Tomato Peach Burrata Salad
on Jun 16, 2022, Updated Aug 02, 2022
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This easy tomato peach burrata salad with arugula and chives is a mix of sweet and savory ingredients dressed in pesto balsamic vinaigrette. There are so many reasons to keep a jar of homemade pesto in your fridge, and this salad is one of them.
Table of Contents
Peaches are the perfect choice for dessert during stone fruit season, but where they really shine is in a salad. Their sweetness is just enough to balance with savory and herby ingredients.
This tomato peach burrata salad takes obvious inspiration from the classic caprese salad, but incorporating fruit adds another dimension along with creamy burrata cheese and pesto vinaigrette with a splash of white balsamic vinegar. The peach wedges and halved tomatoes actually sit in the dressing and marinate before everything else is added.
It’s very simple and absolutely everything you want from a refreshing summer salad with lots of tastes and textures. A bonus is that it only has 10 ingredients.
Also, I like to think of it as a true farmer’s market salad since during June, July and August, you can buy local tomatoes and peaches.
What Is Burrata?
This special fresh Italian cheese is made from cow’s milk. At its most basic description, it is mozzarella and cream that’s a wonderfully rich and milky combination.
The outside is a thin layer of solid cheese, and the inside is creamy and rich. It’s kind of like a pouch with a topknot that has something very special inside. And yes, you can and should eat that outer shell of cheese.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This is what you need:
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are my preference for their small size. Color doesn’t matter. If you only have larger tomatoes, cut them into wedges rather than slicing them.
- Peaches should be halved, pitted and cut into about 8 wedges per fruit. Ripe peaches are fragrant. The freshest ones will be slightly soft overall and have no bruises. You can substitute with nectarines.
- Burrata: This cheese looks like a mozzarella ball that’s knotted on top. If you can’t find burrata, use fresh mozzarella cheese instead and tear it into pieces.
- Pesto instantly adds something herby to the salad. Homemade pesto is always my first choice, but if you go with store-bought, try to find something readymade that’s fresh from the refrigerated section.
- White balsamic vinegar is a tart flavor to go with the sweet peaches and ripe tomatoes. You can use regular dark balsamic vinegar, but the vinaigrette will turn out stronger in flavor and add a brown color to the peaches.
- Olive oil: Because this is a salad, go for high quality extra-virgin olive oil.
- Chives are a light, oniony final touch of fresh herbs. You can also add fresh basil leaves.
- Salt & pepper: To season this salad, I keep it very simple with kosher salt and black pepper. They operate in the background and enhance everything else.
An Optional Addition
For the non-vegetarians, you can also include torn slices of prosciutto when you add the burrata to the salad. Prosciutto is great with sweet fruit and cheese.
How To Make This Tomato Peach Burrata Salad
- Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the pesto, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. My preference is to do this in a bowl that’s big enough to hold the entire salad. It will save you from washing another dish.
- Marinate the peaches and tomatoes in the vinaigrette. Stir them into the vinaigrette making sure they are well coated. Then let the tomatoes and peaches sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Plate the salad. It’s best to use a slotted spoon to put the marinated tomatoes and peaches onto a serving plate because it leaves the extra vinaigrette behind. Then you can spoon it onto the finished salad as needed.
- Top the halved tomatoes and sliced peaches with arugula and chives for garnish.
- Add the burrata. You can either split the ball in half and put it right on the salad, or tear it into pieces and scatter it all over the salad.
- Drizzle the salad with the remaining vinaigrette. The amount is up to you!
Serving & Leftovers
Since this is a salad that doesn’t have lettuce for a base, I think it can be served like an appetizer or a side dish depending what other things are in the meal. At peak peach season, it looks really beautiful spread across a platter.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days.
Make-Ahead Tips
There’s no risk of the salad getting soggy. You can marinate the tomatoes and peaches up to a day in advance. But please put them out at room temperature, so they have a chance to warm up. Let them shake off the chill from the fridge before you top them with the cheese and greens and then finally serve.
More Summer Salad Recipes
Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad
White Bean Salad
Black Bean Corn Salad
Stone Fruit Salad
Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Roasted Red Potato Salad with Corn
Grilled Vegetable Orzo Salad
Strawberry Feta Salad
Chickpea Greek Salad
Mixed Berry Kale Salad
Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Peach Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 peaches about 1 pound, sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 1 tablespoon minced chives
- 1 ball burrata cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pesto, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the peaches and tomatoes. Let them marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peaches and tomatoes to a serving dish. Top with arugula and chives.
- Either split the burrata ball in half or tear it into pieces and arrange it on the salad before serving.
- Drizzle the salad with additional dressing from the bowl as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was very tasty. What a great summer salad! Everyone really enjoyed it.
I have made ist several times and I love it!