No Cooking Required: Grilled Peach Caprese Salad

August is here and I am always looking for fresh, no-cooking-required items to serve! This salad is a great way to use some early-season peaches. It combines peaches, burrata cheese, basil, prosciutto and pecans over a bed of spring mix and spinach served with a homemade vinaigrette. This salad is as tasty as it is beautiful. 

Ingredients

2-3 fresh peaches

1 (8 oz) pkg. prosciutto

1 (8 oz) pkg. burrata cheese

½-1 c. spicy pecans, recipe follows

16-20 basil leaves

8 oz baby spinach

8 oz spring mix

Spicy pecan recipe ingredients

1 c. pecan halves

3 tbsp. pure maple syrup

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Pinch of salt

Vinaigrette ingredients

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

1 tbsp. coarse ground mustard

1 tbsp. olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

For the Pecans 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. 

3. Bake for 8 minutes. Then stir again.

4. Bake for another 5-8 minutes. Allow to cool.

5. Stir again. Store in an airtight container.

For the Vinaigrette

1. In a mason jar combine all ingredients and shake well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the Salad

1. In a large bowl toss salad and spring mix together. Tear basil leaves into small pieces and toss with salad.

2. Preheat the grill. Slice peaches in half. Brush with canola/vegetable oil. Place the fruit side down on the grill. Grill for 3-5 minutes until each peach has char marks. Slice into strips.

3. Slice prosciutto and tear burrata into chunks. 

4. Top salad with burrata, prosciutto, and peaches. When ready to serve, drizzle with vinaigrette. 

Notes

1. You can substitute fresh mozzarella for burrata 

2. I usually make the pecans the night before and adjust cayenne to your preference

3. Canned peaches can be used in place of fresh