When I transitioned to healthier eating, kicking the sugar/sweet flavors was the hardest. Anything that I was used to being heavily sweetened tasted odd and it took me quite some time find comfort in the new flavors. However, using fruit in savory ways came out of my struggle to find the balance of sweet without added sugars. The pop of sweet followed by the slow heat of this peach salad has become a favorite of mine, plus it satisfies my desire for the occasional sweet flavor. The key for this salad is finding peaches that are ripe but still a bit firm. This helps them hold up to the heat but soak in all the good flavors of the chipotle marinade.
PrintGrilled Chipotle Peach Salad
A well-balanced summer salad featuring a sweet and spicy grilled peached paired with sweet corn and arugula.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 good-sized servings 1x
- Category: Salad
Ingredients
Peaches
- 2 peaches (just-ripe, still a bit firm to the touch)
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons crushed chipotle in adobo
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
Salad
- 1 ear sweet corn (brushed with olive oil)
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1 ounce goat cheese
- ¼ cup toasted pepitas
Cilantro Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To prepare the peaches, slice in half, remove the pit, and quarter the peach. Place in a bowl along with the cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, crushed chipotle in adobo, and spices. Toss until the peaches are coated.
- Heat grill to a medium heat. Brush with olive oil and place the peaches on the grill with one of the cut sides down. Allow to grill, turning occasionally, until the peaches begin to char. While peaches are grilling, grill the corn until lightly charring as well. Remove both from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- To assemble the salad, combine the arugula with the goat cheese, and toasted pepitas. Remove corn for cob and add to the bowl. Combine ingredients for the dressing in a blender and pulse until well combined. Pour ¼ to ½ the dressing over the greens and toss until coated.
- Top the salad with peaches before serving and drizzle with remaining dressing, extra pepitas, and feta.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: The firmness of the peaches is key- overly ripe peaches fall apart of the grill.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: peaches, pepitas, sweet corn
Nutrition: see the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 459
- Sugar: 19.8
- Sodium: 428
- Fat: 38.7
- Carbohydrates: 25.8
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 9.6
- Cholesterol: 6.5
Find it online: https://naturallyella.com/grilled-chipotle-peach-salad/
Step by Step
Chipotle Peach Salad
variations
Hands down, the peaches are the star of this salad. I could easily eat just these peaches with a drizzle of the dressing but the greens, corn, and pepitas add a nice balance to the sweet spice of the peaches. A few ways you could vary this peach salad:
Greens: I love the bite of arugula but I know it's not for everyone. This salad would also be nice with spinach or kale. The kale would hold up to the heat of the peaches nicely as well if you were to serve this salad right from the grill.
Beans: I like adding small white beans to the salad for extra protein and help boost it into the complete meal category. Black beans would also work.
Vegan: While I really enjoy the goat cheese on this salad, it can easily be left out and for the dressing, ditch the honey for another sweetener (or just leave it out as well).
Explore Peaches
Of all the summer fruit, peaches are one of my favorite to play with from a savory aspect. They balance spice well and can be the perfect start of a dinner or lunch, like this peach salad. Look for peaches that aren't quite ripe yet, a day or two before using.
Savory Peach Rye Crepes
Peach BBQ Chickpea Sandwiches
Stone Fruit Salsa
Dan says
What an amazing looking salad ... I can't wait to make and taste it for myself!
Kathy P says
Oh my, I just finished this for supper on this hot, muggy night, and it was absolutely wonderful! I didn't want to start the whole charcoal grill for this recipe, so I cranked up the indoor George Foreman, and it worked perfectly. I also didn't have goat cheese or feta (though both are mentioned in the recipe) so I used some shredded mozzarella, which I had on hand. What an inspired recipe - thank you! Your food is a staple in my household!!
Fadia says
Soooooo delicious! Replaced the goat cheese with halloumi, sooo good!
Monica says
This was incredible!! I used the cheese & greens I had on hand (queso fresco and a mix of arugula and kale) and added white beans. This is now one of my favorite salads ever. I "grilled" the peaches in pan on the stove, and they were still wonderful.
★★★★★
J. Morrison says
This was phenomenal - made this when we had family over, and everyone at the table was wishing I'd made more. A lot of variations you could do with this too, this is going to become one of my go-to's!
★★★★★