Erin’s Peach & Avocado Green Salad
This summer salad recipe from The Well Plated Cookbook features ripe peaches and avocado over fresh arugula. It's healthy and delicious!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 3, 2024
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Have you had your fair share of peaches this summer? I certainly have not. I’m remedying that with my friend Erin Clarke’s vibrant peach, avocado and arugula salad. Erin rounds out the flavors with salty gorgonzola cheese, crisp toasted almonds, and a zippy lemon dressing.
This simple summer salad is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a combination I wouldn’t have come up with on my own, and it’s so lovely. I couldn’t stop going back for more.
Perhaps you know Erin from her blog, Well Plated. Erin has been working hard on her first cookbook for several years now, and I’m so excited to share that it’s finally here! The Well Plated Cookbook (affiliate link) offers over 130 fast, healthy recipes you’ll want to eat.
I found this colorful salad on page 116, titled, “Book Club Salad (A Great, Green Party Salad).” Erin’s headnotes are witty, warm and encouraging, just like she is in real life. Here’s what she had to say about this recipe:
“My friend Erika once brought this salad to our monthly book club, and now, five years later, we still won’t let her bring anything else. We refer to it as ‘The Salad,’ and its presence at the table is more mandatory than actually reading the book. This stellar green salad is sized for a crowd, tastes better than any salad I’ve eaten in a restaurant, and is beautiful and adaptable for the seasons…”
She inspired me not only to make ‘The Salad,’ but to join a book club when we’re able to get together again. In the meantime, this salad recipe is easily halved and perfectly suited for any summer dinner.
The Well Plated Cookbook is filled to the brim with wholesome, satisfying recipes that have been thoughtfully crafted and meticulously tested. Erin ensures you’re never left with a random half-cup of leftover beans and guides you to adjust the recipes to suit your season or pantry.
Erin offers chapters from breakfast through dessert, with an emphasis on main dishes. While the book isn’t designed to be vegetarian, I found a number of enticing options. Midwesterners will appreciate her healthy spins on classic dishes, and everyone will find something new to enjoy.
Check it out, and let us know how your salad turns out in the comments!
Watch How to Make Erin’s Peach & Avocado Green Salad
Craving more fresh summer salads? Here are a few of my favorites:
- The Best Panzanella Salad
- Colorful Strawberry Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Fattoush Salad with Mint Dressing
- Heirloom Caprese Salad
- Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce
Erin’s Peach & Avocado Green Salad
This summer salad recipe from The Well Plated Cookbook features ripe peaches and avocado over fresh arugula. It’s healthy and delicious! Recipe yields a very large salad (enough for 8 side salads or 3 to 4 main salads); cut the recipe in half for a smaller crowd.
Ingredients
Green Salad
- ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
- 10 to 12 ounces baby arugula (12 to 15 lightly packed cups)
- 2 medium ripe peaches or nectarines, pitted and thinly sliced, peels on or off (about 2 cups)
- 2 medium ripe avocados, diced (about 2 cups)
- ⅔ cup unsalted sliced almonds
- ⅔ cup crumbled mild blue cheese*, such as gorgonzola (about 3 ½ ounces)
Lemon Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt or a heaping ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the salad: Place the red onion in a small bowl and cover with water. Let it rest while you prepare the rest of the salad. (This will keep the flavor of the onion but remove some of the harsh after-bite.) Place the arugula in a large serving bowl.
- To toast the almonds, place them in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently (careful, they can burn), until the almonds are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients (the oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper).
- Drizzle half of the dressing over the greens, then toss to coat. Drain the red onion, then scatter it over the arugula. Top with the peaches, avocados, almonds and cheese. Just before serving, drizzle on a bit more dressing and give it a final, gentle toss to combine. Enjoy, with additional dressing as desired.
Notes
This recipe comes from The Well Plated Cookbook by Erin Clarke, with permission.
*Blue cheese alternative: If you don’t enjoy blue cheese, I think your next best bet would be goat cheese. Feta might be nice, too.
Change it up: Erin says, “This salad is a delightful base for seasonal swaps. In the fall and winter, replace the peaches and almonds with thinly sliced apples and walnuts. In the spring and early summer, try a mix of sliced strawberries and pecans.”
Storage suggestions: This salad tastes best the day it is made. Erin says that if you don’t mind slightly wilted arugula, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 additional days. Wake up the leftovers with an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
OMGEEEEEEEEE!!!! This is the best salad ever! Thank you Erin & Kate xoxoxo
You’re welcome! I’m excited you love it, Louise.
made this tonight. it was fantastic
That’s great to hear, Jeannie! I appreciate your review.
I can’t stop making this salad for my friends and family! It’s delicious and an unusual combination of ingredients. When I make it, someone always wants a copy of the recipe! Love it, love it, love it!!
Great to hear, Mimi! Thank you for your review.
Absolutely fantastic combination of fruit and veggie and topped with blue cheese. As my late father would say “heaven in my mouth!”. Thank you Kate. 10 out of 10!
Thank you for your review, Agata!
I would love to make this,but I have reflux and can not eat lemon at all. Do you have any ideas for substitute ingredients or recipe? Thanks you!
You can omit if you like. I’m not sure if vinegar causes the same issue, but you could try some apple cider vinegar.
I served the salad to my husband and friend. I added chicken for protein. It was incredible! Beautiful presentation and a keeper for sure!
Great to hear, Nancy!
For a delightful mix of flavors, this is a great salad. But I did use a larger amount of olive oil as well as a tsp of honey in the dressing. I thought it was too sharp and acidic as written.
Thank you for sharing how you adjusted it, Diana! I appreciate your review.
Made this salad this past weekend with fresh, ripe peaches from Fredericksburg, TX to go with grilled filets and it was outstanding. Loved it with the crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Definitely will make it again.
Thank you for sharing, Bruce!
Nice
It took me a minute to place the flavors. It’s very Thai inspired with the sweet, salty, spicy, sour all in one. Awesome! Props to Erin and Kate for raising each other up!!
I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe, Julie!
This salad is absolutely delicious! Love the combination of flavors.
Great to hear, Laura!
This was perfect for a hot summer day dinner! We added extra quinoa and avocado, no cheese. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Priti!
Splendid use of peaches when in season.
This was an amazing salad. I used feta and pistachios. I also mixed the arugula with other salad greens. The peaches made for a wonderful summer salad with the avocados. The dressing I made exactly as written and it was perfect. It was a different salad than usual. I took it to a potluck and everyone loved it as did I.
Great to hear, Janine!
I made this last night for a family dinner and everyone enjoyed. I did mix romain lettuce in with the arugula to tame the taste of arugula’s bitterness that it can have sometime.And I loved the trick with the red
onions, I will be adapting that method from this point forward. All in all the salad had amazing flavors. Highly recommend!
That’s great to hear, Dayle!
Made twice. Like it better with pumpkin seeds instead of almonds and cojita cheese instead of blue cheese. Dressing is perfect. Going to try with mixed greens and cilantro this week. Love the idea of apples and walnuts with blue cheese too.
That’s great!
Really a delicious combination of ingredients; the toasted sliced almonds pull it all together. I don’t eat blue-veined cheeses so I’ve made it with feta and also without a main cheese but parmesan and a bit of cream added to the dressing. Four times in a month. Love this combo.
Great to hear, Cathy!
This Peach & Avocado Green Salad looks absolutely delicious! The combination of fresh peaches, creamy avocado, and the tangy lemon dressing sounds perfect for summer. I love how simple yet flavorful this recipe is. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!