Looking for a healthy dessert for the holiday season? Our Baklava Baked Pears are deceptively simple. Serve these as an after-dinner treat at your upcoming Friendsgiving, or family holiday gathering and your guests are guaranteed to go nuts for them (no pun intended!). This dish is made with just 5 ingredients with minimal prep time so you won’t have to slave away in the kitchen with a complicated recipe. The baklava filling adds the perfect sweet crunch to these pears that get soft and creamy as they bake.
Growing up, pears were always around. We were lucky enough to live next door to my Yiayia and Papou (that’s what we call our grandparents in Greek!) who had a gigantic pear tree in their backyard! So we learned to love them early on.
Balkalva Bakes Pears are great on their own but you could also add a topping. Our recipe for maple greek yogurt would go beautifully with these pears, find the recipe in our post for Baked Apples with Maple Greek Yogurt. Are you vegan? Substitute the honey for maple syrup and top with our Banana Nice Cream.
Advertisement
We leave the peels on the pear because they contain the antioxidant quercetin which aids in heart health. They will become soft in the baking process so they are really easy to eat if peels aren’t usually your thing. Plus the peels (and pears in general) are super healthy for you. With about 100 calories per pear, high water content, vitamins and fiber which aids in digestion and helps keep you full. This dish is so yummy you’ll forget that it’s actually good for you!
We mentioned how easy this recipe is so let’s get to it
- Cut the pears in half lengthwise and core them using a spoon or melon baller.
- In a small bowl combine the chopped walnuts, honey and cinnamon and stir to combine.
- In a cast-iron pan (or baking dish) evenly space out the pears skin side down. If they do not stand up on their own cut a small slice off of the bottom of the pear.
- Pour a spoonful of the walnut mixture in the center of each pear.
- Lastly, pour ½ cup of water in the bottom of the pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the pears have softened and the walnuts browned.
- Serve warm with an extra drizzle honey
Have you made this recipe? Tell us, leave a comment below! If you make this recipe and are social be sure to tag #hearthealthygreek. And don’t forget to share it on Instagram, Facebook, or save it to Pinterest. And never miss a recipe by subscribing to our mailing list!
Baklava Baked Pears
Ingredients
- 4 organic pears
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wash and dry the pears. Cut them in half lengthwise and core them using a spoon.
- In a small bowl combine walnuts, honey and cinnamon and stir to combine.
- In a cast-iron pan (or baking dish) evenly space out the pears skin side down. If they do not stand up on their own cut a small slice off of the bottom of the pear.
- Pour a spoonful of the walnut mixture in the center of each pear.
- Pour ½ cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the pears have softened and the walnuts browned.
- Drizzle with additional honey (optional) and serve warm.
I sauteed the nuts in a little bit of butter and added a pinch of salt. Kept everything else the same. Had 20 guests for a dinner party and they thought it was delicious. It’s a keeper!
That’s great Linda! So glad your guests enjoyed them!
-Christina & Alexa
4 pears makes 6 servings? How much is a portion at 209kcal per?
Hi Tim, We went back and looked at the recipe and it’s actually 8 servings, half a pear per serving. Therefore the calorie count is 157 per serving. Thank you for letting us know.
-Christina & Alexa
Brilliant, easy and healthy.
Thank you Jim! We’re so glad you found our recipe easy and healthy. Thank you for taking the time to rate our Baklava Baked Pears!
-Christina & Alexa