Description
This strawberry arugula salad is an easy summer salad recipe that tastes delicious when fresh strawberries are in season. It’s made with peppery arugula, red onion, crunchy cucumbers, toasted pecans, creamy goat cheese, and a tangy basil-balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 1lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1-2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Toast the pecans. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the pecans and gently cook until they are nicely toasted (brown and fragrant), stirring occasionally. This takes about 2 to 5 minutes. Remove the toasted pecans from the skillet and transfer to a cutting board to let cool.
- Make the basil balsamic dressing. In a jar with a fitted lid, add the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup (or honey), minced garlic, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Seal the jar and give it a good shake until the dressing emulsifies and everything is well combined. Don’t have a jar? Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Assemble the salad. In a large salad bowl, add the arugula, strawberries, red onion, cucumbers, goat cheese and chopped toasted pecans.
- Toss everything together and serve. Drizzle the dressing on right before serving. Toss gently, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Chiffonade – This is a slicing technique where you roll the basil leaves, then slice them into thin ribbons.
- Tastes best when fresh. It will get soggy, and the arugula will start to wilt after a few hours of adding the dressing.
- Leftovers? If you think they will be leftover salad, keep the dressing separate. It will keep up to 1 day in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Make it vegan by leaving out the cheese or using diced avocado for a creamy texture.
- Nutrition information is a rough estimate based on 4 servings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 335
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 75mg
- Fat: 28.9g
- Saturated Fat: 4.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17.6g
- Fiber: 4.7g
- Protein: 4.7g
- Cholesterol: 3mg