Peach Salad with Goat Cheese
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This Arugula Peach Salad with Goat Cheese is the perfect summer salad! Made with arugula, sliced almonds and the best balsamic dressing!
If you’re looking for the best way to use up peaches – try this arugula peach salad with goat cheese!
After making healthy food for years, we’ve become pros at making a salad that’s not only good for you, but actually tastes good too!
Liz’s Tips for the best Salad:
- Double the peaches: I personally love fruit in salad, and if you have super sweet peaches that are in season.. I’d double the amount the recipe calls for! The more, the better!
- Add a paper towel to the container if storing the salad overnight – it will help prevent the greens from getting soggy.
This salad truly is the perfect salad with a balance of sweet and salty and great texture – sweet peaches, creamy goat cheese, crunchy homemade croutons and almonds, peppery arugula – all tossed in the most delicious (and super easy to make!) balsamic dressing.
Ingredients:
SUBSTITUTIONS
Olive Oil: You can substitute olive oil for avocado oil, but we prefer to make our dressing with olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil has the best flavor.
Basil: Please please please use fresh basil in this recipe! It really makes the dressing soooo much tastier. If you don’t have it, you can substitute with 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil, but we don’t recommend it.
Honey: Don’t skip the honey as it gives a little bit of sweetness to the dressing to balance out the acidity. You could use a little bit of maple syrup instead. For another dressing, try our Strawberry Vinaigrette.
Arugula: This salad also works with baby arugula, spinach, or spring mix. I’ve made it with kale, but would recommend using baby kale over curly kale.
Peaches: Ripe peaches should be firm to the touch but slightly soft if you press on the skin. If you have a ton of peaches, try baked peaches. Peaches are the star of this salad, but if you don’t have them, you could substitute with nectarines, fresh berries, or apples. For a strawberry salad, we love Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad or Spinach Strawberry Salad.
Goat Cheese: I like the tang of goat cheese against the sweetness of the peaches, but you could substitute it with feta or shaved parmesan.
Almonds: Sliced almonds are best in this, but slivered almonds also work. You could substitute with candied walnuts, pecans, or even plain sunflower seeds for a nut free version.
Croutons: The homemade croutons are the best part of this salad! Take the time to make them over using store bought 🙂
How to Make Peach Salad
- In a food processor, blend all salad dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Toss arugula with peaches, goat cheese, sliced almonds, and croutons. Drizzle with some balsamic vinaigrette and serve!
What to Serve with Peach Arugula Salad:
This salad is delicious on its own, but to add some protein, we love to pair it with:
- Balsamic Grilled Chicken
- The chicken from this Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
- Baked Boneless Chicken Breast
- BBQ Chicken Breast
- Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets
Storage
Storing: This salad is best eaten fresh. If you store the dressing separately, it will last for 2 days in the refrigerator. If you’re going to store the salad overnight, I recommend adding a paper towel to the container – it will help prevent the greens from getting soggy.
The dressing will separate when it’s in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and shake vigorously to reconstitute it.
Other healthy salad recipes:
Peach Salad with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup fresh basil OR 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad:
- 6 cups arugula about 8 oz
- 1 cup peach chopped
- 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- ½ cup homemade croutons
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a blender or small food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth. Set the dressing aside. This will make roughly ½ cup of dressing, and you only need ¼ cup. Save the rest for another day!
- In a large bowl, toss arugula with peaches, goat cheese, sliced almonds and croutons.
- Drizzle with ¼ cup balsamic dressing and enjoy!
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