Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon is a simple recipe that’s easy to scale for one or four or twelve. Tangy blue cheese, salty bacon, and candied walnuts will have you going back for seconds!
I originally published this recipe THREE years ago. Yes, three. If you haven’t heard, The Every Kitchen had her third birthday last week. And we definitely want to talk about and eat Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon, but for dessert we should most definitely have Rainbow Sprinkle Vanilla Icebox Cake in honor of these past three years.
Fun fact: I think peaches are the most featured ingredient on The Every Kitchen. It’s because my parents had two peach trees in their previous house. And I lived in North Carolina near said house. Now my parents live on the N.C. coast and I live in big-city-Chicago and so much has changed. I could make this entire post a big cry-face-memory of both sad and happy tears, but I’ll spare you friends. I know you’re here for the Grilled Peach Salad!
Below is the original post, only slightly edited. (Man, my grammar was terrible three years ago!)
I picked fresh peaches on Monday with this recipe in mind for supper. I did a mental checklist of ingredients and only needed to stop for bacon and blue cheese.
With the bacon on the stove, I took to the dressing. I don’t have a blender or food processor [still true… three years later!], so I made the dressing in my roommate’s NutriBullet [still true… except new roommate and new NutriBullet]. Finally I grilled the peaches and was ready to plate everything.
The first thing that went wrong: My spinach was old. Ugh! Already?! I leafed through it (pun intended) and pulled out a few decent looking pieces — enough to make a pretty picture. [In 2017, I bought super-fresh farm-fresh spinach!]
The second thing that went wrong: I couldn’t get the NutriBullet open. And no boyfriend to help me. I stuck it in the freezer to see if the plastic would shrink. When that didn’t work, I tried the opposite and soaked it in steaming hot water. I nearly pulled my shoulder out.
So that night, I ended up eating two slices of bacon, a grilled peach and a little pile of blue cheese for supper. But the next night, the boyfriend got the NutriBullet open and he saved the day!
My rating
4.5/5. I might have given it more if I didn’t nearly dislocated my collarbone with my dressing dilemma. As long as nothing goes wrong, this is a very simple and quick recipe. You can make one serving, or four servings, or 12 servings. Blue cheese and bacon is such a great flavor combination. And use any dressing you like!
BBF’s rating
4/5 “Because it’s a salad.” (Rolls eyes.)
Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon
Tangy blue cheese, salty bacon, and candied walnuts will have you going back for seconds of this Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon.
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 4 peaches cut in half and pits removed
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 8 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- Balsamic vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange bacon in a single layer. Cook bacon for 20-22 minutes or until crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and let cool. Reserve bacon grease on baking sheet.
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Meanwhile, candy the walnuts. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts, butter, and sugar and heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so your mixture doesn’t burn. Immediately transfer to parchment paper and separate walnuts right away. Let cool.
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Place your peach halves face down in the liquid bacon grease that remains on the pan. Heat a large skillet to medium high and sear peach halves face down about 5 minutes until charred.
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To assemble your salad, place 2 cups of salad on each serving dish. Top each with two peach halves, two slices of bacon, 2 tablespoons of walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of blue cheese. Toss with dressing of choice or serve on the side.
More Peaches
Peach and Prosciutto Caprese Salad
Peach, Rosemary, and Brie Tartlets
The shard tangy blue cheese with a extra sweet and roast peach sounds like a fantastic combo! Plus a salty crunch of the bacon! Yum!!!
Everything does fit together perfectly! Thanks Marie!
With grilling season here, I would for sure that this outdoors. Nothing better than bacon on the bbq….and less mess. I do cook bacon in the oven during the winter months. It works so well. This salad would be perfect for lunch or dinner.
I’ve never heard of cooking bacon on the BBQ. I will have to try that! Thanks for the tip!
This is a very interesting recipe. The peaches look so yummy on the bed of spinach leaves.
Thanks, Fred! I bought super fresh spinach – could have done anything with it and it would be good!
with peaches in season this would be amazing, I am so feeling this salad, I would take the blue cheese out just cause I can’t eat cheese or maybe I can add goat cheese since it doesn’t make me sick. thanks for sharing this wonderful salad.
For sure! Super easy to modify however you like!
Everything about this sounds delicious to me! My family is from NC so I have a close relationship with them too 🙂 I love how powerfully flavor can evoke memory.
Yes – flavor and smells are so powerful! I miss my parents every dang day!
Oh what a great recipe! Peaches are coming into season here and this will be a great way to put some of our farmer’s market haul to use.
Yes! I was at the market yesterday and still no peaches… but this is going to be SO FANTASTIC when peaches are perfect!
Wow wow wow! This looks amazing! I love grilled peaches, and being in GA, tis the season!
Perfect for you, Nicole! Are you peaches in season yet?
It needs to be peach season NOW! Grilled Peaches?! This sounds like a new favourite in the making!
Oh yes! They don’t even need to be on a salad. Eat a grilled peach plain or add vanilla ice cream. 🙂
This looks so good! I love peaches. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to only peaches. I’m definitely pinning this! Thanks for sharing!
Woohoo! That’s what I call Peach Love. Thanks for pinning!
I’m all about grilling peaches during the summer. Never thought to use them on a salad. Great Idea!
How else do you use them Derek? I’ve done them plain and I’ve done them as a dessert. Would love to play around more!
I NEED this salad in my life!! This has all my favorite ingredients in it, sounds amazing! Pinning to try out this week 🙂
Woohoo, Donna! You are only a step away and maybe a week or two away from peach season! Definitely let me know how you like it!