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Arugula and Pear Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

Simple, fresh and flavor-packed Arugula and Pear Salad with Pomegranate Dressing. This crowd-pleasing salad is gorgeous and full of good stuff! The perfect side dish to share with your friends and family.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 2 mains - 4 sides

Ingredients
  

SALAD:

  • ¼ cup walnuts
  • ⅔ cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 6 handfuls of arugula, roughly chopped
  • 1 medium/big pear, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup basil, finely chopped
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced*
  • ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

POMEGRANATE DRESSING (makes extra):

  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F / 180 °C.
  • Place the walnuts on a baking sheet (no oil) and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Remove and let cool. Then roughly chop the walnuts.
  • Pat dry the chickpeas with a paper towel. Place the chickpeas on a baking sheet, add olive oil and toss with a spoon until they are evenly coated. Bake for 15 minutes, shake the pan and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  • While the chickpeas are in the oven make the dressing. Place all the dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Set aside.
  • To serve the salad, I like to layer all the salad ingredients (arugula, pear, basil, onion, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and baked chickpeas) in a pretty way, drizzle them with a few tablespoons of pomegranate dressing and season it with salt and pepper. Or you can place all the salad ingredients in a medium bowl, add a few tablespoons of pomegranate dressing, sea salt and pepper and gently toss to combine.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!
  • This salad is best enjoyed right away. Dressing leftovers can be stored in a jar in the fridge for 7 – 10 days.

Video

Notes

* I don’t like the strong taste of raw onions, so I place the sliced onions in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. After ten minutes, I drain and rinse the onions with cold water. Bye-bye pungent taste, hello delicious mild flavor.