This arugula salad recipe features peppery arugula, sweet cherry tomatoes, toasted nuts, nutty parmesan, and tangy lemon balsamic dressing. This easy and simple recipe elevates arugula to the next level – a salad you really want to eat!
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
- Arugula
- Cherry tomatoes – optional but they add sweetness and freshness to the salad
- Cheese – I used both parmesan and pecorino cheeses in this salad. Pecorino cheese is a hard cheese similar to parmesan but made from sheep’s milk, while parmesan is made from cow’s milk. It has a bolder and more pronounced flavor that I love, that’s why I added it to this salad, but it will also taste very good with just parmesan. I also like the cheese in this salad to be both shredded and thinly sliced. It really takes it over the top – finely shredded cheese gently flavors the whole salad and then you bite on a larger (but thin) piece of cheese and it’s truly delightful. That being said, you can use just parmesan cheese if this is what you have on hand and you can use it in just the shredded form if you wish.
- Nuts – I love both pistachios and flaked almonds in this salad but any other kind of nuts will also work well such as walnuts or pecans or even seeds such as sunflower seeds or pepitas. Pistachios especially add a lovely flavor to this salad.
- Lemon balsamic dressing – I’ve tried making this salad with simple lemon honey dressing but the arugula really needs a bolder flavor and tang from the balsamic vinegar. You need only olive oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar for this dressing. I really like to use both vinegar and lemon juice. Vinegar adds sharpness and lemon juice sourness and citrus flavor.
How to make it step-by-step
Wash arugula and dry it in a salad spinner (if you don’t have it, pat it carefully dry with paper towels). Make sure the lettuce is dry or your salad will be watery.
(4 handfuls arugula, 4 oz/125g)
Wash tomatoes and cut them in half.
(14 cherry tomatoes)
Prepare the cheese: shave half of the cheese with a vegetable peeler into thin strips and grate the other half on the small holes of a box grater. I like to use both parmesan and pecorino cheeses but you can use just parmesan if you don’t have pecorino cheese.
(1/4 cup shredded cheese in total, 1/4 cup shaved cheese in total)
Toast almond flakes in a dry pan until lightly browned and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, add pistachios and toast for 20 seconds. Take off the pan immediately, the nuts can burn quite quickly.
(1/4 cup almond flakes, 1/4 cup pistachios)
Make the dressing: add all the ingredients to a medium jar, season with salt and pepper, close the lid, and shake intensely until all the ingredients are well combined.
(3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon maple syrup)
Assemble: add the arugula to a large bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss with the dressing until evenly coated. Add all the other ingredients and toss to combine.
Enjoy right away!
Storage instructions
This salad does not keep well because the arugula becomes wilted from the dressing pretty quickly. Combine the arugula with the dressing just before assembly. You can keep washed and dried arugula in a tightly closed container in the fridge for a couple of days. Dressing keeps very well in the fridge for a couple of days.
Other salad recipes for you to enjoy
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Arugula Salad
Ingredients
for the salad:
- 4 handfuls arugula (4 oz/125g)
- 14 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese in total (small holes of a box grater, I used half parmesan and half pecorino, you can use only parmesan)
- 1/4 cup shaved cheese in total (thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler, I used half parmesan and half pecorino, you can use only parmesan)
- 1/4 cup almond flakes
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- salt and pepper to taste
for the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Wash arugula and dry it in a salad spinner (if you don't have it, pat it carefully dry with paper towels). Make sure the lettuce is dry or your salad will be watery.4 handfuls arugula (4 oz/125g)
- Wash tomatoes and cut them in half.14 cherry tomatoes
- Prepare the cheese: shave half of the cheese with a vegetable peeler into thin strips and grate the other half on the small holes of a box grater. I like to use both parmesan and pecorino cheeses but you can use just parmesan if you don't have pecorino cheese.1/4 cup shredded cheese in total (small holes of a box grater, I used half parmesan and half pecorino, you can use only parmesan), 1/4 cup shaved cheese in total (thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler, I used half parmesan and half pecorino, you can use only parmesan)
- Toast almond flakes in a dry pan until lightly browned and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, add pistachios and toast for 20 seconds. Take off the pan immediately, the nuts can burn quite quickly.1/4 cup almond flakes, 1/4 cup pistachios
- Make the dressing: add all the ingredients to a medium jar, season with salt and pepper, close the lid, and shake intensely until all the ingredients are well combined.3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Assemble: add the arugula to a large bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss with the dressing until evenly coated. Add all the other ingredients and toss to combine.
- Enjoy right away!
Notes
- This salad does not keep well because the arugula becomes wilted from the dressing pretty quickly. Combine the arugula with the dressing just before assembly. You can keep washed and dried arugula in a tightly closed container in the fridge for a couple of days. Dressing keeps very well in the fridge for a couple of days.
- The salad served 6 as a side or 2 as lunch with a piece of bread on the side.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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