Tonight's Dinner: Pear and Prosciutto Salad

Sometimes all I want to do at the end of the week is eat light. After a long week of heavy meals, the last thing I want to do is stuff myself, especially if I know I'm going to be heading out to a restaurant over the weekend. So that means a nice, light salad will be dinner.

You may believe that dinner time means salads should be sides. This just isn't so. But that doesn't mean that it has to be full of chicken or steak in order to make it dinner-worthy. Sometimes the best salads are those that don't have the heavy proteins laid on top. While this salad does have some meat, the prosciutto is so light you'll barely notice it, and the pears add a delightful sweetness that couple beautifully with the salty meat. Together they make the perfect dinner for any warm summer evening.

Pear and Prosciutto Salad

Ingredients

• 2 ripe pears
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1 (3 ounce) package thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into strips
• 1/2 cup candied pecans

Directions

1. Cut pears in half and core them. Peel one pear half, chop into cubes and place in a blender with the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. With the blender running add the olive oil; set aside.
2. Cut remaining (unpeeled) pear halves into thin slices and place into a large bowl with the spinach. Pour the dressing over the top and gently toss.
3. Place 1-1/2 cups of greens and pears onto each plate. Top each with 1/4 of the prosciutto and two tablespoons of pecans and serve.

>>More Tonight's Dinner Recipes

Other Salad Recipes from SheKnows

"All hail" caesar salad

Alamo fajita salad

Prosciutto and arugula salad with blood oranges and pistachio nuts