Baby arugula salad is my go-to when I need a quick side salad recipe for fish, steak, chicken, or pork chops!
I love to serve it alongside my Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff for a fresh contrast to the creamy noodles.
Arugula Salad
This healthy Arugula Salad with shaved parmesan requires no chopping, takes just minutes to whip up, and is so good! I make it all the time, and can’t believe I have never posted it here. It’s the perfect side dish with so many meals, or you can double the portion and add grilled shrimp, salmon, or chicken to make it a main dish. For more arugula salad recipes, try my Arugula Salmon Salad with Capers and Shaved Parmesan, or this Peach Arugula Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Arugula Salad Recipe
- Minimal Ingredients: There are only 6 ingredients, and 3 are pantry staples (olive oil, salt, and pepper).
- Quick and Easy: This salad is so simple you don’t really even need a recipe. And it takes just 5 minutes to whip up!
- Versatile: Add or substitute ingredients to make this salad your own. It’s an excellent base and very customizable.
- Healthy: Arugula is packed with vitamins and minerals, like calcium, potassium, and vitamin C, and is a good source of fiber.
- Good For Many Dietary Restrictions: This low calorie salad is gluten-free, weight watchers friendly, and can be made dairy-free if you omit the cheese.
Arugula Salad Ingredients
- Arugula: I prefer baby arugula since it’s more tender, but regular arugula will work, too.
- Lemon: Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the arugula to brighten the dish.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil balances the lemon’s acidity.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper season the salad.
- Parmesan Cheese: Using freshly shaved parmesan tastes better than buying pre-shaved. Just use a vegetable peeler on a block of parmesan to create shaved pieces.
How to Make Arugula Salad
This easy peppery arugula salad recipe takes only minutes to make!
- Salad Ingredients: Put the arugula in a large mixing bowl and top with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss together or you can whisk the dressing before adding the salad.
- To serve the salad, put a cup of arugula on each plate and top with shaved parmesan cheese.
Variations
- Greens: If you don’t like arugula, try it with mixed greens, butter lettuce, kale or spinach.
- Acid: Swap lemon with balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar. Or use this Lemon vinaigrette.
- Sweeten It: With a touch of honey
- Arugula Salad Dressing: Make your favorite vinaigrette, like this Dijon vinaigrette, for this side salad.
- Protein: To turn this simple salad into a meal, top it with hard boiled eggs, grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon. Or add some white beans, toasted almonds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pecans or walnuts for vegetarian options.
- Cheese: Substitute feta, blue cheese, or goat cheese.
- Dairy-Free? Skip the cheese.
- Vegetables: Add other veggies, like avocado, shallot, or cherry tomatoes.
- Fruit: Toss fresh fruit into your arugula salad. Strawberries, cranberries, cherries, peaches, pears, figs, and/or watermelon would also be good.
- Grains: Add cooked quinoa or farro.
What to Serve with Arugula Salad
I love whipping up this side salad when I need something green to round out my meal. It pairs well with most dishes and is great when you don’t have much extra time for a side dish. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Protein: This goes great with Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, Marry Me Chicken, or Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
- Pasta: Have it with a bowl of Penne alla Vodka, Spaghetti with Chicken and Grape Tomatoes, or a slice of Lasagna
- Soup or Sandwich: Enjoy it with a bowl of Potato Leek Soup, or with a Tuna Melt or Pizza.
Storage
Green salads are best eaten the day they are made because the leftovers will get soggy. Just make the amount of salad that you will eat in one night and store the ingredients separately.
Arugula Salad FAQs
Arugula and baby arugula are the same, but baby arugula is picked earlier. The taste is milder and less peppery, and the leaves are smaller.
Arugula has a strong, peppery taste which pairs great with lemon. Baby arugula has a milder pepper taste.
There’s no need to cut arugula since it’s already bite-sized. You can cut it, though, if you prefer smaller pieces.
More Arugula Recipes You’ll Love
- Arugula with Crispy Prosciutto, Parmesan, and Fried Eggs
- Pesto Pasta with Arugula, Asparagus, Peas, and Pistachios
- Air Fryer Chicken Milanese with Baby Arugula
- Arugula Pasta Salad with Chickpeas and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Arugula Fig Salad
Arugula Salad
Equipment
- large bowl
Ingredients
- 6 cups baby arugula, 4 oounces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 large lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 ounce shaved Parmesan Cheese, about 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Add arugula to a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, juice from 1/2 lemon, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper.
- To serve, divide 1 cup arugula on each plate and top each with 2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese.
Absolutely delicious! No changes required.
Simple and delicious!
This recipe is a 10 out of 10! It could not be easier to make and it is simply delicious.
So fresh and simple. Love this recipe.
Great simple combination with excellent proportions! Love this salad!
Simple and yet so flavorful! Use good quality olive oil with a fruity and vibrant flavor profile.
I am a big fan of arugula. Sometimes I just eat it by the handful. This couldn’t be an easier salad to put together, and the dressing is perfect. Thanks for another great and easy recipe!
Who knew a salad so simple could be so good! It is tempting to add to it but I think that would ruin it!!
I didn’t have arugula on hand, so I used mixed spring greens instead. My husband and I ate every bit of it. Very light and delicious!!
Delicious healthy and so simple. Next time I would skip the salt altogether. But we ate it all up
For the last couple of weeks, this has been my go to side salad. I put it together in the morning and take it with me to work. Simple ingredients, but absolutely delicious.
This is a deceptively simple salad that punches above its weight in taste & sophistication. Company worthy but easy for a quick lunch. I love to showcase the Parmesan I get from my favorite Italian market … but that’s just gilding the lily. I now make this at least once a week!! Thx!!
This is our favorite salad now – in frequent rotation. Such a simple combination of ingredients that taste so great together! And worthy of company, too, especially with pretty Parmesan shavings.
Can I use arugula instead of spinach or basil etc?