Peach Arugula Summer Salad
This colorful Peach Arugula Salad with juicy blueberries, tender prosciutto, and a simple white wine vinaigrette is a summer stunner. It comes together in a snap yet feels fresh and elegant.
We’re more or less always craving fresh salads full of seasonal produce, certainly never more than in the heat of summer. One of the season’s true glories? Sweet, plump, juicy, run-down-your-chin-when-you-take-a-bite peaches.
Whether you pick them up at your everyday grocery store, nab a bushel at the local farmers market, or grab an overflowing flat from a roadside stand, when you see those plump, fuzzy stone fruits, you’re in for a treat.
Summer is Served
In my book, a dreamy summer salad has to meet a few criteria. This one checks every box.
- No cook. Anything that lets me skip the oven and stove is a win.
- No fuss. This is strictly a scatter and drizzle situation.
- Fruit included. OK, so I do love many salads without fruit, but it’s all the more fun when you incorporate some of those gorgeous summer stone fruits and berries. Plus, kids tend to enjoy that!
- Healthy. Maybe I shouldn’t care, but I do want to feel (and look!) a little better in shorts and swimsuits.
- Elegant. If we can keep it simple and still feel chic, it’s the best of all worlds!
Ingredients & Common Substitutions
So you want to make the most dazzling peach arugula salad. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Peaches. Yellow or white. Nectarines work wonderfully, too.
- Arugula. Arugula, also known as rocket lettuce, has a crisp texture and peppery bite that nicely offsets the sweet, juicy fruit, so I highly recommend it here. Sub spinach or a mix of baby greens if needed.
- Prosciutto. The tender, salty Italian ham is delicious in salads, and can be easily torn into small bites or rolled up into little rosettes, as shown here, for a pretty presentation. Simply omit it for vegetarians.
- Blueberries. These little jewels add so much! Raspberries, blackberries, or cherries would be a nice seasonal addition, as well or instead.
- Pine nuts. Crunchy bits of heaven.
- Fresh basil. Optional but a lovely and vibrant finishing touch.
- For the dressing: olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sea salt, and black pepper. No white wine vinegar? Use apple cider or champagne vinegar instead.
Many peach prosciutto salad recipes are served with cheese, specifically fresh mozzarella or its creamier cousin, burrata. Scatter some of either on top if you like!
How To Make a Peach Arugula Salad
- Shake together the dressing in a small bowl or jar.
- Place a bed of arugula on a large plate or small platter.
- Top with peaches, prosciutto, and blueberry.
- Drizzle with dressing to taste, and finish with pine nuts & basil.
- Toss & serve!
Variations
- Grill the peaches. Split peaches in half, brush each interior side lightly with olive oil, and grill over medium heat until char marks form. Let cool slightly, slice into wedges if desired, and add to the salad.
- Add cheese. As mentioned, mozzarella or burrata are classic choices. Other fun additions include crumbly feta, creamy goat cheese (we love Humboldt Fog), or a tangy Manchego.
- Swap pine nuts for pecans or walnuts–candied, toasted, or raw.
Frequently Asked Questions
A perfectly ripe peach will have a bit of “give” when pressed gently. If it’s completely firm to the touch, it most likely needs 1-2 days to further ripen. It should also have a sweet aroma and a dark yellow color, without brown or mushy spots.
Peaches purchased at the grocery store often need a day or two to be ready, so do your best to plan ahead. In a hurry? Read these tips on ripening peaches if needed.
Peaches are generally in season from mid-summer to early fall in the US, but the exact season varies a bit depending on exactly where they are grown. Here is a great guide to peach season if you’d like to learn more.
Peaches come in two varieties: freestone and clingstone. As you might expect, freestone peaches, which tend to be larger, have fruit that practically falls off the pit (or “stone”). Clingstone, in contrast, will literally cling to the pit, making it more difficult to twist and pull.
If you have freestone peaches, you will be able to cut the peach with a paring knife all around its vertical center, making a circle around the pit, then pull the two hemispheres apart, pop out the pit, and slice the fruit.
When working with clingstone peaches, I find it easiest to simply slice pieces of the fruit off the sides, working around the pit in quadrants to get as much fruit as possible.
You can wash the blueberries, toast the pine nuts, and make the dressing ahead of time; it keeps well, jarred, in the fridge for up to two weeks. The rest of the salad, however, is best assembled right before eating.
Serving Suggestions
If you love pretty, healthy, fun salads, this peach arugula combination is sure to please! Serve it with grilled chicken, kabobs, or grilled shrimp for a vibrant summer meal.
More Fresh Summer Salads
- White Bean Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Roasted Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad
- Pearl Couscous Salad with Cucumber and Tomato
- Everyday Italian Salad
- Balsamic Chicken Salad with Spinach and Blackberries
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Peach Arugula Summer Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 2-3 cups baby arugula
- 2-3 ripe peaches
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 ounces prosciutto thin-sliced
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 10-12 cranks fresh-ground black pepper
Instructions
- To make the dressing, combine olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or jar. Whisk or shake together until smooth.
- Spread arugula out on a plate or platter, then arrange sliced peaches, blueberries, and prosciutto on top. Drizzle lightly with spoonfuls of dressing (you may not use it all), scatter pine nuts and basil on top, and serve.
Notes
- Pine Nuts: You can buy pine nuts already toasted at Trader Joe’s and many other grocery stores, but you can also toast raw pine nuts yourself. To do so, place them in a small skillet over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring very frequently, until golden brown in spots. Remove from the heat, let cool, and use as desired.
