Arugula Salad

Arugula is a leafy green vegetable with a fresh, peppery, bitter flavor and a paper-thin and crisp texture.

Also known as rocket in English and rucola in Italian, arugula is native to the Mediterranean region and used plenty in Italian cooking, especially as a filling in paninis and piadina and in many salads (check out our variations chapter for more ideas).

There are many arugula salad recipes made with different ingredient combinations, so take ours as a guideline and improvise with what you have.

We recommend following a simple rule; add something sweet, something nutty, and something savory.

What does arugula go well with?

• Veggies: artichokes, sweet potatoes, beets, bell peppers, fennel, garlic, leafy greens, green salad, olives, onions, potatoes, asparagus, squashes, and tomatoes.
• Fruits: apples, pears, oranges, lemon, figs, melon, pomegranate seeds, avocado, and watermelon.
• Nuts: walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts.
• Legumes: black beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, and lentils.
• Cheese: parmesan, pecorino, feta, goat cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, and blue cheese (including their vegan alternatives).
• Grains: pasta, couscous, farro, barley, and quinoa.
• Dressings: honey mustard, Italian dressing, and basil pesto.

Arugula: get the freshest you can so it’s paper thin, crisp, and not overly bitter.

Parmesan cheese: get a whole block, as we will shave it with a vegetable peeler. You can also find shaved parmesan cheese at the store.

Vegan cheeses that come in a block work well too. We tried VioLife’s prosociano wedge, which wasn’t bad. Substitute pecorino, goat cheese, feta cheese, and blue cheese for parmesan.

Olive oil: make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil for a richer flavor with fruity and nutty notes. Substitute walnut oil for olive oil.

Lemon juice: freshly squeezed is best, from ripe lemons. Substitute lime juice for lemon juice.

Salt and pepper: we recommend sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Note: if you want a more substantial salad dressing, check out our honey mustard vinaigrette.

Add-Ins

Nuts: add walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pine nuts, or pecan nuts.

Fruit: sliced apples, pears, orange wedges, watermelon cubes, peaches, cherries, strawberries, honeydew melon, and figs.

Legumes: to turn this salad into a meal, add lentils, cannellini beans, or chickpeas.

To a large bowl, add the arugula and toss it gently in extra virgin olive oil.

Add fresh lemon juice, salt, and black pepper and give it a second toss.

Tips: tossing in olive oil protects the arugula from the acidity of the lemon juice, which means it’ll take longer for the salad to wilt.

Add shaved parmesan cheese (or its non-dairy alternative). You can shave the block with a vegetable peeler.

Taste and adjust for salt and lemon juice. Serve the salad as is, or add your favorite add-ins.

Arugula salad with walnuts

Nutty walnuts (or pecans, hazelnuts, and pine nuts) are a perfect flavor match with bitter and peppery arugula leaves.

Add a handful to our base recipe. You can coarsely chop them with a knife before adding them in.

Arugula and apple salad

To make this arugula salad even more delicious, add a sliced apple.

We like to add a sweet one, like fuji, golden delicious, or pink lady apple, but any other would work.

Apple, walnuts, parmesan, and arugula are a match made in heaven.

Artichoke and arugula salad

Peppery arugula, marinated artichokes hearts, umami-loaded olives, tangy red onions, sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes, and a creamy, herby, sweet, and zesty Italian dressing make one of the best arugula salads you’ll ever have.

Check out our artichoke salad with arugula.

Sweet potato and arugula salad

Caramelized roasted sweet potatoes, creamy avocado, crispy arugula, sweet and sour cranberries, and savory crumbled feta tossed in creamy maple syrup and Dijon mustard dressing are the perfect combination for a healthy and tasty meal.

Check out our sweet potato salad with arugula.

Pear and arugula salad

This pear salad is fruity, fresh, crunchy, and delicious; excellent as an appetizer or side salad for a special dinner or holiday meal.

It’s terrific for colder weather when pears and oranges are in season.

Check out our pear salad with arugula.

Pesto pasta salad

If you haven’t tried arugula with pesto, you are in for a treat! This one’s one of our favorite pasta salads.

You can make it easily with delicious basil pesto, your pasta of choice, cherry tomatoes, black olives, green beans, pine nuts, and fresh arugula. It’s a beautiful meal for the whole family!

Check out our pesto pasta salad with arugula.

As an appetizer with bread:

• Focaccia (active dry yeast, sugar, rosemary, salt, flour, water, etc.)
• Crostini (bread, olive oil, garlic salt, pepper, etc.)
• Bruschetta (tomato, bread, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, olive oil, etc.)
• Topped with homemade croutons (dried herbs, stale bread, olive oil, etc.)

As a side dish with pasta, soup, or stews:

• Eggplant Parmigiana (garlic, basil, canned tomatoes, eggplant, mozzarella, etc.)
• Zucchini pasta (zucchini, yogurt, fusilli pasta, vegetable broth, garlic, parmesan, etc.)
• Asparagus pasta (asparagus, onion, garlic, basil, lemon, parmesan cheese, pasta, etc.)
• Lentil vegetable soup (dried lentils, spinach, carrot, onion, garlic, fresh herbs, etc.)
• Potato leek soup (potato, yogurt, leek, thyme, bay leaf, nutmeg, chives, olive oil, etc.)

Arugula wilts fast, meaning you must serve it shortly after tossing it in olive oil and lemon juice. We recommend tossing the salad a minute or two before serving; it is that delicate.

Make Ahead & Storage

Make Ahead: don’t make this salad ahead of time because it will wilt as the oil and lemon weigh down the delicate arugula leaves. Instead, you can prep the ingredients in advance but assemble the salad right before serving it.

Refrigerator: store leftovers in the fridge for half a day tops.

Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

• Pear salad (arugula, dried cranberries, ricotta, orange wedges, pear, etc.)
• Chickpea salad (chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, parsley, black olives, cucumber, etc.)
• Artichoke salad (jarred artichokes, red onion, olives, maple syrup, olive oil, etc.)
• Italian salad (croutons, cherry tomatoes, celery, red onion, black olives, carrot, etc.)
• Zucchini salad (shaved zucchini, lemon, cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil, etc.)

• Arugula pesto
• Butternut squash salad
• Pesto pasta salad
• Sweet potato salad
• Tofu salad

For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.