Simple Arugula Salad
This Simple Arugula Salad is full of clean, tasty ingredients and dressed perfectly with an emulsified balsamic vinaigrette. An ideal side dish for any meal!
A peppery Rocket Salad is healthy, delicious, and super easy to toss together!
Why You’ll Love this Arugula Salad Recipe
- It’s a delicious combination of ingredients plus a creamy vinaigrette!
- The tasty salad dressing can be used on almost any green salad.
- As with most salad recipes, you can tweak the ingredients depending on your palate. My husband would prefer no cucumbers!
My youngest sister, Maddy, has a knack for cooking without a recipe. As more of a baker, I always rely on written instructions and rarely mess with the proportions of leavening to flour and fat. My tweaks tend to be changes in flavorings or kind of chocolate. While we were back in Iowa visiting our family home, she whipped up some fabulous broiled salmon and this delightful salad. I have a feeling you’ll love this arugula recipe as much as I did.
Frequently Asked Questions?
What is Arugula?
Arugula, pronounced uh-ROO-guh-lah, is a slightly bitter salad green with a peppery mustard flavor. It’s also known as Italian cress, rocket, roquette, rugula, and rucola. Very popular in Italy, it’s gained popularity with Americans, too.
Why is Arugula Called Rocket?
From CooksInfo.com: “In North America, Rocket is usually called Arugula. Many people think that is the Italian name, but it isn’t. The Italian word is for arugula “rucola” or sometimes “rochetta.”
“Arugula” is an English corruption of the word in some Italian dialect, perhaps from Lombardy where they call it “arigola.” “Eruca” is the Latin word for a variety of cabbage and the word rocket in English, German, and Italian. Yes, it’s confusing!!!
Is Arugula Healthy?
Yes, just like spinach arugula is a healthy green with Vitamin A, K, C, and Folate, Iron, and other minerals, low in calories and fats, high in antioxidants.
Tips for Making a Rocket Salad Recipe
- Look for triple washed arugula in the grocery store. If you have to wash it yourself, make sure any grit or sand is rinsed off and let the greens dry before using.
- You can prep most of the ingredients ahead of time, but do not toss until right before serving. It’s best to add the avocado along with the dressing so the cubes do not oxidize, or turn brown.
- Once the dressing is tossed with the arugula, the greens will wilt.
- Use a whisk to make the arugula salad dressing. When adding the oil, drizzle it in slowly while whisking so that the mixture emulsifies, becoming homogeneous.
- Start with 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt in the dressing. Taste and add another 1/4 teaspoon if you think it needs more.
- To pulverize the fresh garlic, add it to your cutting board along with the kosher salt. Start mashing it with the side of a chef’s knife, using the salt to help break it down.
- The addition of mayonnaise may seem odd, but it helps temper the bitter arugula and help with emulsifying the dressing.
What to Serve with this Salad:
Since this salad does not have any dominant flavors or spices, it will be a perfect addition to almost any meal. Try it with some of my favorite entrees:
- Grilled Flank Steak
- Cedar Plank Salmon
- Marinated Lamb Chops
- Penne alla Vodka
- Plus, check out all my Main Course Recipes
You May Also Like:
- Green Salad with Feta and Beets from The Food Charlatan
- Tomato and Burrata Panzanella Salad
- Burrata Caprese Salad
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing
- More Best Salad Recipes
Simple Arugula Salad
Fresh produce tossed in a light vinaigrette makes or a fabulous, healthy side dish!
Ingredients
- 5-ounce container of fresh Arugula
- 12 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 English cucumber, sliced, then quartered or 4 mini English cucumbers, sliced
- Avocado, cut into cubes
Dressing:
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Fill a salad bowl with arugula. Top with chopped veggies.
- To prepare the dressing, put salt on a cutting board. Put the garlic clove on top of salt and mince and mash the garlic and salt together.
- Whisk garlic/salt mixture with vinegar, then whisk in olive oil. Whisk in mayonnaise.
- Toss salad with dressing just before serving. Refrigerate any extra dressing.
Notes
Use syrupy, well-aged balsamic vinegar for the tastiest salad dressing. I use an 18-year traditional balsamic vinegar.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 295mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
61 Comments on “Simple Arugula Salad”
Loving all the flavors in this salad ! So much color and good nutrition in there ! Thanks for joining Skinny Sunday supper & saying a prayer for your in-laws health !
Sounds like a great flavor combination!
Your meal plan sounds much like mine. I too like to pile my plate high with salad and veggies and go light on the protein. Your salad looks incredible! Love the addition of the avocados too. YUM!
Arugula is one of my favorite leafy greens! Can’t wait to try this myself!
I love Arugula and I cant wait to try out this dressing! Thanks for sharing!!
This is MY KIND OF SALAD! I am obsessed with arugula lately…the peppery flavor is so wonderful.
Nothing to beat a great salad – this looks good, Liz. Pity hubby just won’t eat it and so have to sneak them at lunchtimes. Like Carolyn, I also sneak the chocolate, too 😉
Your salad is beautiful and I love the simplicity of the dressing. We enjoy Arugula lettuce too but agree it can be a bit bitter. Thanks for this skinny recipe.
This definitely looks like a great antidote to a lot of chocolate. I’d eat this, and then I’d have a little chocolate afterwards! 😉
Liz, this is a colorful and healthy salad that I would love too eat right now – I eat salad every single day of the week and I am always looking for new recipe ideas – your sisters recipe looks truly wonderful!
Your sister Maddy cooks just like me…. hence why I am not so good at baking!
I am in love with this salad!
Beautiful salad and I’m adding your dressing to my list of homemade dressings to make.
I love simple salad. Your dressing has all of my fav ingredients for a salad dressing.
I love arugula so much I eat it all the time. With avocado it becomes extra good. Just my kind of salad! Gorgeous Liz!
Liz, this is gorgeous. So simple and wonderful and the type of thing I can bring together quickly and enjoy for lunch throughout the week.
Perfect recipe!
What a delicious, simple salad. I bet it is even better in the summer, with garden fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and a little chicken or shrimp on the grill.
Maddy is a genius and you may tell her I said so. What a beautiful and delicious salad she created! I love the pepperiness of arugula or rocket, as it’s called in many countries, and that dressing sounds perfect. So glad you shared!
How lucky for your parents to have had two talented sisters ladening their table with wonderful savory and sweet dishes. Thank you Liz and Maddy for this lovely salad combo and dressing =)
I am so stealing that dressing recipe! What a great looking salad!!!!!
Lizzy, your sister’s salad sound yummy! Adding mayo to a salad tossed with with balsamic dressing sound odd but I believe you that it is good. Hmm..a cookie can be frozen? I should try that 🙂