This Balsamic Roasted Peach Salad is the perfect use for those late summer peaches. Baby arugula, mixed greens, sweet juicy peaches, toasted walnuts, sweet red onion, and crumbly blue cheese are all drizzled with peach balsamic dressing. It looks beautiful, tastes amazing, and is surprisingly simple to make.
As summer begins to wind down, I’m always on the lookout for a great way to use up the wonderful fruits and vegetables that we have on hand. Tomatoes are in peak season, but truly it’s the stone fruit that I cannot get enough of. Plums, cherries, and my oh my the peaches are extraordinary.
Tips for Balsamic Roasted Peach Salad:
- Few things pair together as well as balsamic vinegar and blue cheese. My taste buds tend to lean towards gorgonzola, however, blue stilton and Roquefort are also excellent choices. Not a fan of blue cheese? That’s ok! Feta, goat cheese, or an aged sharp cheese like parmesan or even white cheddar will work here. You want to look for a sharp, salty cheese that will cut the richness of the other ingredients.
- Growing up, my grandmother always had walnuts in her kitchen and it was not just a container of them either. She would buy them whole, and leave them in a basket on the counter with a silver nutcracker (or lobster cracker depending on who you asked). All throughout the day you would hear a loud crack as she broke open those shells and picked out the tasty pieces of walnuts. All of this to say, I love walnuts, but almonds, pistachios, or even pecans will do. Just make sure they are toasted, crunchy and salty.
- You really want to watch your peaches while you’re roasting them. We’re using high heat for a short amount of time. There should still be a bit of texture/bite to them when you’re eating this salad. We are not looking for cobbler consistency.
- Save the cooking liquid! We will be using it as our dressing. The peaches will render slightly and those juices combined with the balsamic vinegar are quite lovely.
- Let’s talk lettuce! The pepperiness of the arugula works along with sharp cheese to keep the flavors balanced. The spring mix is delicate enough to allow the peaches to shine. You can, as always, substitute romaine for an added crunch. A little added radicchio would be a nice touch as well.
This salad is lovely. It’s sweet, peppery, salty, and crunchy; all of the best things combined. And, like many of my other recipes, I encourage you to add your own twist. Customize this salad any way you’d like, though I do hope you’ll give my version a try, just once. Whichever way you make it, I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!
Balsamic Roasted Peach Salad
Ingredients
Balsamic Roasted Peaches
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp thyme fresh
- salt to taste
- 2 peaches sliced
Salad
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 2 cups spring mix
- ½ cup walnuts toasted walnut
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup blue cheese crumpled
Instructions
Balsamic Roasted Peaches
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- In an ovenproof baking dish, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, thyme, salt, and sliced peaches. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the peaches are bubbling, slightly soft, and just starting to brown. Reserve the cooking liquid and allow both the peaches and liquid to cool completely.
Assemble the salad
- Mix all of the ingredients in a large salad bowl. Top with the cooled roasted peaches. Pour the reserved cooking liquid on top and toss well to coat the salad.