A grilled peach salad full of color & texture. It’s such a fun summer salad with lots of great flavor – sweet caramelized peaches, fragrant olive oil toasted walnuts, homemade torn croutons, rich gorgonzola cheese, and a tangy white balsamic vinaigrette. Simple ingredients that come together in the most beautiful way. I’d say this would be the perfect thing to serve alongside some grilled steaks!
grilled peach salad – the details
Peaches are finally here and while I love creating sweet summer desserts (like this irresistible almond peach crisp), I think they’re equally delicious in savory dishes (like these breaded pork chops with caramelized corn & peaches).
Today we’re going savory, because a grilled peach salad sounded too good to resist!
Start with perfectly ripe peaches – ones that are soft when gently pressed, yet still have enough structure/firmness to hold up on the grill. Once grilled, they’ll become even softer, with caramelized edges and a smoky flavor.
For crunch, you’ll get a skillet nice and hot and first toast up some walnuts (instead of toasting nuts over dry heat which most people do, toasting them in olive oil will give them SO much more flavor) and then some torn bread to make some quick croutons.
You can pretty much cook these using your senses…you want to see golden color on both, smell a fragrant nuttiness for the walnuts, and see crispy edges on the bread.
Lastly to bring it all together, we’ve got a simple, tangy white balsamic vinaigrette, rich gorgonzola cheese crumbled over top, and fresh garden basil. All in all, the perfect combination of flavors!
An ideal summertime meal?…
Steaks grilled simply with salt & lots of black pepper, creamy corn fettuccine, this grilled peach salad, and blueberry slump for dessert!
If you’re looking for more summer salad recipes, here are a few to try:
Watermelon Arugula Salad with Feta & Pistachios
Cucumber Melon Salad with Serrano Chive Vinaigrette
Summer Squash Salad with Avocado & Pine Nuts
Grilled Peach Salad with Gorgonzola & Walnuts
a grilled peach salad with olive oil toasted walnuts, torn croutons, creamy gorgonzola cheese, fresh basil, and a white balsamic vinaigrette
servings: 4
Ingredients
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp grainy mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced chives
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Grilled Peach Salad
- 4 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- ¼ lb walnuts
- ¼ lb fresh bread, torn into pieces (sourdough, italian loaf, ciabatta, etc. will all work)
- ¼ lb butter lettuce, roughly torn
- 1 small handful torn fresh basil leaves
- ¼ lb gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- For the vinaigrette, add the white balsamic vinegar, grainy mustard, and honey to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously until emulsified. Stir in the chives. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Heat the grill over medium-high heat. Brush the peaches with olive oil and place them onto the grill once hot. Grill the peaches for 3-4 minutes, or until grill marks develop and they easily release. Flip the peaches, reduce the heat to low, cover the grill, and continue to cook for 4-5 more minutes until soft and caramelized.
- Transfer the peaches off the grill and season with a pinch of salt. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Cut them into smaller pieces.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, add the walnuts. Toast until golden and fragrant, stirring often. Transfer them out of the skillet. Repeat with the torn bread, cooking until crisp. Season both with a pinch of salt.
- Add the butter lettuce, peaches, walnuts, croutons, and basil to a mixing bowl. Drizzle in ¾ of the vinaigrette, tossing to combine. Plate the salad and top with the gorgonzola cheese. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette to your liking over top.
Notes
Any stone fruit would work really well in this salad, so feel free to change it up with apricots, plums, nectarines, etc.
shop the dish: grilled peach salad with gorgonzola & walnuts
