Pear, Pomegranate & Blue Cheese Salad
Clock Image
Prep: 20 mins Cook: nil
Total: 20 mins
A delightfully light salad, full of festive flavour from orchard-sweet pears, crumbles of creamy blue cheese and the fruity crunch of popping pomegranate jewels, all topping an earthy mix of green lentils and fresh spinach leaves, tossed with tangy slivers of quick-pickled onion.
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457 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 pomegranate
  • A handful of mint, leaves only
  • 400g tin of lentils
  • 50g baby leaf spinach
  • 2 pears
  • ½ x 150g Perl Las blue cheese
From your kitchen
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Pop it into a large bowl and zest and juice in the lemon. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Scrunch together with your hands for 1 min and set to one side to marinate.

  • 2.

    Halve the pomegranate. Hold a half in the palm of your hand, cut-side down, over a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, bash the pomegranate and the seeds should tumble through your fingers into the bowl. Repeat with the remaining half. Pull any reluctant seeds out of the skin, discarding any white pith.

  • 3.

    Finely chop the mint leaves. Drain and rinse the green lentils.

  • 4.

    Mix the lentils, spinach and half the pomegranate seeds through the marinated onions. Place on a platter or a couple of plates.

  • 5.

    Quarter the pears and slice out the core. Thinly slice them. Place on top of the lentils. Crumble over half the pack of Perl Las blue cheese. Scatter over the remaining pomegranate seeds and the chopped mint to serve.

  • Tip

    Oh Crumbles
    You can use the whole pack of Perl Las to top your salads, though this will change the nutritional information. Any extra can be wrapped up and stored in the fridge for a few days, and is ideal for topping soups, sweet potatoes (jackets or wedges), other salads... or putting in a guest appearance on a festive cheese board.