Wild Rice Salad with Pear and Maple Vinaigrette

wild rice salad with pear, cranberries, walnuts and parmesan cheese in a bowl

Wild Rice Salad with Pear and Maple Vinaigrette

It's time to savor the flavors of autumn with our deliciously unique Wild Rice Salad. Packed with the earthy goodness of wild rice, the sweet juiciness of ripe pears, and a medley of other seasonal ingredients, this salad captures fall in every bite.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Wild Rice Salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 495kcal

Ingredients

Salad

6 cups spring lettuce mix
2 medium pears cored and sliced thin
1/2 cup parmesan cheese shaved or shredded
1/2 cup walnuts lightly toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Wild Rice

2 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup wild rice rinsed and drained

Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup half and half

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, and rinsed wild rice. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the rice until it is tender with all of the water absorbed, 45-50 minutes. Once cooked, remove the lid and let the rice cool.
While the rice is cooking, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they release a rich, nutty aroma and become lightly browned. Allow them to cool.
In a dressing shaker or mason jar, add all of the dressing ingredients. Shake like crazy until everything is combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and then shake to recombine ingredients before using.
For the salad, add the spring mix and cooled wild rice to a large bowl. Add the sliced pears, parmesan cheese, walnuts and dried cherries or cranberries to the top and just lightly toss. Drizzle on extra dressing to taste. Serve immediately. You can toss all the salad ingredients together and serve the dressing separately. Enjoy!

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