Peach, Blueberry and Mozzarella Salad
Peach, Blueberry and Mozzarella Salad
This Peach, Blueberry and Mozzarella Salad is one of my absolute favourite summer salads! It tastes like summer with every bite! The fresh peaches, blueberries and mozzarella compliment each other so well while the pecans and shallots add a bit of crunch and spice to it all. And a salad isn’t a salad without some greens, so everything is spread out on a bed of fresh spring greens; simply delicious! It will look just beautiful on your outdoor patio table when you’re entertaining this summer.
This pretty salad is drizzled with a delicious, easy, homemade dressing made of only 5 ingredients. I like to double the recipe and store the rest in a mason jar for an easy grab during the week. You can even triple or quadruple the recipe as it will keep for months in the fridge. You can make this entire salad in under 15 minutes which is a huge win! You could even assemble the salad and prep the dressing the day before and just add the dressing before serving.
Let’s go over a few of the main ingredients:
For the salad:
Greens - I love to use an organic spring greens mix. You could also use fresh spinach or arugula. Leafy greens are highly sprayed, so I recommend buying organic!
Peaches - Peaches just scream summer and I love that we can use them in a more savoury setting as well. Make sure your peaches aren’t soft or squishy at all or else it will be hard to cut nice, crisp slices. Look for peaches that are just ripe, but still firm.
Blueberries - Blueberries and peaches go really well together; they compliment each other.
Mozzarella - You want to buy fresh mozzarella for this recipe, not the kind you grate on a cheese grater. It’s very soft and often packaged with a little liquid to keep it from drying out. Mozzarella di buffala (fresh buffalo mozzarella) would also work beautifully!
Shallots - The amount of shallots we are using may be small, but they are very necessary to balance out the otherwise very sweet ingredients in this salad. They provide flavour as well as a little kick.
Pecans - Adding pecans to the salad really elevates it and adds another dimension of flavour and texture; particularly adding a nice crunch.
For the vinaigrette:
Olive oil - Good quality extra virgin olive oil is always part of a good vinaigrette. It typically makes up the majority of the dressing.
White wine vinegar - I love adding a little white wine vinegar for the “vinegar” part of vinaigrette. I typically go for a white wine vinegar because it is more mild in flavour as opposed to red wine vinegar. It also works best with the ingredients used in this salad.
Lemon juice - I always add a little lemon juice to my white vinaigrettes too. It adds that citrusy flavour that is pleasant as well as a bit of acidity.
Honey - I usually don’t sweeten my dressings but if I do, I will use pure honey or maple syrup. The honey flavour is so yummy with the fresh thyme leaves in this vinaigrette. It’s delicious.
Thyme - Thyme is such a fragrant and flavourful herb and it works so well with the other ingredients in the salad. If I’m being honest, it really makes this vinaigrette!
Spices - Don’t forget a little salt and pepper to help emphasize the other ingredients. You won’t need a lot of salt, just a pinch, but you can afford to add more pepper if you like! I usually add a pinch to the dressing and then grind fresh pepper over the whole salad at the end.
Peach, Blueberry and Mozzarella Salad
Peach, Blueberry and Mozzarella Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups organic mixed greens
- 2 firm peaches, cored and sliced thin
- 1 cup organic blueberries
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
- 4 tbsp thinly sliced shallots
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spread out the pecans on a baking sheet.
- Make the dressing: add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, thyme leaves and salt and pepper to a mason jar and shake well until everything is combined. Set aside.
- Toast the pecans in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until fragrant.
- Arrange the greens on a large platter and top with sliced peaches, blueberries, mozzarella and shallots.
- Add the toasted pecans on top.
- Drizzle the entire salad with the prepared dressing, finish with fresh cracked pepper and serve!