This beet, peach, and salmon salad with peach honey vinaigrette dressing (yikes, longest recipe title ever) is absolutely BURSTING with flavor and texture! This salad features some end-of-summer’s finest produce, including fresh peaches and beets. I picked both from our back yard! 😊 Along with the fresh, juicy peaches and roasted beets, we have sweet cherry tomatoes, deliciously addictive cinnamon sugar walnuts, perfectly cooked salmon, savory and salty Havarti cheese (I used a dill version that was amazing), and the creamy homemade peach vinaigrette dressing! Oops. And let’s not forget the salad greens since this IS a salad after all 😉 But no worries, the ratio of toppings to lettuce is ON POINT with this recipe.
As promised here is the most delicious summer salad featuring the homemade peach honey vinaigrette dressing I shared with you last week!! I am always especially excited to share more savory/entrée/main dish recipes with you as those are much fewer and far between on the blog. I definitely usually enjoy baking (even if that’s no-bake) sweeter snack/dessert/breakfast recipes. BUT. I’ll admit that baking isn’t always the most practical, especially when your freezer is already bursting with homemade baked goods and you need to get dinner on the table. 😉
Let’s talk a bit more about the ingredients you’ll need to make this yummy salad! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: salads to NOT have to be boring!
Ingredients and Substitution Ideas
Greens
I used spinach as the base for this salad, although I personally love arugula. Literally any type of green will work here: romaine, spinach, kale, arugula, leaf lettuce, etc. Use your favorite and what you have on hand!
Roasted Beets
I discuss the details (very simple) of how to make roasted beets in this blog post, so head on over there for that recipe! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone tell me they don’t like a certain veggie (such as Brussels sprouts or beets), but then they try eating it roasted and they LOVE it! Roasted veggies have MUCH different taste/texture than boiled/steamed veggies. I highly recommend trying roasted veggies!! I used freshly picked beets from my garden. 😊
Peaches
I used the peaches from our peach trees in our backyard! Obviously, use any peaches you can get from a grocery store, farmer’s market, etc. Peaches are absolutely delicious and in their prime season in August, so get some while you still can!
Havarti Cheese
I actually used a different cheese other than feta this time!! Haha I tend to always use feta cheese on salads, as evidenced on this strawberry spinach salad, this shredded Brussels sprouts salad, and this blueberry farro feta chicken salad. What can I say; it’s by FAR my favorite cheese and adds so much delicious flavor to salads! Or these Italian zucchini fritters, which I also HIGHLY recommend. Anyways, I actually ended up using a dill Havarti cheese from Aldi as that’s what I had on hand in my fridge and it was DELICIOUS. My husband even specifically commented on how delicious this cheese was paired with this salad. I freshly grated the block of Havarti cheese myself. That being said, I have no doubt you can sub other varieties of cheese here…feta, goat, Gouda, Halloumi, etc.
Cherry Tomatoes
I actually wasn’t originally going to include cherry tomatoes in this salad, but I had lots of yummy yellow pear cherry tomatoes from our garden and they ended up being a delicious addition to the salad! I love how sweet cherry tomatoes are; they provide a burst of flavor in the salad! Feel free to use any color/variety of cherry tomatoes you have available at the store.
Candied Walnuts
I used this delicious recipe from Gimme Some Oven for the walnuts for this salad! I recommend making the nuts the night before (along with roasted the beets ahead of time too, if you want to save time!). While walnuts aren’t a nut I typically eat plain, they are DELIOUSLY ADDICTIVE with the candied coating (I love how this recipe) isn’t too sweet and they pair perfectly with the peaches and beets in this salad. The roasted cinnamon spiced walnuts add a delightful nutty crunch to this salad!
Salmon
In order for salads to be satisfying and filling, I highly recommend adding a protein source if you’re going to make this a main dish/entrée. I chose salmon here, but grilled chicken (or tempeh or chickpeas if you want a vegetarian/vegan-friendly recipe) are great options as well! I cooked my salmon in my air-fryer for a completely hands-free method that just took minutes. Feel free to cook the salmon on the stove-top or broil it though! Or grill it; whatever you prefer.
Peach Honey Vinaigrette Dressing
This homemade peach dressing (see here for instructions) truly brings all the components of this salad together.
- Greens of choice
- Roasted beets (Recipe on blog)
- Sliced fresh peaches
- Shredded Havarti cheese (or sub goat/feta)
- Yellow pear cherry tomatoes (or regular cherry tomatoes)
- Candied walnuts (see post for recipe link)
- Salmon (or sub chicken)
- Peach vinaigrette dressing:
- 1 cup peaches, sliced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or white balsamic)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Pinch sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoons water, added last and as needed to thin
- Layer salad greens, peach honey vinaigrette dressing, then roasted beets, peaches, cheese, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, and salmon or other protein of choice.
- Enjoy!!
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