Best Arugula Salad
This flavorful, easy-to-make Arugula Salad will elevate any meal! With fresh, simple ingredients, this recipe comes together quickly, and the flavors of the peppery arugula, citrus, creamy avocado, crunchy pecans, tangy feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette really shine together.
Whether served as an easy lunch or wonderful side dish, arugula salad topped with crisp cucumber, red onion, juicy orange, avocado, toasted pecans, crumbled feta and a flavorful balsamic dressing is ready in just 10 minutes and tastes absolutely incredible!
Each bite has a little bit of everything, which is what makes this arugula salad so epic. It’s tangy, sweet, crunchy, creamy, zippy and all rounded out with the rich citrus flavor of a Cara Cara navel orange.
Enjoy this fun salad recipe as a lovely seasonal lunch or serve it as a beautiful side dish at your early spring celebrations or potlucks! It feels a little fancy and is super easy to customize with your fav mix-ins.
Ingredients needed
This arugula salad recipe uses just a handful of simple, healthy ingredients. They come together to make it taste super fresh and bright. It’s definitely one that you will want to make on repeat! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Dressing: This balsamic vinaigrette is delicious on pretty much every salad, sweet or savory. It’s also easy to make and doesn’t require a million ingredients! You’ll just need extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, yellow mustard, salt and black pepper!
- Cucumber: Diced cucumber adds a crisp, cool and refreshing element.
- Red onion: Great for salads because of their bright color and crispy texture.
- Orange: The sweet-tart Cara Cara is a surprising compliment to the peppery arugula, creamy feta cheese, and balsamic glaze.
- Avocado: Adds amazing creaminess and healthy fats for staying powder.
- Pecans: Nutty toasted pecans add great texture and crunch. Walnuts, almonds or pine nuts would also be delicious! Use sunflower seeds as an alternative to nuts.
- Feta cheese: Has a tangy, rich and slightly salty flavor.
- Arugula: The zippy, delicious peppery base of this salad.
How to make this recipe
Nothing beats a simple arugula salad for a light lunch or a fresh dinner side! This one comes together with very little effort in no time at all! Here’s the simple process:
- Mix the dressing: In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until fully combined.
- Combine salad ingredients: To the mixing bowl with the dressing, add the diced cucumber, red onion, orange, avocado, pecans, feta cheese and arugula. Toss into the dressing at the bottom of the bowl. I like to use salad tongs for this. Enjoy!
Expert tips
- Balsamic vinegar: We like Baker and Olive peach white balsamic for extra sweetness and flavor, however you can use any balsamic vinegar that you prefer or have on-hand.
- Choosing the arugula: When choosing the arugula, keep in mind that baby arugula is delicate and mild, while mature arugula is much spicier.
- How to toast nuts: If your pecans aren’t already toasted, lightly heat them in a small pan on the stovetop and let them cool before adding to the salad. Toasting nuts helps them to retain their crunch and expand their flavor!
- Tossing the salad: When I make this, I like to mix the dressing in the salad bowl first, then I add all of the toppings and lettuce (like pictured above), and combine. Feel free to make the dressing in a separate container or mason jar, toss the salad ingredients, then drizzle the dressing over the top and mix.
Frequently asked questions
With its peppery bite, arugula salads pair well with anything from grilled meats to creamy soups. This simple salad in particular is also great with brunch food like quiche or eggs and bacon. We love to serve it for Easter brunch, bridal showers or baby showers!
Arugula and baby arugula are harvested at different stages of maturity. Baby arugula is picked when the leaves are still small and tender, and it has a less intense peppery bite than mature arugula, which has large, full-size leaves.
Arugula leaves add nutrients and extra flavor to soups, egg dishes like omelets and frittatas and used it in place of lettuce on sandwiches. You can also use it to make simple salads with your favorite mix-ins and dressing.
Variations
Just like most salad recipes, this arugula salad with citrus and nuts is easy to customize to your taste preferences with simple ingredient swaps! Here’s what I can recommend:
- Cheese: Crumbled feta is my favorite, but try blue cheese, goat cheese, or shaved parmesan cheese.
- Add protein: Make this a complete meal by mixing in diced or shredded chicken. Rotisserie chicken is an ideal add-in.
- Bacon: Crisp, savory bacon would complement the fresh ingredients really well.
- Different fruit: If you’re not a fan of oranges or just simply want to use a different fruit variety, try pears, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, sliced peaches or even watermelon in the summer!
- Greens: The salad would work great with another leafy green. Try baby spinach, kale or spring mix greens, if you don’t happen to have arugula or you just aren’t a fan of the flavor.
Serving suggestions
Looking for some delicious entrees to serve with this? Here are a few great pairing options:
Storage recommendation
Store this orange arugula salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 2 days. If you plan on making it ahead of time, I’d recommend leaving the avocado, orange, dressing and the goat cheese off until you’re ready to serve it.
More delicious salad recipes
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Best Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, we like Baker and Olive peach balsamic for extra sweetness and flavor
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cucumber, finely diced into little cubes
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced
- 1 orange, peeled and diced (we like Cara Cara oranges)
- 1 large ripe avocado, diced
- 3/4 cup (4 oz.) chopped toasted pecans
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled into chunks
- 5 ounces arugula, about 5 cups
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix together.
- To the bowl with the dressing, add the diced cucumber, red onion, orange, avocado, pecans, feta cheese and arugula. Toss into the dressing at the bottom of the bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
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