Honey & Feta Stuffed Roasted Pears

I am what one might call a hoarder. A hoarder of recipes, that is. I have hundreds (literally, hundreds) of recipes saved to try “someday.” Many I’ve made, many I’ve not. For some reason, I keep adding onto my collection, rather than working my way through what I already have.

I blame my large collection of cookbooks, Pinterest, the Food Network, and my obsession with food blogs. Not that I’m REALLY complaining about having too many food ideas in my head, but sometimes it’s hard to narrow down exactly what you want to try in real life.

This salad is one of the recipes I’ve had saved for a few years now. It’s been on the imaginary “make next” list for MONTHS. And now that I’ve finally made it, I can’t believe I waited this long.

Roasted pears? OMG so good. Stuffed with CHEESE? Holy crap. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why I didn’t make these sooner…

Just look at the cheese. Looks kinda like cheese frosting, doesn’t it? Um, ew. Let’s just pretend I didn’t say that.

Anyone else want to eat ONLY that particular piece of the pear? I may have sampled a few of the cheese-only parts….don’t judge me.

The cheese filling is a mix of cream cheese and feta. If you don’t care for either of them, feel free to swap with something else, but make sure you are using a SHARP cheese for this recipe. The pears can get very sweet in the oven, so you definitely need something sharp and salty to counterbalance it.

We also add in a drizzle of honey, some dried cranberries, and some chopped nuts. I love walnuts or pecans here, but hazelnuts or almonds would be fab as well!

Scoop out the cores of the halved pears, fill with the cheese mixture, and then roast until the pears are tender and the filling is set and golden in spots. My favorite way to serve these pears is over a light salad topped off with a quick and easy Dijon vinaigrette. Because greens totally make this healthy, right? That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

The combo of flavors here is unreal, and the recipe itself is SIMPLE. A delicious vegetarian lunch or dinner that comes together quickly. Can’t beat that.

I wonder what else I can find in the recipe archives…

Honey & Feta Stuffed Roasted Pears

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 3-6 servings 1x

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Description

These Honey & Feta Stuffed Roasted Pears are a delicious and satisfying vegetarian side or main dish! They are filled with a feta and honey cheese mixture that is studded with dried cranberries and toasty walnuts. Serve these as is or over a light salad drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette! These feel very fancy but are so, so easy to put together!

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Ingredients

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For the Pears:

• 3 ripe pears, halved lengthwise and cored (use ripe but firm pears here – mushy, overly ripe ones won’t hold up in the oven!)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts (pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts would also be lovely here)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

• 4 cups baby arugula
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts (or other nut you prefer)

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Instructions

For the Pears:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the halved pears in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
2. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, feta, honey, cranberries, nuts, salt, and pepper.
3. Fill the cored pears with the cream cheese filling. Drizzle the filled pears with a little more honey and another sprinkle of salt and pepper.
4. Add ⅓ cup water to the bottom of the baking dish and place in the oven. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until the pears are tender and the filling is golden brown in spots.
5. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before using in the salad.

For the Dressing:

While the pears are roasting, make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients or shaking them together in a sealed mason jar until well combined and emulsified. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

For the Salad:

1. On a large platter, spread out the arugula and sprinkle over the cranberries and nuts.
2. Top the arugula with the roasted pears.
3. Drizzle with the dressing and serve while the pears are still warm.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: salads