Arugula Tomato Salad is an easy and healthy salad that goes well with any main course. Easy and delicious dressing includes lemon zest, olive oil, and Balsamic vinegar.
Arugula is combined with cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, shaved Parmesan cheese and coated with a Balsamic dressing. Only 7 ingredients and 15 minutes to prepare. What’s not to love? As if that is not enough, this arugula tomato salad makes a beautiful presentation!
This salad goes well with many types of grilled, cooked, and roasted meats as well as pasta dishes, such as meatless Italian fusilli or sun-dried tomato pasta with chicken.
Why make this salad
- Healthy. This salad uses fresh ingredients, such as arugula, tomatoes, pine nuts. These ingredients will add fiber and other important nutrients to your meal.
- Simple. What could be better than make a delicious salad out of only 7 ingredients and spend just 15 minutes at it?
- Versatile. The beauty of this salad is that it is so easily adaptable. Don’t have pine nuts? Use other nuts, such as slivered almonds or pecans. Don’t have arugula? Use spinach or your other favorite greens.
- It’s pretty. The arugula tomato salad is not only healthy and nutritious, but it’s also vibrant and colorful. It will look beautiful on your dinner table, without too much effort.
What dressing goes well with arugula salad?
Pretty much any dressing you can find in the store will go well with the arugula tomato salad. What’s even better is that you don’t even need to buy a dressing. Peppery arugula is so good on its own, you can easily combine a couple of simple ingredients to make your own basic dressing.
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Stir those 2 ingredients together until emulsified and drizzle over the salad.
- Olive oil and honey. Mix together olive oil with warmed honey (for easy stirring). Serve over arugula salad.
What meat goes well with arugula salad?
Arugula goes well with many types of meat, including beef, chicken, pork, duck, turkey, or lamb. It also pairs beautifully with seafood, such as salmon, trout, cod, halibut, sea bass, shrimp, and scallops.
Here are some suggestions:
- Baked Halibut is crusted with garlic and parmesan and baked on a sheet pan in the oven together with asparagus.
- Rainbow Trout is baked with lemon, black pepper, and garlic.
- Bacon Cream Cheese Cheddar Chicken Bake uses basic ingredients and is a perfect simple main dish for an arugula tomato salad.
- Roast Duck is a sophisticated main dish that you can make for a special occasion and serve along with the arugula salad.
- Bacon and Mushroom Pork Chops are creamy and delicious.
- Lamb Loin Chops are made with garlic and olive oil.
Substitutions and Variations
- Greens. If you don’t have arugula, use baby spinach, or a mix of spinach and arugula. You can also use a spring mix of greens, or any other favorite greens you prefer in your salad.
- Nuts. Pine nuts are delicious in this salad, but they can be easily replaced with toasted slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts, or cashews.
- Cheese. You can replace Parmesan cheese with Asiago or Feta cheese. Goat cheese will work well, too.
- Tomatoes. Use cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. You can also use regular tomatoes, sliced in small cubes.
Arugula Tomato Salad is a simple and healthy salad that goes with any main course. Delicious dressing includes lemon zest, olive oil, and Balsamic vinegar. It's a great basic recipe that's highly adaptable and versatile. There are only 7 ingredients and it takes only 15 minutes to make! Perfect to serve with grilled, roasted, and cooked meats, such as chicken, pork, beef, lamb.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 5 oz arugula
- 1.5 cup cherry tomatoes each sliced in half
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 cup Pine nuts lightly toasted
In a medium bowl, prepare the salad dressing. Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and mix. Add lemon zest.
In a large bowl, combine arugula and cherry tomatoes (each sliced in half).
Drizzle the dressing over the salad. You don't have to use all of the dressing. Drizzle as much or as little as you prefer.
Top with grated Parmesan cheese and lightly toasted pine nuts.
This is such a fresh and colorful salad that’s perfect for summer. LOVE the toasted pine nuts too!