Summer Salad With Peaches and Goat Cheese Recipe

Name: Summer Salad With Peaches and Goat Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/2 small onion); 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1/2 of a lemon); 1/3 cup raw, shelled pistachios; 3 to 4 peaches, skins left on, cut into chunks (about 3 cups); 1 tablespoon honey; 2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar; 1/3 cup olive oil; 5 ounces mixed greens, like baby spinach, sorrel, or other seasonal farmers' market greens; 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil; 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese; 1/2 cup chopped yellow or orange tomatoes (1 large tomato); Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

12 Recipes to Make with Ripe Summer Peaches

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Summertime, and the peaches are easy. Well, easy to come by! Thank goodness.

This salad couldn’t be simpler, and can be easily assembled almost entirely using ingredients you can find at your local farmers’ market. I bought everything except the pistachios, goat cheese, olive oil, and vinegar at mine—though you might be lucky enough to find everything at yours!

As with almost anything else that showcases local and seasonal vegetables, you don’t have to do a whole lot to make things taste delicious. The less, the better.

Side salad recipe with peaches, goat cheese, and pistachios — Alison Conklin

Shop for the Ingredients at the Farmers Market

You could very well use spinach or another green, but I wanted to steer clear of arugula in the dead heat of the summer because the flavor tends to sharpen and become more peppery and bitter. Arugula really has less of a bite in spring and early fall.

But a sweet baby spinach or even sorrel, if you can find it, would be great—the latter would lend some lemony brightness to the flavors. I used a spring mix from one of my favorite farmers for this recipe.

I also selected a yellow tomato to contrast the peaches and because they are less acidic than red ones, but an orange one would work well, too.

Salad recipe with peaches, goat cheese, and pistachios toss the peaches with honey — Alison Conklin

Use Good-Quality Vinegar and Olive Oil

I have a multi-tier approach to using olive oils. I have a good quality extra virgin olive oil that I use for drizzling over pasta and using in some other applications. But I save the really good stuff for salads, and in the summer, it’s not unusual for me to go through several bottles of extra virgin olive oil.

I also like to put really good quality vinegars, ones that come from specialty shops that know what they’re doing, to use in salads. They just add an extra dimension of flavor; good vinegar will make this taste more like a carefully composed restaurant quality salad and elevate it from the everyday.

In this case, I used a champagne vinegar, which is a little sweet, but if you don’t have it, don’t let it stop you from making this salad. Just substitute white wine vinegar.

This Salad Is Best the Day It's Made

As with any salad, this is best the day it is made. It can generously serve four to six people as a side.

If you do end up with leftovers, wrap the salad loosely and refrigerate it, and eat it within 24 hours before the leaves become brown and soggy.

If you want turn this into a dinner salad and make it more substantive, I suggest topping it with grilled chicken or shrimp; the latter would lend a bit of charred sweetness to the salad.

More Summer Salads to Enjoy!

Summer Salad With Peaches and Goat Cheese

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Soak Onions 10 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

If you can, use yellow or orange tomatoes for this recipe because they are less acidic than red ones.

1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/2 small onion)
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1/2 of a lemon)
1/3 cup raw, shelled pistachios
3 to 4 peaches, skins left on, cut into chunks (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
5 ounces mixed greens like baby spinach, sorrel, or other seasonal farmers market greens
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup chopped yellow or orange tomatoes (1 large tomato)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Soak the onion:

Place the lemon juice in a small bowl and add the onions, gently tossing them with your fingers to coat. Let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes, then drain and set aside. This will take some of the bite out of the onion.

Alison Conklin
Toast the pistachios:

In a small, dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pistachios, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Alison Conklin
Combine the peaches and honey:

In a medium bowl, combine the peaches and honey until coated.

Alison Conklin
Make the dressing and toss the salad:

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar and olive oil. Add the mixed greens and basil, and toss them together with your clean hands.

Alison Conklin

Alison Conklin
Assemble the salad:

Place the greens on individual plates or a large platter. Evenly distribute the peaches, goat cheese, tomatoes, pistachios, and red onions over the greens. Serve immediately.

Alison Conklin

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
211	Calories
15g	Fat
18g	Carbs
4g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	211
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g	19%
Saturated Fat 4g	18%
Cholesterol 6mg	2%
Sodium 119mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 18g	6%
Dietary Fiber 3g	10%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 16mg	80%
Calcium 45mg	3%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 364mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.