This Peach, Feta, & Arugula Salad brings all of the fresh flavors of summer together with fresh, juicy peaches, peppery arugula, and a bright and fresh basil vinaigrette. As a refreshing complement to grilled or smoked meats, there is no better way to celebrate the bounty of fresh summer produce.
You guys… Steve is officially a foodie! And I could not be more proud.
I don’t know if it was the launch of my blog (and all of the delicious taste testing that came along with it), the fact that we have been spending so much more time cooking at home thanks to Covid-19, or the purchase of a new smoker – or maybe some magical combination of the three, but something has happened.
Steve now happily binges Food Network cooking shows with me, whether it’s a Triple D marathon on a Friday night or episodes of The Kitchen on an early Saturday morning, we both eagerly watch hoping to pick up new tricks and recipe inspiration that we can try out in the coming weeks. Steve even has a couple of buddies that he is always sharing recipes and food pictures with. Although, Steve would want me to mention that most of those are recipes for smoking all of the new and delicious cuts of meat on his new smoker.
So needless to say, we have been eating lots of hearty grilled and smoked meats around here these days. This Peach, Feta, and Arugula Salad with Fresh Basil Vinaigrette came about because we needed something light and refreshing, but still bold enough to stand up on its own when served alongside a hearty meal of ribs, smoked bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, and crispy smashed potatoes.
This salad did not disappoint! It is bright and light, but packs a ton of flavor with a super flavorful homemade Basil Vinaigrette dressing that takes just a few minutes to whip up in the blender. The Basil Vinaigrette dressing is bold and flavorful, complementing the juicy, sweet peaches, and peppery arugula.
Plus this recipe gives you a great opportunity to use up some of that fresh summer produce available in supermarkets, farmers markets, or even your own backyard this time of year.
How Do You Make Basil Vinaigrette?
I don’t use many bottled salad dressings these days. If you look closely even the “healthier” options are still filled with too much sugar and oil (as well as a variety of other ingredients I can’t pronounce). Since I try to avoid that kind of thing, and eat healthier, making homemade salad dressing is the way to go, as you know just what is going in it. Once you get the hang of it, most dressings really are quick and simple to throw together. Plus, you can add so much more flavor, as with this bold and flavorful Basil Vinaigrette.
To make this homemade Basil Vinaigrette salad dressing is super quick and simple, you toss some fresh basil, a clove of garlic, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and some salt and pepper in a blender and blend away. If you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, you can substitute another mild vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. But I love this white balsamic for dressings because it has a mild, but slightly sweet flavor.
The recipe will probably make more than you need for this Peach, Feta, and Arugula Salad, but the dressing will keep for several days in the fridge. This fresh Basil Vinaigrette dressing is great on other salads, served over ripe sliced tomatoes and mozzarella for a twist on Caprese salad, grilled meats, or even mixed with a little mayo and spread on a sandwich. Plus that bright green color is so fun to brighten up any meal.
Making the Peach, Feta, and Arugula Salad
To make the Peach, Feta, and Arugula Salad, you just toss all of the ingredients together and pour some of the fresh Basil Vinaigrette dressing over top. If you want to make this a couple of hours ahead, you can slice the peaches and onions, crumble the feta, and toast the walnuts. You can add the arugula, onions, peaches, and feta to the bowl, but I would keep the walnuts and dressing on the side and wait to toss everything until just before serving, as the walnuts can lose their crunch and the dressing will cause the salad to wilt. The sliced peaches should keep fresh for a few hours, but to help prevent browning, I would toss them with a little lemon juice just after slicing.
For this salad, I used a baby spinach and arugula mix, as they didn’t have just arugula at the store I usually shop at. You could also substitute all arugula. I also used walnuts, but you could absolutely substitute pecans instead. In fact, I only used walnuts because unfortunately I burnt my first batch of pecans when toasting them (I totally forgot about them in the oven, my bad!), and I didn’t have any more pecans.
This Peach, Feta, and Arugula Salad with Basil Vinaigrette is bold and flavorful, so it stands up well alongside other flavorful dishes. It would be awesome served with:
- Grilled or smoked meats, such as brisket, ribs, pulled pork, steak, or chicken
- Fresh seafood, including grilled shrimp, salmon, or any other fish
- Or any other summery dish
If you try out my recipe, let me know in the comments below what you served it with and feel free to share your pictures and tag @NamasteHomeCooking on Facebook.
For another summer recipe combining fresh basil and sweet, ripe peaches, check out these Pan Seared Pork Chops with Basil, Peaches, and Brussels Sprouts or if you to really want bring home the peach flavor, serve this with may favorite Sparkling Peach Sangria.
Peach, Feta, & Arugula Salad with Fresh Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Basil Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/4 c basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tbs white balsamic
- 6 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp honey
Peach, Feta, and Arugula Salad
- 5 oz baby spinach and arugula mix
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 1 peach
- ¼ red onion
- 3 oz crumbled feta
Instructions
- Make dressing by combining all ingredients in a blender (I use the small cup of my Magic Bullet, which is perfect for dressings). Pour dressing to a resalable jar or bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To assemble the salad, add greens to a large bowl.
- Thinly slice peaches, and red onion, and place on top of the greens. Add crumbled feta and toasted walnuts. Toss with some of the dressing (you probably won’t need it all) and serve immediately.