This is easy and delicious Arugula Salad Recipe. It consists of arugula, dried fruits, vegetables and fruits. It’s the perfect side dish to any meal!
This arugula salad is a great way to get your daily dose of fruits and veggies. It’s also a good source of protein and healthy fats. The balsamic vinaigrette adds a touch of sweetness and acidity that balances out the arugula’s bitterness. This salad is perfect for a light lunch or dinner.
What is arugula?
Arugula is a peppery leafy green often used in salads. It has a slightly bitter taste that can be balanced with sweet fruit, salty nuts, and creamy cheese. This arugula salad recipe is a great way to enjoy the flavor of arugula without the bitterness.
Why cook with arugula?
- Arugula has the most amazing tangy taste! Unlike other greens, you don’t need to add a lot of dressing or flavoring to these greens because they pack so much flavor.
- Arugula is packed with calcium, potassium, and vitamins!
- Growing arugula in your own garden is so easy! It’s easy to grow and once you trim it it will grow back over and over again. So you’ll have arugula all summer long!
- Not only is arugula great in salads, but you can make pesto, add it to omelettes, and even throw it in pasta!
What you need for this rocket salad recipe
Fresh arugula
It’s an arugula salad, folks. Use arugula! However, if you don’t have arugula and want to make a delicious salad, massed kale or spring greens with some micro veggies are all good options!
nuts + seeds
Crunch is so important in a salad! Nuts and seeds add a bit of texture to any salad, making it more fun to eat! Nuts and seeds not only add texture but are also nutrient dense, adding more fiber, protein, omega-3s and more!
We use pine nuts in this arugula salad, but feel free to add any of the nuts or seeds below as a substitute!
- slivers of almonds
- sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- pistachios
- walnuts
- pecans
Cheese
A bit of cheese is a must with rocket salads! Cheese adds a creamy, tart, and even nutty flavor to all salads! We used goat cheese in this salad, but feel free to use any of the cheese options below.
- Crumbled Feta
- Cotjia
- Shaved parmesan cheese
- Cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
Dried + fresh fruit
Dried fruit and fresh fruit are great additions to arugula salads! They add a little sweetness to each bite to balance out the salty and earthy flavors that accompany every salad!
We used fresh blueberries and dried cherries in this salad, but it’s fun to switch up the fruit in this salad based on that season!
- Berry
- Apple
- raisins
- Dried Cherries
- Dried Apricot
Vegetables
Although the base of this salad is a vegetable (arugula), I think adding more veggies to each salad is key!
Especially vegetables that you can cut into bite-sized pieces. I honestly believe making sure you get almost every ingredient in every bite makes a salad that much better!
We complemented this salad with minced red garlic and halved cherry tomatoes.
simple arugula dressing
The beauty of making salads at home is that YOU get to choose what to put in them! The dressing is a great way to make any salad your own!
We used our tried-and-true balsamic vinaigrette for this arugula salad, but if it’s not your thing, any of our dressing recipes will do the trick! Below are three more dressings we would use on this salad!
Top tips for the best arugula salad
- Use fresh arugula. Arugula tastes best fresh. Look for arugula, which is dark green and has a peppery aroma.
- Don’t overdo the salad. Arugula is a delicate green and can easily wilt if overgrown. Use a light hand with the dressing, adding more as needed.
- Add your favorite ingredients. This arugula salad is a great blank canvas. Add your favorite fruits, nuts, and cheese to create a salad that’s perfect for your taste buds.
FAQ
A classic arugula salad is made with arugula, freshly grated parmesan, a simple lemon vinaigrette, and (sometimes) toasted pine nuts! If you fancy a simple salad, you can’t go wrong with a classic rocket salad.
Since arugula has a slightly spicier flavor, we recommend pairing arugula with sweeter ingredients like dried fruit and bright and light salad dressings!
Any grilled, baked, or sautéed protein goes very well with arugula salad. We recommend Greek lemon chicken or salmon patties.
Besides salad, what else can you do with arugula?
There are so many things you can make with arugula! Here are some of our favorite ways to eat arugula when we don’t have it in a salad.
- Toss arugula in noodles: Arugula adds great flavor to any pasta! We like to make noodles and then we add fresh rocket to the noodles at the very end. It is wonderful! Check out these creamy asparagus pasta or these delicious BLT pasta. Both recipes contain arugula!
- Add arugula to your breakfast: We always add arugula to a scrambled egg or an omelet! You can also make this delicious Arugula Breakfast Sandwich. It’s a take away breakfast on FFF!
- Make Arugula Pesto or Tabouli: Some people use arugula just like any other fresh herb because of its peppery flavor. This makes it an ideal ingredient for pesto or tabouli! We made a delicious arugula pesto in this Mediterranean Salmon recipe and added arugula to this quinoa tabouli!
The best arugula salad recipe
This arugula recipe is a perfect balance of peppery arugula, fresh blueberries, tangy goat cheese, and sweet cherry tomatoes, all in an easy and tangy balsamic vinaigrette.
Preparation:20 protocol
Cook:5 protocol
In total:25 protocol
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Balsamic vinaigrette*
- 1/4 Cup pine nuts
- 2.5 ounces arugula
- 1/2 medium red onion rolled
- 1/2 Cup fresh blueberries
- 12 oz. cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 Cup dried cherries
- 1/3 Cup Goat cheese crumbles
instructions
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Start by making this balsamic vinaigrette, then set aside. Optionally, you can use any vinaigrette you have on hand, but we love our homemade balsamic vinegar.
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Next, toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful, pine nuts can go from brown to burnt very quickly, so keep an eye on them. Remove from the stove and set aside until cool.
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In a large bowl, combine arugula, red onion, blueberries, tomatoes, cherries, goat cheese crumble, and pine nuts and mix all ingredients together.
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Finally, spoon the dressing over the salad. Continue to add 1 tablespoon dressing until salad is dressed as desired.**
Tips & Hints
- When you make all of our Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette, there’s dressing left! It keeps in the fridge for up to 7 days!
- If you’re not serving immediately, refrain from dressing your salad until ready to serve.
nutritional information
Calories: 173kcal Carbohydrates: 21G Protein: 4G Fat: 9G Fiber: 3G Sugar: 14G