Peaches and Greens Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette
This fresh and fruity peach salad with crispy greens is ridiculously easy to whip up, and it tastes like summer. If fresh peaches are in season, and you happen to have a few that are super ripe, by all means, use them here. But it's still a little bit early for those really perfect Southern peaches, so I used my secret ingredient.
Canned peaches.
Yes, you read that right.
There's absolutely, positively no reason on earth to not use canned peaches. After all, they're picked at the perfect stage of ripeness and canned instantly. So they're soft, sweet, ripe, and perfect all year round. No matter when you make this peach salad.
The credit for this delicious salad goes to my sister. Our whole family recently spent some time in Charleston SC for my son's wedding (so much fun!). We rented a house on Kiawah Island afterward, and Lisa made this salad one night. She topped it with grilled shrimp and it was amazing for a quick dinner idea - so I had to share it here.
This peaches and greens salad is one of those "back pocket" recipes that you can pull together in minutes (as long as you have a can of peaches), and everyone will love it. I made a homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing because I found some beautiful raspberries at the market. But it's just as good with a good quality bottled dressing.
FAQs About Canned Peaches
Nope. As long as you get the kind that says "packed in their own juice" or "packed in 100% fruit juice" they have roughly the same amount of sugar as fresh peaches. The reason peaches (or any fruit) aren't packed in plain water is because the natural sugar would leave the fruit to equalize the sugar content between the fruit and water. Remember the concept of diffusion from science class? That's why fruit is always packed in juice that has the same sugar content as the fruit itself.
Nope. They're literally picked and packed within hours so they retain most of their nutrients. Research on canned peaches shows they have about the same nutrition content as fresh peaches.
Most come from family-owned farms in central California, and my dear, sweet friends at Pacific Coast Producers. They grow and can fruit and tomatoes for most of the country.
Besides peaches, all you'll need for this easy salad are some toasted pecans (or if you have some of my Baked Hot Honey Nut Clusters on hand use those!), sunflower seeds, goat cheese (or feta if you prefer), and some lovely fresh mixed greens. I also added a sprinkle of fresh raspberries for a pop of color.
Recipe
Peaches and Greens Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Raspberry Vinaigrette
- ¾ cup raspberries fresh or frozen, thawed
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- pinch ground pepper
Salad
- 4 cups mixed baby greens
- ½ cup sliced canned peaches drained well and patted dry
- ¼ cup raspberries
- 3 tablespoons toasted pecans
- 1 tablespoon salted sunflower seeds
- 1 ounce goat cheese
Instructions
Raspberry Vinaigrette
- To make the salad dressing, combine the raspberries, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and onion powder in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend again. Store the dressing in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Salad
- Combine the greens, peaches, raspberries, pecans, and the desired amount of dressing for 2 portions in a large mixing bowl. Toss lightly to combine.
- Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and crumbled goat cheese. Divide into 2 portions and serve immediatly.
Notes
Nutrition
Tell me, do you keep canned fruit in your pantry? How do you eat it? In recipes, or just out of the can? What recipes do you make with canned peaches?
Eat well!