Easy Arugula Salad with Walnuts, Beets & Parmesan

What You Need

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

mixing bowl
salad tongs
whisk

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Wash your greens in cold water and spin them completely dry before assembling. Excess moisture causes the leaves to wilt quickly and prevents the olive oil and vinegar from clinging properly.

Always wait to dress the salad until the exact moment you are ready to serve. Delicate peppery greens will wilt and become soggy within minutes of sitting in the acidic dressing.

You can prep the ingredients in advance by keeping the washed greens, chopped vegetables, and mixed vinaigrette in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Combine and toss them only right before serving.

Once dressed, this salad does not store well as the greens will turn mushy in the refrigerator. If you anticipate leftovers, dress only the portion you plan to eat immediately and store components separately.

If you want to keep the sharp, salty flavor without using Parmesan, try grated pecorino romano, crumbled feta, shaved asiago, or a dairy-free nutritional yeast alternative.

Lightly toasting the walnuts in a dry skillet enhances their nutty flavor and keeps them crunchy, though raw walnuts work perfectly fine if you want a fast and easy no cook arugula salad.

If the vinegar and lemon juice feel too sharp, ensure your extra virgin olive oil is of high quality to smooth out the flavor, or use slightly sweeter sun-dried tomatoes to counter the acidic bite.

Step By Step

Instructions

Getting Things Ready
Whisk up the vinaigrette
Grab a small mixing bowl and pour in your lemon juice, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Whisk everything briskly until it comes together into a smooth, lightly emulsified lemon balsamic vinaigrette.
2 tbsp lemon juice2 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp balsamic vinegarmixing bowlwhisk
Chop and prep the mix-ins
Tear your fresh arugula into manageable bite-size pieces with your hands. Thinly slice the red onion, and give the sun-dried tomato, pickled red beet, and walnut pieces a quick chop so they blend seamlessly across the entire salad.
2 bunch arugula1/2 medium red onion5 sun-dried tomatoes3 tbsp pickled red beet10 walnuts
Final Assembly
Toss and bring to the table
Toss the torn greens right into your favorite large serving bowl. Add in the sliced red onion, sun-dried tomato, pickled red beet, and walnut. Drizzle that balsamic arugula salad dressing across the top and turn everything gently with salad tongs so each leaf gets coated without getting bruised or crushed. Finish with a generous dusting of finely grated parmesan cheese over the top and serve it up right away.
2 bunch arugula1/2 medium red onion5 sun-dried tomatoes3 tbsp pickled red beet10 walnuts1 tbsp parmesan cheese2 tbsp lemon juice2 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp balsamic vinegarsalad tongs

Make sure you dry that arugula thoroughly before tossing; if the leaves are wet, that bright vinaigrette will just slide right off instead of clinging nicely. The chewy sun-dried tomatoes, tangy pickled beets, sharp red onion, and toasted walnuts balance the peppery greens with sweet, punchy, and crisp textures.

Always wait to toss in the lemon-balsamic dressing until you are truly ready to eat. Scatter the Parmesan and walnuts across the top at the very last second so every bite keeps its punch and crunch while the greens stay fresh.