Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese is simple yet loaded with flavor and texture. Topped with my balsamic vinaigrette puts it over the top. You’re gonna love this salad!
During the summer, I like to up my salad game and come up with interesting and exciting salads. What’s better than combining fruit, cheese, greens, and nuts? For this salad, I chose arugula as my green because it only required my opening a bag and tossing them in. The peppery flavor from the arugula contrasts beautifully with the sweet peaches.
For the grilled peaches, all I do is put them on the grill and grill them for 5 minutes on each side until they are charred and soft. I don’t even aim for pretty grill marks. If you know me, I don’t really care about that stuff. I’m more interested in the taste instead of it looking pretty.
I know that may sound strange coming from a food blogger but trust me on this. I’ve fallen into the trap of trying many recipes solely based on the beautiful picture associated with it, only to be left disappointed by not having it taste as good as it looked. I do my best to make my food look decent, but I concentrate on the taste because I want you to eat it, not just look at it!
Crumbled blue cheese is added to the mix for some smooth texture and tang. You can also use gorgonzola or whatever you like. I feel blue cheese or gorgonzola pairs beautifully with grilled peaches.
Next comes some crunch. Walnuts are added to the mix and sometimes I don’t even chop them up. If I do, I roughly chop them. I buy in bulk and have a huge bag of walnuts that I keep in my freezer. Check out my post on how to freeze nuts for the how and why.
The salad is finished off with a drizzle of my balsamic vinaigrette and let me tell you, it’s fantastic. This salad has it all - taste, texture, sweetness, tartness, and crunch. It’s pretty too.
If you love salads, you’ll also love:
Spinach watermelon feta salad with lime vinaigrette
Sweet and tangy cucumber salad
Peruvian oil and vinegar potato salad
Spinach and cheese pasta salad
Life is too short for mediocre food.
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Grilled Peach and Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese
PRINT PINIngredients
Salad:
- 3 ripe sweet peaches pitted and halved
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 ounces blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbled
- 1 recipe for balsamic vinaigrette recipe follows
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 medium clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high. You can also use a grill pan on the stove top. Get it nice and hot.
- Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking balsamic vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl or shaking it in a mason jar. Set aside.
- Brush peach halves with a little neutral oil. Grill for 3 - 5 minutes on each side or until they are nice charred. Check after a few minutes because temps can vary. Remove and slice into wedges.
- In a large bowl, add the baby arugula. You can gently squeeze the leaves to soften them a bit. Add the sliced grilled peaches, walnuts, onion and blue cheese. Toss gently to combine.
- When ready to serve, drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy.
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