Nectarine and Fig Summer Salad with Crispy Pancetta.
This salad is blowing up my entire summer.
It has EVERYTHING.
It has figs. It has nectarines. It has crispy pancetta slices and goat cheese and avocado and omg PISTACHIOS. It has a crazy nectarine vinaigrette that I could probably drink out of a straw right now because I want all things tart and briney and vinegary. It’s the perfect mix of flavors and textures that I am LOV.ING.
It makes me not hate Monday.
This was such a welcomed change – a few weeks ago I finally ate a salad and it tasted SO good. Complicated flavor combos haven’t been doing me any favors lately and this was one of the first trashed up salads I could get behind.
Let’s be real. Probably because of the pancetta. Of course. I’m sure.
BUT!
That’s just how it goes.
This is like that weeknight salad that you aren’t quite sure can pass for dinner but can totally pass for dinner. It’s my summer version of this salad. It can also be a weekend salad and then you can add extra goat cheese and pancetta and essentially eat a salad of goat cheese and pancetta with a side of greens… perhaps while starting to watch the entire series of the west wing again because you can’t sleep and the characters feel like your friends.
Is that sad? It was like midnight. They are my midnight friends. I should probably start living in 2014 and not 2006.
The perfect accompaniment to this salad is a fresh baguette. Now THAT is a complete meal. The second I made us (and yes, I say “us” but no, my husband would never classify this as a real meal – he adds chicken) I added the softest on the inside but crustiest on the outside baguette and it was heaven. It makes for the perfect ending too because the residual dressing is sweet and savory.
(And then you add extra goat cheese. Duh.)
It will just make you feel good!
And full. And happy. And maybe like you want six more baguettes.
Nectarine and Fig Summer Salad with Crispy Pancetta
Ingredients
- 4 cups spring greens
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 8 slices of pancetta, fried
- 2 nectarines, sliced
- 1 cup fresh figs, quartered
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios
- a pinch of salt and pepper
nectarine vinaigrette
- 1 large nectarine, peeled and cubed
- 1/4 cup golden balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 garlic clove, freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add the greens and arugula to a large bowl and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Add the pancetta, sliced nectarines, figs, goat cheese, avocado and pistachio to the greens and toss as desired. Dress with the nectarine vinaigrette!
nectarine vinaigrette
- Add the nectarine cubes to a blender or food processor and blend until completely pureed. I have a vitamix and it purees it completely, but if your blender leaves some chunks, you can add a little water to the blender, blend it and then strain out the juice. Combine the nectarine puree, vinegar, hoey, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk together. Stream in the olive oil while constantly whisking until the dressing comes together. Store in the fridge for up to one week.
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I appreciate you so much!
I mean this classifies as eating color right?
88 Comments on “Nectarine and Fig Summer Salad with Crispy Pancetta.”
This salad makes me hate Mondays less, that’s for sure! I love the combo of sweet, salty, vinegar…yum!
I think this is the perfect time to tell you that I have a woman crush on CJ Cregg. And now I’m crushing on this salad too!
I’m with you on the baguette… always finishes out the meal! This salad looks sooo amazing! Love figs :)
I’m switching out the cheese for mozzarella, but apart from that, I love you.
I’m not a big fan of salads, but this looks fantastic! Also, avocado makes everything better. :)
Beautiful photography!
Yessssss… this is all of my favorite things together. Love this so much. Thank you for thinking of it for us. Looks sooo delicious.
That vinaigrette! I want it with a straw!
Is there anything better than the perfect baguette? Possibly crispy pancetta.
I think found a new use for stone fruit! This salad looks delicious as it is nutritious !
can i sit on the couch and watch say yes to the dress and eat this salad out of a bigass mixing bowl? ok.
I love everything about this salad. I’ve got to try that vinaigrette!
Hmm! That vinaigrette! Love those crispy pancetta slices too ;)
Dat dressing doe. YUM.
i want this…i want this right now!! wow, looks soooo good! now if only we had half of those ingredients where i live. I’m making this when I am home for a visit!!
Crispy pancetta always wins me over as well!
I’m a big fig lover and this salad is somehting I will definitely try! Looks awesome!
Yees, i love every ingredient, it looks so delicious.
OMG…This is my kind of freaking salad! I love salads with a little bit of everything…the salad I bring to work for lunch most days is just an explosion of anything I can find in my kitchen. yum.
I love salads and this is just a wonderful combination of ingredients!
This is all of the things i love in summer (plus pancetta of course) in one big bowl!! Sounds delicious!!
Looks FAB! And oh so summery! I’m drooling…
What if they don’t have the golden balsamic vinegar at my grocery store? Is there a good substitute? I’m thinking regular balsamic vinegar might work?!!
This looks amazing.
yes regular should work! it will be a big heartier (you might want to add more honey/nectarine) and may be a not-so-pretty color, but it will def work!
I am with you girl!! Everything in a salad- heck yes that’s heal;thy eating!!
I love peaches, nectarines or strawberries in salads. This would be perfect! Love how light and summer it looks! pinned
This salad really does have everything! Nectarine vinaigrette sounds so delightful – as in i could use on salads and over anything grilled!!
I love this salad because is a hefty amount of food. I need my nutrition.
I’ll just faceplant in that now, if you don’t mind. And then after I’ll wash myself off by bathing in that nectarine vinaigrette…because I. Cannot. Even.
I can’t handle how great that looks!
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What a wonderful combination of flavors, looks delicious!
You provide that even salad can be hearty meal. Can we use roasted or grilled pancetta instead of fried?
Damn, this looks hella good.
This salad sounds so fresh and perfect for summer! And that nectarine vinaigrette? YES. :)
now THAT is a salad.. i can imagine how good it would have tasted. looks too good to eat!
I love that you could stick a fork in that bowl and the salad would just tumble over the sides it is so full. I want me some avocados, and figs and goat cheese. And yes, you need the bread.
I like how this salad consists of so many ingredients that I love! The nectarine vinaigrette also looks amazing!
I hated today until I saw this. So perfect.
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I’m just so glad your pregnancy aversions didn’t include bacon… because how devastating would that be, honestly!!! This salad looks mouthwatering, and that’s saying a lot for a salad.
Now THAT is a divine salad.
I don’t even like salad but this has pretty much all my favorite “other things” and I want it right now!
Made this last night-Amazing! No figs and I subbed bacon for pancetta and I used regular balsamic. It was so wonderful!
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I could totally drink that dressing too.
You know, I have never wanted to make a salad my computer background before…
amazing. I am making this today.
This salad is fantastic! Everything wonderful about summer packed into one meal!
Well if I could make half of my salads look as good as yours I would feel like I was accomplishing something :)
OMG LOOOOOOOVE this! Want to stuff it in my face!
Mind Blown indeed.
No offense, but your husband always sounds like such a whiny, immature, picky piece of work. Does he really have so much trouble pulling up his big-boy pants every day? Soon enough you’ll have two babies to take care of if he doesn’t get his act together a little.