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Wilted Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches: You'll know you got it right when peach juice drips from the corner of your lips and onto your white shirt. In three places. On the first bite. I know from experience. | theeverykitchen.com

Wilted Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches, Bacon, and Blue Cheese

You've got this warm, wilted spinach with soft caramelized onions, tossed in this blue-cheesy infused balsamic vinaigrette and that combination just goes gangbusters with the salty, crispy bacon, the candied walnuts, and that juicy grilled peach.

This recipe serves four people as a main dish or 8-10 as an appetizer or side.

Course Appetizer or Main
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp crushed garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3/4 cup olive oil

For the Salad

  • 2 large bunches of fresh spinach about 12 oz or 12 cups
  • 8 slices bacon
  • 4 peaches cut in half, pit removed
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 red onions halved, cut into 1/3-inch sections with some core attached
  • 1/2 cup candied walnuts
  • 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

  1. Using a food processor or blender, blend together vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. While blending, slowly stream in olive oil to emulsify. Set vinaigrette aside.

For the Salad

  1. Place all the spinach in a large bowl.

  2. In a large pan over medium-high heat, fry bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper-towel lined plate. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.

  3. Add onion to the remaining bacon fat and cook over medium heat until soft, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add blue cheese crumbles for just a few seconds until soft, but not melted. Add onions and blue cheese to the bowl of spinach and toss slowly so the spinach is evenly wilted by heat from the onions.

  4. Place the peach halves cut side down in the warm pan and sear about 5 minutes until marked. You can also grill the peaches cut side down on a preheated grill. Meanwhile, add walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette to the salad and toss until evenly coated.

  5. Divide salad evenly among plates. Add strips of bacon and peach halves.