Pomegranate Pear Salad on a Bed of Spinach

I might be bias, but this is one of my favorite salad combinations. If you’re looking for a starter to a special dinner, or simply want to treat yourself to something a little festive, crunchy and sweet then this Pomegranate Pear Salad one is the one for you!

The mix of tart, sweet, and bitters is stimulates the taste buds while helping improve digestion for the bigger meal to come. The sour from the pomegranate and lemon help to boost stomach pH to prime it for digestion. The bitters from the greens help stimulate digestion. And the thyme used in the dressing is a well known carminative – helping reduce gas or bloating.

Pomegranate seeds add beautiful color against the dark leafy greens. You probably already know about what a powerhouse antioxidant the tangy-sweet pomegranate is. Then juicy strips of Bartlett pear provide a sweet balance to the radicchio.

The entire salad is complemented by the nutty crunch and a lemon-thyme based dressing. The result is super-nutritious and super-delicious!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons roasted hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 ounces spinach leaves
  • 3/4 cup finely shredded radicchio (from 1 head)
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds*
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
  • 1 large firm-ripe Bartlett pear

Salad Preparation

  1. In a small saucepan, boil pomegranate juice until reduced to 1/4 cup, 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool. Whisk in lemon juice, oil, salt, thyme, and pepper.
  2. In a salad bowl, gently mix spinach, radicchio, pomegranate seeds, and hazelnuts with dressing. Divide among 6 plates.
  3. Quarter pear and core. Thinly slice crosswise, then stack slices and cut in matchsticks. Arrange pear on salads.

*Helpful Hints for Extracting Pomegranate Seeds: Cut a pomegranate into chunks. Put chunks in a bowl of water, and, working underwater, use your hands to break seeds free from pith.

OR try this this method: An Easy Way to Extract Pomegranate Seeds (video)