let flavors blend. (I used peanut oil, as I don't like canola oil, but that's just me! If you can't eat peanuts, then I suggest using vegetable or sunflower oil.) And as others had mentioned, you don't need that much sugar - I added a scant 1/2 cup, so start with a heaping 1/4 cup of sugar, and see if you like it, once you've added the rest of the ingredients. The ketchup will compensate, and the pears are sweet enough by themselves! Also, I don't know why everyone is questioning the use of ketchup in the prep for the salad dressing. Lots of great American-Chinese restaurants use this ingredient all the time, especially in shrimp dishes that are sweet and hot. Overall, though, the salad can stand alone as a nice lunch, with some good bread and sparkling water! Very nice - thanks for sharing!!

Love this salad! I used splenda in the dressing, which I won't be doing next time. The recipe for the dressing did make more than necessary, but it was good so it'll be used. I'll be making another salad for lunch tomorrow. Yum!

I have made this twice for my husband's family and have gotten rave reviews both times. I agree that it makes too much dressing - I really only use 1/4 - 1/3 of what it makes. I learned the first time to double the recipe because it goes so fast. Definitely a keeper.

I reduced the recipe to three servings and it still made way too much dressing. The sugar needs to be reduced greatly on this recipe. While the taste was good, the sweetness was just too much for me. Interesting to use ketchup in a dressing.

FABULOUS! I used iceburg lettuce and added dried cranberries to the juicy pear, blue cheese and walnuts which really made for a tasty combination. The dressing is fantastic and not overpowering. Since I did not use two heads of lettuce nor did I measure the salad ingredients, I served the dressing on the side. This salad was the best part of dinner. Next time I'm going to add chicken and it will be dinner!! Thank you LARAL for sharing such a FABULOUS recipe!!!

A big hit with my family!

This is a really great recipe. I candied my nuts before adding and it made it even better. (cook with a bit of butter and sugar until glazed)

You can't lose with the taste combo of pears and blue cheese. Awesome salad. Make sure you toast the walnuts because it makes a big difference. The only change I would suggest is to use thinly sliced red onion instead of raspberries. You need a complement to the sweetness.

My husband really enjoyed this salad, however I thought it was just ok. I think there was too much dressing and the ketchup taste was too strong.

I also halved the amount of dressing I made and was very happy with the results. Personally, I would take care to make just enough as this salad does not make for good leftovers.

Who would have thought this combination was so terrific? My changes were to use pecans (which I toasted in a little bit of butter), Swiss cheese and added 1/2 cup of craisins. Yummy!

This is a great salad.The recipe does make too much dressing for the amount of salad made though.Iused a bit less sugar than called for,to taste.I also used toasted pecans the last time I made this instead of toasted walnuts and liked it better.....it also is just fine without the toasting when I am short on time.For people like us who are not crazy about blue cheese,feta is a great substitute.

I have made this salad twice and I love it! I know that the salad dressing sounds a bit odd, but try it!! I think it is fabulous! Great combination of flavors!

As someone else suggested, only used the following for dressing: 1 tbsp ketchup; 3 tbsp vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 4 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp salt

A super salad but I could not use the ketchup. I know, I need to let the concept of ketchup as a fast food treat go and use it as an ingredient. I also used red wine and balsamic vinegars along with EV olive oil.

Made it on Thanksgiving and it was a big success.

This was simply delicious. I made the dressing with 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 white wine vingear, as well as a teaspoon of pure maple syrup and a pinch of pepper, and subsituted canola for olive oil. I also added dried cranberries which was amazing! :)

Delicious. I melted butter in a pan, added halved pecans, sprinkled sugar in the pan and mixed around until the pecans were glazed. Added those to the salad versus the walnuts and gave it a perfect sweet/tart mix. Yum!

Pretty good. The sweet and tangy goes well with the nuts and sharp flavor of good blue cheese. I used 1/2 cup agave nectar in place of sugar and also used balsamic vinegar only because I prefer the flavor over white vinegar. I also used olive oil instead of canola....again for flavor. This does make a HUGE batch of dressing, but I will used it to marinate chicken or fish with too!

Delicious!!! I did reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup and it was plenty.

Love the dressing!

Fabulous! I used feta rather than blue cheese and I used a big box of spring mix with 1/2 the dressing.

The recipe was delicious.

This salad was excellent! The flavors blended so well together. I reduced the amount of sugar to 2 Tbsp and it was very sweet but it balanced well with the vinegar. I used mixed baby greens and baby arugula and omitted the red onion.

This dressing is y-u-m-m-y! YUMMY! I replaced the sugar with honey as it makes it creamier and healthier.

Took this salad to a party tonight. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. It does make a lot of dressing but having extra dressing is good!

This is one AWESOME salad! I only made 2 changes to the dressing, strictly out of personal preference: I omitted the sugar & used 1/4 cup Splenda Blend and I swapped olive oil for the canola & cut it down to 1/2 cup. What a wonderful mix of flavors -- even the kids had seconds! I served it with Spinach Quiche and the combo was superb -- hubby said his taste buds were "having a party"! Will be making this again very soon...Thanks!

I used olive oil and gorgonzola cheese. A wonderful salad to add to my recipes! Husband loved it, too.

This was an excellent salad. Thanks!

This is a great salad. It is a repeat for me. The tangy taste was refreshing from the run of the mill salads. It was so easy to make and everyone loved it.

WE LIKED IT, IT WAS GOOD- THE MISTAKE I MADE IS THAT I USED BABY ROMAINE- SPRING TYPE GREENS AND THIS SALAD DEFINITELY NEEDS A MORE "RUGGED" LETTUCE- IT WAS PRETTY LIKE THAT THOUGH!! I THOUGHT THE DRESSING WAS EXCELLENT!!! LEFTOVERS ARE NO PROBLEM AS I KEPT ALL INGREDIENTS SEPARATE AND MIXED INDIVIDUAL SALADS-

mmmmm! everyone loved this salad at Thanksgiving. the dressing was just right. i made 2 changes- 1 to make it special and one because i didn't have the right ingredient. i lightly carmalized the walnuts mm mm, and used feta because that is what i had. thanks for a great salad we can use as long as the pears are ripe! perfect for fall.

This was a really nice recipe. I am always looking for new things to try, especially salads. I loved that the dressing was lite, and I loved how all the flavors fuse together. I will definitely make this again.

Made to the exact recipe.Everyone loved,I had no leftovers.

Delicious! I used white wine vinegar instead of regular distilled and used much less sugar (or Splenda, in this case). This will be made often!

I made this for my mom's 70th birthday party with absolutely no changes. Everyone loved it, asked for seconds and thirds-the bowl was empty. Thanks for a great recipe!

I used olive oil and spinach, rather than romaine lettuce. The ketchup gives it a light, Russian or French dressing flair. Previous reviewers are right; the recipe creates more dressing than is required to dress a salad. However, this salad was such a hit with my husband that he was glad to see unused dressing on the counter after dinner, availabe for use in the near future.

Very good but the dressing recipe is at least twice what is needed for the salad.

Made this for Thanksgiving dinner....it was excellent! Dressing recipe made double the amount needed. Will make again. :)

I made this for two parties in one day. The first salad I had accidentally bought gorgonzola instead of blue cheese and am happy to report that it worked very well, I got requests for the recipe from people before they left. I saved half of the dressing and made the salad again that day for a dinner party, used the blue cheese called for and again, everyone loved it. I was skeptical about the ketchup, but it worked very well. I would be curious to see how this tastes with the dijon mustard substitution, I think I'll try that next time. The best compliment I got with this salad was "I think I could live off of this!" It was very easy to make and I'll be making it again for sure.

We loved this salad but I did cut the sugar in half and used feta instead of blue cheese.

Took this to a Pot luck the first time.I didn't bring home a bite. Everyone loved it. Makes too much dressing but saved the extra to make another salad for dinner at mom's next Sunday.

My husband was a little apprehensive about the ketchup-based dressing, but we both ended up loving this salad. I substituted feta cheese for blue cheese.

I made it for Christmas, and everyone loved it. Someone even took home my extra dressing to make it herself. You can definitely cut the dressing in half. Thank you!

I checked out the other pear and blue cheese salad recipes on this site, but decided on this one BECAUSE of the ketchup in the dressing. French/Russian salad dressing is just about my favorite, and other reviewers indicated that this had a bit of that taste. I made the dressing with equal proportions of the vinegar (cider vinegar), sugar, and oil and just added it as needed because it was still too much even though I cut the oil amount in half. I also used gorgonzola cheese. Glad I tried this one!

This was a bigger hit than I thought it would be. My family went crazy for this salad. I thought I made too much for the four of us, but everyone had seconds (and thirds!). Used red wine vinegar because it was what I had on hand. Very yummy!

Not being a fan of Ketsup I substituted mustard (Dijon) with great success

This was very fun and delicious too. I would make it again and again.

I made this for my mother-in-law for her birthday at her request. Maybe I should give it 5 stars, because she absolutely loved it! But I was sort of iffy about it. I like lots of dressing, but the amount that this recipe makes is definitely overboard. I kept the dressing on the side when I gave it to my mother-in-law so she could eat it whenever she wanted. Once the dressing is on, you have to eat it quickly or it gets soggy and unappetizing. I won't make this again unless someone requests it, because it just isn't my thing, but it was okay.

This was a surprise! Didn't toast the nuts and changed the dressing to the following: 2 TBS sugar, 3 TBS olive oil, 2 TBS vinegar, 1 TBS ketchup, little bit of salt and pepper. I halved he rest of the recipe and used a 5 oz. bag of greens. Great!

well received combo

Yummy combination of flavors! I kept the dressing in a glass jar and just added it to the salad at the table to avoid the "overdressed" issue that others had.

Was a bit dubious about using ketchup for the dressing, but it was lovely and the recipe will now be added to my repertoire!

This salad isn't what I had expected. It also asks for too much vinegar; the dressing was downright sour.

Very good. This website gives you the option to scale down the servings so you don't end up with too much dressing. Just use the same amount of salad ingredients.

This was just amazing. Made it for Thanksgiving and evry1 just raved about it.

Fabulous recipe. It makes a ton. I would recommend mixing it in a big bowl, and not plating the salad to give the flavors a chance to really mix.

I love pears and cheese, but I don't like bleu cheese, so I made this recipe with feta. I didn't care for this but I'm sure this is just a personal taste. I'll stick to pears and cheddar...

Made to bring for Christmas buffet, got rave reviews from everyone. Would definitely make again in future. Cut dressing to one-half or less.

Love the recipe. Used gorgonzola cheese for more flavor and added chopped cooked bacon. Only needs half the dressing.

I made this for a Memorial Day picnic. Substituted feta cheese for the blue cheese. Delicious. Next time I make it, I'll try splenda instead of the sugar and split the dressing recipe to 1/2.

wouldn't change a thing. one of my favorite recipes. always get repeat requests to serve it.

I loved this salad, but I have to give it only 4 stars because the dressing calls for way too much oil and sugar. I used only 1/4 cup and only half cup of olive oil. There was more dressing than needed, but we added it as we desired. My boyfriend and I decided this was the kind of salad we should make the next time we have guests for dinner.

Great salad. The recipe yields for too much dressing. I would cut it in half next time.

The actual salad was pretty good but the dressing ruined it for me. The dressing was way too sweet. I also excluded the onion because I don't like onion. I think if I made this again I would just buy a vinaigrette dressing

Like other reviewers, I was very skeptical about the ketchup. However, it really does complement the other ingredients well and adds a delicious kick. I skipped the sugar and added a few teaspoons of Splenda instead to cut back on the calories. I also skipped the red onion and thought it tasted great without it. It was a great hit - I'll definitely be making it again!

An excellent recipe. I've used it for a number of special dinners and it always gets rave reviews. Even my most difficult-to-please critic said this was one of the best salads he's ever had!

Love this salad! I always get rave reviews when I make it. The dressing is sooo good, but a little goes a long way.

awesome recipe.was not sure how the ketchup would work but it turned out wonderful.will make it again.

Very good salad. The dressing was a little sweet.

I would definitely make this again. The dressing was very good, but there was too much of it in relationship to the Romaine and other ingredients. I would suggest cutting down on the dressing, or increasing the amount of Romaine that you use.

This was a hit for my holiday party potluck at work! I used about 1/2 c honey instead of sugar and left onions on the side. Everyone loved it. Nice tangy and tasty dressing was easy to make too. It does make plenty of dressing. I doubled the salad ingredients and still had enough dressing for 1-2 more salads for 6.

It was quite tasty and our guests liked it.....I did change a little by previous reviews and used a little less sugar. I used comice pears, which are delicious, but very juicy. I also put some dressing on the salad and stored in refrigerator for about 2 hours. Do not do that. Between the juicy pears and storing it, it was a little soggy, but still quite good. I will definitely make it again.

The ingredients all work together in harmony! A friend said she could have eaten the whole bowl by herself.

It is the dressing that makes this salad special! Everyone raved about it, but I did adjust the sugar a little to taste. It makes a lot of dressing, but that is fine with me, because I was able to enjoy it more than once. This is a keeper for sure.

Love this salad. Make it often. Always a go to when having company.