Arugula salad with feta is one of my favorite salads lately!
I have come to the conclusion that all the ingredients added to this salad are perfectly combined and complement each other with a drizzle of the simple vinaigrette dressing.
If you like green easy leaf salads as much as I do, then I suggest you check out my everyday green salad which can be served with most global meals.
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Arugula is a green salad leaf variety, known for its nutty peppery flavor, and it's easy to recognize it by its shape.
The lettuce herb is widely known as rocket or rucola too. Besides, arugula salad is a common specialty from the Mediterranean region, which inspired my salad version here.
Ingredient Tips
For this Arugula Salad, I have added a couple of delicious fresh ingredients which balance the salad flavors and nutritious.
You can skip an ingredient if you don't like it or if you can't get it, however, try to make it as I describe it in the recipe further below.
Arugula salad leaves should be fresh, that means firm. If your leaves look tired, don't toss them away!
Simply keep them in a closed container with a tiny amount of water in it and keep in the fridge. After an hour or so, your arugula leaves will be crunchy firm and fresh again!
I use either cocktail or cherry Tomatoes because the tomato size is rather suitable for this salad.
However, You are welcome to use another regularly sized tomato variety which contains less water. The tomatoes add texture, color, and flavor to the Arugula salad.
I love adding a Fig to my arugula feta salad, and I strongly recommend that you add a fresh fig, it's a game changer!
The salad is enhanced with a small mild Shallot, not to overpower the other flavors, but to bridge the other seasonings and the taste of the salad.
The addition of Pine Nuts to this salad was an accidental discovery. I just added a handful when I realized that this somehow reminded me of an Arugula pesto!
Pine nuts add crunch, flavor, and texture to your salad. Pick only quality pine nuts and check the origin of your nuts on your package.
Some people get the pine nut syndrome, which will add a bitter, metallic taste for weeks to whatever you eat. But don't fret, quality Italian pine nuts, for example, do not cause this phenomenon.
You have the option to substitute the pine nuts with walnuts or sunflower seeds.
As a protein, Feta cheese complements the nutty, strong aroma of the fresh rocket leaves. Pick your favorite feta goat cheese variety, it can be a stronger smelling one if you like it that way!
Finish the salad with a drizzle of a simple Olive Oil and Vinegar Vinaigrette Dressing. For the best result, use extra virgin olive oil and a vinegar of your choice. I like to use raspberry-infused vinegar or homemade herbal vinegar.
📖 Recipe
Arugula Feta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 bunch Arugula approx a dozen small leaves
- 12 Cherry Tomato
- 1 Fig
- ⅛ cup Pine Nuts Whole
- 1 small Shallot
- 3.5 ounces Feta Cheese
For the Dressing:
- ⅓ Vinegar *see Notes
- ⅔ Olive Oil
- pinch Salt
- pinch Black Pepper Ground
Instructions
- Prepare all your fresh produce by washing them properly under cold water. That includes the arugula, tomatoes, and fig.
- Shred the arugula leaves, cut the tomatoes in two and the fig into smaller pieces.
- Place it all into a salad bowl and add the pine nuts.
- Peel and chop your shallot small. Add to the salad bowl too.
- Cut your Feta Cheese into small cubes and add to the other ingredients or crumble into the salad bowl. Mix everything a bit.
- For the arugula salad vinaigrette dressing, add vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper and mix. Then add the oil (seasoning needs to be mixed first with vinegar because it doesn't mix into the oil) and either beat with a fork or shake in a dressing shaker.
- Pour dressing over the salad just before serving your arugula feta salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Do you peel the fig?
No, you don't need to peel the figs the skin is edible. Just wash the fruits well and perhaps choose untreated/organic figs to avoid pesticides.