A sweet and savory peach basil salad filled with everything good about summer on a plate.
Summer days are salad days. Salads are an easy staple that come together in a hurry with minimal fuss, not to mention that they’re the perfect vehicle for enjoying all sorts of seasonal produce. And with all the fresh fruits and vegetables making their way into the markets at the moment, there’s certainly no shortage of choice when it comes to what to put into one.
Cool, easy, crunchy, it’s just the thing on a hot, sticky day. Suffice it to say, I’ll be eating my fair share of them for the next few months.
This particular peach basil salad is another sweet and savory affair (one of my favorite salad combinations). The basic formula here boils down to a bed of greens, thrown together with a vegetable, some fruit, some kind of nut for crunch, a little cheese for creaminess that's tossed with a fresh basil vinaigrette.
What you get is a lively combination of tastes and textures that’s fresh and oh-so-satisfying.
How to Make a Peach Basil Salad:
You start by quickly blanching some green beans to which you add a heap of mache lettuce.
To that you add in colorful assortment of peaches and cherries sliced thinly along with a smattering of pistachios for nuttiness and goat cheese for both creaminess and tang.
A bright green basil vinaigrette then ties everything together.
Of course a summer salad like this is only as good as the ingredients that go in it so make sure to get the freshest you can. The peaches should be sweet and juicy but not overly ripe, the cherries plump but firm and the green beans should be slender and have a nice snap to them.
This colorful peach basil salad is everything that’s good about summer on a plate. Here’s to salad days!
More Summer Salads:
Peach Basil Salad
A sweet and savory peach basil salad filled with everything good about summer on a plate.
Ingredients
- ½ cup packed basil leaves
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml Champagne or white wine vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ lb. haricots verts (thin French green beans), ends trimmed
- 3 oz/ 85g mache lettuce
- 2 small ripe but firm yellow peaches, sliced
- ½ lb cherries, pitted and sliced in half
- 2 Tablespoons/14g pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 2 oz/56 g goat cheese bucheron, cut into thin slices
Instructions
- In a small food processor, add the basil, oil and vinegar and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
- Bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil; add green beans and cook until just tender (about 2 minutes). Transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and lightly pat dry.
- In a large bowl, toss together the basil vinaigrette with the mache, green beans, peaches and cherries until well combined. Top with chopped pistachios and goat cheese.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
For Vegan and Paleo omit goat cheese
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 279Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 4g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Sarah | (Cooking for) Kiwi & Bean says
This looks like such a treat! I am going to pin it and make it this weekend. The combo of basil and peaches is a pretty darn amazing one.
TidyMom says
This just screams summer Sylvie!! I can't wait to make it
Deborah says
This is such a gorgeous salad!! Love all of the fruit!
Loriel says
I hardly ever make salad with fruit but it always looks so delicious and beautiful. I'm sure the peaches taste amazing with the goat cheese.
Jaime says
Oh this looks so perfect and delicious. Definitely have to make this later but pinning it for now! Yummy!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
So fresh and pretty, I could eat this salad all summer long!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
Super lovely salad. I love indulging in the wonderful cherries and peaches of summer as much as I can. I bet this is quite wonderful with the basil vinaigrette.
Eileen says
This is such a beautiful salad! Such a perfect thing to eat on a hot summer night. Yay!
Kelly says
I adore basil and peaches. I've never paired the two and can't wait to give this beautiful salad a try! Yum! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Robyn says
A perfect salad for hot summer nights! Or anytime!!