Arugula and Fig Salad with Goat Cheese Recipe
With its peppery flavor, Arugula perfectly complements sweet figs, tangy goat cheese, and pecans in this healthy arugula, fig and goat cheese salad. Made with simple ingredients, this arugula and fig salad is easy to prepare and makes a great side dish or light lunch entree any time of the year.
This salad is a perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors, from the sweetness of the figs to the creamy goat cheese. It is also easy to make and pairs well with almost any entree. We enjoy it with chicken for a simple dinner.
🤍Why you will love this recipe
- It’s versatile! This salad can be served as a side dish or a main course and paired with various entrees.
- It’s a healthy, simple salad packed with nutrients.
- Flavor and textures are the perfect contrast.
Here is what you will need
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This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this arugula fig and goat cheese salad recipe, scroll down to see ingredients notes and substitutions as well as a printable recipe card with exact measurements and complete cooking instructions.
🛒Ingredients
- Baby arugula
- Dried black mission figs
- goat cheese
- Pecans
- Honey balsamic dressing (a link to my recipe that is made with; olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar & garlic)
🥄Equipment
- Salad bowl
- Small jar (to mix dressing)
How to make arugula fig and goat cheese salad
Prepare the ingredients: slice the figs into half-inch slices, measure, and crumble the cheese. Rinse and dry the arugula.
Mix up the dressing (1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard and a clove of crushed garlic) in a small jar or small bowl and get ready to make an easy arugula salad!
Place the goat cheese crumbles, arugula, pecans, and sliced figs into a large salad bowl. Pour a small amount of dressing onto the salad and toss. Serve with extra dressing on the side.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Baby arugula. Peppery arugula is the perfect for flavor contrast in this salad. If you prefer, you can substitute it with baby spinach, kale or you favorite leafy green.
Figs. I normally use dried figs when I make this salad because they’re available year-round.
When it is fig season (late summer, early fall), I highly recommend using fresh figs for a fresh fig and goat cheese salad.
You can find fresh ripe figs at farmer’s markets or in the grocery stores when they are in season. Black mission figs are the most common of the fresh variety.
Goat cheese. Creamy goat cheese adds just the right amount of flavor to this salad. If it’s not available, you can substitute goat cheese with blue cheese, gorgonzola cheese or parmesan cheese.
Pecans. I chose pecans for this salad because of their texture. However, they can be substituted with walnuts, pine nuts or almonds.
How to store this leftovers
Even though this salad tastes much better when it’s fresh, you can store the leftover salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.
Add the dressing just before serving if you anticipate having a leftover salad.
What to Serve with baby arugula fig salad
This salad tastes great with just about any entree. We love it as a healthy side dish with lasagna, pasta with bolognese sauce, baked manicotti, chicken or hearty beef stew.
You can also serve baby arugula and fig salad as a main course with steak, shrimp, hearty portobello mushrooms, baked chicken cutlets or shredded chicken.
Are you too tired to cook dinner?
If you’re feeling uninspired when it’s time to cook dinner, this free guide will help you make a quick and healthy dinner with ingredients you have in your kitchen.
Goat cheese and fig salad recipe variations
Add meat – Toss in thin strips of prosciutto, 1/4 cup diced red onions, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes for a spicy, salty flavor addition.
Fruit – Replace figs with dried cranberries, or fresh diced apples or pears.
Cheese – Try using different types of goat cheese such as honey-infused or herbed goat cheese to introduce new dimensions of flavor.
Change up the dressing – Try using different salad dressings such as a blend of olive oil, lemon juice and a dash of maple syrup.
💡Tips
- To make it easier to crumble the goat cheese, place it in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before crumbling.
- Toast the pecans for extra crunch in the salad or make these sweet and spicy pecans and toss them into the salad for extra flavor.
You can easily make this salad ahead of time. Combine the fresh arugula and figs in a bowl; store them in the refrigerator for up to two days. Mix the balsamic ingredients together and store the salad dressing in a separate container. Assemble the ingredients just before serving.
Yes, this is an easy recipe to scale up. Simply increase the quantities based on the number of servings you will need. Head to the recipe card, to scale the recipe!
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Baby Arugula
- 6 Mission Figs dried
- 1/4 cup Goat Cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup Pecans chopped
Instructions
- Place 2 1/2 cups Baby Arugula, 6 Mission Figs (sliced), 1/4 cup Goat Cheese crumbles, 1/2 cup Pecans
- Mix up the dressing ( 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 talespoon dijon mustard and 1 clovec crushed garlic)
- Pour 1/8 to a 1/4 cup of dressing over the salad and gently toss. Serve the salad with the remaining dressing on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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The fig is such a nice addition! I love a bite of sweetness in arugula salads.
I love adding leaves to my salad and LOVE adding figs, goat cheese or feta. This looks so good. Love the balsamic dressing. Looks so yum.
Lovely salad! I grow my own arugula, so am always looking for recipes that use it. Cannot believe the restaurant gave you kale though (that being said, I do love kale salads!). How silly.
Love the combination of mustardy, sharp arugula with sweet figs. I was lucky enough to have some fresh figs as well, so we threw those in.
This simple but tasty salad is perfect for any time of the year. The sweet dry figs and creamy cheese with the spicy arugula is flavor packed and easy to throw together. Love it!
I love salads too! Especially healthy and refreshing ones like this arugula and fig salad ! Goat cheese taste incredible here too
Mmmmm, any salad with goat cheese is a salad I love. Adding the mission figs and balsamic vinaigrette dressing just takes this to another level.