Looking for an easy appetizer that's a bit outside the box? These Roasted Pears with Goat Cheese and Bacon are a truly magical combination of flavors and super simple to make!
(This recipe for Roasted Pears with Goat Cheese and Bacon was originally published in April 2009, but was updated with new photos in 2019).
I think I've found the recipe of my dreams. When I went to my parents' house for Easter a couple weeks ago, I wanted to make a new-to-me hors d'oeuvre. And I wanted it to be something that wasn't typical. So, I searched for a recipe that would be semi-easy, unique, and delicious, and immediately started drooling when I laid eyes on this one for Roasted baby pears with herbed goat cheese. Wrapped in bacon. Decision made.
Coincidentally, I had some goat cheese in my fridge, so I was good to go! I couldn't find pears that I thought would qualify as "baby" pears, but I did find Comice pears, which are smaller than typical pears, so I went for those.
Really, you can use any size pear you want, you just might not get as many servings or might have to use a little less goat cheese in each pear half. The original recipe calls for 12 baby pears... I only used 4 Comice pears. But I also stuffed them pretty full! But no matter what, you can't really go wrong with these as a super fun unique appetizer recipe.
Below is what my Comice pears looked like. They're known for being the sweetest pear variety, which obviously makes them extra delicious!
ROASTED PEARS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND BACON RECIPE
This recipe is a super easy one and the pears can be assembled in advance and then baked right before your guests arrive. I always love appetizer recipes like that!
Start by pre-heating your oven to 375 degrees and mixing together goat cheese, parsley, thyme, and olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper.
And then cut those beautiful pears in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and core. I kept the stems on where I could because I thought they looked more fun that way.
Now all you have to do is stuff each pear with the goat cheese filling. I filled them until they were overflowing, because the more goat cheese, the better, obviously! If you have more pears or want to get more servings out of this recipe, you can definitely stuff with less goat cheese. Also keep in mind that the goat cheese will spread a bit when baked.
Wrap a half a slice of bacon around each pear. If your bacon slices aren't quite long enough, just tuck the ends in at the bottom of the pears.
Drizzle some olive oil on the pears. Then pop them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until bacon is crispy. I kept mine in the oven for the whole 30 minutes. If you want the bacon even crispier, put them under the broiler for a minute or two.
You can obviously serve this pear appetizer however you want, but if you're plating them individually, I recommend serving them on a bed of arugula or greens. Once plated, drizzle them with some honey.
See how the goat cheese definitely expanded once baked? So, you don't have to fill them as much as I did if you went to get more servings out of this and have more pears to stuff.
Basically, these roasted pears with goat cheese are amazing. I absolutely love the juiciness of the pear, combined with the sharpness of the goat cheese and the delicious saltiness of the bacon. The flavors are out of control in the best way possible.
I love this pear appetizer because it's super unique and not something you see at every dinner party or holiday gathering. But it also just makes sense. Why aren't people eating pears with goat cheese and bacon more often??
If you can find very small baby pears, these make for a nice cocktail appetizer. If your pears are bigger, your guests may want a fork and knife. I certainly didn't need one, but I was also just hanging out with my family and not trying to impress anyone. Though I think I did appreciate them with this appetizer!
Everyone did say they were a little skeptical of the combination at first and didn't know whether they were going to be sweet or savory. But it ended up being pretty much an amazing combination of the two and everyone loved them!
These roasted pears were a fabulous start to a dinner that included ham and lamb that my parents made and tiramisu made by my sister for dessert. I absolutely love having a family who cooks amazing food and enjoys the food I make; it makes going home that much more fun!
Of course, I made them as an Easter appetizer, but they'd be delicious any time of year and I think they'd make an especially wonderful Thanksgiving appetizer.
What's the most unique appetizer you've made?
If you're looking for more fun outside the box appetizers, check out my Bacon White Pizza Dip or my Dark Chocolate-Dipped Figs with Gorgonzola. I also want to make this Savory Pear Tart from The Cozy Apron!
Roasted Pears with Herbed Goat Cheese and Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 small pears (I used Comice, but see notes for more info)
- 8 oz. goat cheese
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 4 slices bacon, cut in half
- 2 Tbsp honey
- Arugula or mixed greens, if desired for serving
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together goat cheese, parsley, thyme, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cut pears in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds and core. You can leave the stem on if you want. Stuff each pear half with the goat cheese filling.
- Wrap a half slice of bacon around each pear half. Drizzle with honey.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until bacon is crisp. If you want it even crispier, place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes when done cooking.
- Arrange pears on a bed of arugula or mixed greens if desired.
Notes
- If you can find smaller "baby" pears, you can use more of them get more servings out of this recipe. You can also use less goat cheese filling in each pear half (as you can see in my photos, the goat cheese expands a bit when baked) and use more pears.
- Recipe adapted from Food Network.
redheadedjournal says
Looks great! I'll have to try it with vegetarian bacon!
ttfn300 says
wow, way to knock it outta the park 🙂
alexa - cleveland's a plum says
holy shit those look amazing.
Sara says
those look great, sus!
SteamyKitchen says
hey now THAT is gorgeous!
Quinn says
Those look fabulous - and great for a party!
Mike says
Looks great! I'll have to make these!
Jaime and Jen DISH says
OMG, yum!!!! I love all of these flavors and have a salad that I put them in but this looks even better...you get your salty and your sweet fix all at the same time. Thanks!
Cate O'Malley says
Oh man does that sound good! Saw a burger recipe the other day that was roasted pears, pancetta and melted brie - yum!
CookiePie says
Oh YUM -- these look fanTAStic!!!! Perfect flavor combo!
Kelly says
I love the combo of sweet and savory so those sound fantastic to me.
Marta says
Hahaha I like the name of your site! I just found it and I'm loving it! I especially like this recipe, which combines two of my favourite ingredients: pears and goats cheese. I always eat them together as a posh snack (when I'm feeling fancy) but I had never thought of roasting them! Will try it soon!
Congrats on the site, it looks great!
Kate says
Um, YUM! Trust me when I say (write) I will be making these very soon!
Kevin says
Roasted pears stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon! How great is that?
MRhé says
Those look very tasty. And they remind me that I haven't had bacon in a long time...
Jaime says
what an interesting combo - it looks amazing!
Ben says
You have given me an idea for dinner tonight, love the combination of flavors! 😀
~Madeline~ says
Whoa, whoa, whoa....I'm not even sure what to say about those. Except that they are FABULOUS!!! I am so making these at my next dinner party.
RebeccaC says
WOW! Somebody invite me to a dinner party so I can show these puppies off! What an genius idea.
Darius T. Williams says
Looks amazing of course...and with bacon - yes!
Dish This! says
my favorite line: "The recipe actually called for the bacon slices to be cut in half but I conveniently forgot to read that part." hahah made me laugh. these look awesome, must try!
Cara says
I definitely agree with the more goat cheese the better! Nice blog.
Louise says
Oh, so I never would have conjured this up in my own little mind, but boy do they sound perfect! Sweet, salty, and um, bacon! Can't wait to give these a go.
Single Serving says
HOLY CRAP!!!! Need to take a cold shower now!
Christina says
saw these last year on Food Network...made them thanksgiving '08..yumz
ziege schaf says
I really love goat cheese it is really delicous. Most of the time I eat it as a dessert or use it to make a salsa.
KDavis says
Came across this same recipe and want to make for Thanksgiving! How soon after baking did you serve?