Blue Cheese, Pear, and Spinach Salad in a Mason Jar
If you love blue cheese, you’ll love this simple mason jar salad with pears, toasted pecans, and pomegranate seeds. Blue cheese is so flavorful that a little bit goes a long way, so you can have a rich treat without derailing your nutrition. Chose a creamy buttermilk cheese for its mild, sweet flavor, but any blue cheese (or feta) will work. If fresh pomegranate seeds (also called arils) are not available at your grocery store, use frozen and they will be just as delicious. Pomegranate seeds can also be substituted with dried cranberries.
Pears are delicious in salads, but for use in a mason jar salad like this, that might stay in your fridge for a couple of days before you eat it, it’s essential to soak the pear slices in salt water to prevent browning. This step will keep them fresh until your ready to dig into this yummy salad.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- ½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt), divided use
- 2 medium pears, cored, thinly sliced
- ½ cup sherry wine vinegar
- 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- 3 Tbsp. toasted pecan pieces
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 2 Tbsp. crumbled blue cheese (or feta cheese)
Instructions
Here are your instructions:
Combine water and ¼ tsp. salt in a medium bowl; mix to dissolve salt.
Submerge pear slices in water. Let sit for 5 minutes; drain water. Set aside.
While pear is sitting, combine vinegar, oil, remaining ¼ tsp. salt, and pepper in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.
Evenly layer pears, pomegranate, pecans, spinach, and blue cheese on top of dressing in jars.
Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Shake before serving.
Recipe Notes
Tip: To toast pecans, place a pan over medium heat and add pecans. Stir constantly to avoid burning until the nuts start to smell wonderful and turn golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
