Zesty Baby Arugula Salad with Pistachios
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Baby arugula salad with pistachios offers a delicious mix of flavors and textures. With thin slices of parmesan, creamy avocado, and a light, simple preparation, it’s the perfect side dish for dinner.
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I love arugula’s peppery and almost bitter flavor which comes to life when it’s drenched in the lemon vinaigrette. The tangy lemon and sweet honey create a perfect balance, which makes every bite refreshing and vibrant. This salad really is a simple yet delicious way to enjoy arugula. Add grilled chicken or salmon and you have a full low carb and complete meal.
What you’ll love about this recipe
Here is what you will need
Ingredient List
How to make baby arugula pistachio salad
Prepare:
- Rinse the arugula under cold water and thoroughly dry it. I like to use a salad spinner for this.
- Remove the flesh from the avocado and cut it into chunks.
- Measure the pistachios.
- Mix the dressing ingredients (lemon juice, honey, and olive oil) in a small jar or small mixing bowl, and set aside.
STEP 1: Place the baby arugula, pistachios, and avocado chunks into a large bowl.
STEP 2: Pour half of the dressing over the salad and gently toss.
STEP 3: Use a y-vegetable peeler to shave the parmesan cheese into thin slices and add them to the salad. Season with black pepper and sea salt to taste, toss once again and serve.
Tips & Tricks
- Add the dressing individually if you anticipate having a leftover salad to prevent it from getting soggy.
- Use just enough dressing to moisten the salad, and serve the remaining dressing on the side.
- If you have extra salad dressing, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Variations
Greens – If you don’t care for the peppery flavor of arugula, it can be substituted with baby greens, Boston lettuce, baby spinach or a mix of your favorite greens.
Nuts – If you prefer another type of nut, almonds, walnuts, pecans or cashews are good choices too; be sure to toast them before adding them to the salad.
Orange – Change the flavor from lemon to orange by swapping in orange juice for lemon juice.
Cheese – Swap parmesan cheese for feta cheese, blue cheese crumbles, or goat cheese.
Fruit – Sweeten up this salad with sliced or chopped fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears, dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds.
Make ahead instructions
Even though this salad is simple to put together, it can be assembled a few hours ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator without the cheese and dressing.
Just before serving add the salad dressing and shave the cheese.
How to store leftover arugula salad with pistachios
Leftover salad can be stored for up to two days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Recommended Equipment
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Buy Now → What goes best with baby arugula salad
This salad tastes great with almost anything it is served with. Turn it into a healthy meal when it is served with pork chops with vinegar peppers and potatoes, Cilantro Lime Shrimp, Grilled Chicken Breasts with Strawberry Balsamic Salsa, Fresh and Easy Blush Sauce with Pasta, Pasta with Bolognese Sauce, Ground Chicken and Pasta Casserole, Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers, Buffalo chicken eggrolls.
Recipe FAQs
Baby arugula is usually eaten raw and doesn’t need much preparation since its leaves are small and tender. If the arugula is more mature, it may need to have the stems trimmed and roughly chopped.
You can, but the bitter flavor will be more intense than baby arugula.
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Arugula Salad with Pistachios
Ingredients
- 8 ounces baby arugula
- 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios
- 1/2 avocado
- 3 ounces shaved parmesan cheese to taste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: rinse and dry the arugula. Remove the flesh fro the avocado and cut it into chunks. Remove shells if needed from the pistachios and measure them. Mix the salad dressing ingredients (olive oil, honey and lemon juice) together in a small bowl or jar.
- Place the baby arugula,pistachios and avocado chunks into a large bowl.
- Pour half of the dressing over the salad and gently toss.
- Use a Y-vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to shave the parmesan cheese into thin slices and add them to the salad.
- Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste, gently toss the salad again and serve immediately with 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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I almost always order arugula salads when I got out to eat – need to make this!
It’s so easy to make too!
Thanks Brynn!
Such an elegant and flavorful salad! Love the crunch from the pistachios!
Simple arugula salads are SO satisfying and your additions are the perfect touches to make it better! Definitely going to throw this together.
I love the pistachios & the dressing! Baby Arugula is a favorite for me. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
arugula is one of my favourite salad. I love that your dressing is so simple and tasty.