This salad might be the simplest one you’ve ever made. You can skip the salad dressing altogether! An exquisite salad that complements any meal can be prepared in only five to ten minutes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8
Arugula salad, what’s in it?
The arugula salad is made using basic ingredients. However, you should still ensure their quality because even the simplest things can fail. The ingredients for this simple salad are:
- The arugula salad is made using basic ingredients. However, you should still ensure their quality because even the simplest things can fail. The ingredients for this simple salad are:
- Do not substitute regular arugula for baby arugula. Read the caveat down below for further clarification.
- Shallots, cut very thinly
- Just enough olive oil to coat Parmesan cheese shavings; for convenience, purchase Parmesan that has already been cut into shavings.
- Juice from a genuine lemon (no imitations allowed!); zest it up if you have the time.
- kosher salt
I highly recommend baby arugula. Instead of regular arugula, try this!
You must heed this warning if you want your arugula salad to turn out well. Try using baby arugula. Baby arugula, not the mature variety, please. Why? The distinction is as follows:
- Baby arugula has a sensitive texture, a delicate flavor, and a light, airy consistency. The photograph features some beautiful greenery, don’t you think? Baby arugula, if you will.
- In most places, you can buy standard arugula in bunches. Its stems can be harder and its peppery flavor is more pronounced. It’s not ideal for a salad of this type.
- Baby arugula can be found in many supermarkets around the United States. Farmers markets are another source. Avoid it as a general rule if it’s being sold in bundles. Make do with the pre-packaged, baby greens you see in stores.
The lemon juice and zest should be fresh.
- Bottled lemon juice is no substitute for the real thing. Use an actual lemon for this and any other recipe you try from our site.
- Add the zest of half a lemon if you have the time. What’s the best method to add some zing to your life? To speed things up, I use a microplane grater (here’s one we like).
A vegetable peeler is ideal for shaving Parmesan cheese.
Buy Parmesan cheese that has already been sliced into large shavings to speed up the preparation of this quick and easy arugula salad. This is how I saw it packaged at the store, and it makes it very convenient to toss a whole bunch into a salad.
If you can’t locate it prepackaged, just use a vegetable peeler on a large block of Parmesan cheese. This is the most convenient method we’ve found for obtaining the desired shavings.
Can the Parmesan cheese be left out for vegans?
Actually, you can! We think you could get away with it, but it won’t be quite as nice without the saltiness of the Parmesan. Add some savory depth of flavor with our vegan Parmesan cheese. The flavor would be enhanced, and the texture is similar to grated Parmesan rather than shavings.
Different ways to present this arugula salad!
This arugula salad is so basic and easy to make that it complements nearly any style of cuisine. It goes great with soup, salad, and Mediterranean or Italian dishes. Several serving options are listed below:
- Fun with pizza! When it comes to pizza, this one is flawless. You can give it a go with some Homemade Cheese Pizza, Healthy Pizza, or Mushroom Pizza.
- Salmon. It pairs wonderfully with both baked and lemon dill salmon.
- Pasta. Pair it with your favorite vegan lasagna, cavatappi, or mushroom pasta for a delicious meal.
- Shrimp. You can’t go wrong with Shrimp Marinara or Easy Shrimp Paella and an arugula salad.
- Soup. Eat with the Best Damn Lentil Soup or the Best Wild Rice Soup.
Vegan and devoid of gluten. Vegan Parmesan is a vegan, plant-based alternative to traditional Parmesan.
Quick Glances
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot 8 cups (5 ounces) baby arugula (not regular arugula, commonly found in bunches) 34 cup Parmesan cheese shavings (approximately 1.5 ounces)
- Extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons
- Salt to taste, at least one-fourth teaspoon of kosher
- Half a lemon’s worth of zest and juice (1 1/2 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Use a vegetable peeler to shave the Parmesan cheese, if necessary. Make paper-thin slices of the shallot.
- Combine the baby arugula, olive oil, lemon zest (optional), lemon juice, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Toss everything with your hands to ensure a uniform coating. Toss in the shaved Parmesan and minced shallot and stir for a few seconds. You can always season to taste with more salt.
Nutrition Facts
- 10% Total Fat 7.4g
- Saturated Fat 2.1g
- 0%Total Carbohydrate 1.2g
- 1%Dietary Fiber 0.4g
- Sugars 0.6g
- 7%Protein 3.4g
- 5%Vitamin A 41µg
- 3%Vitamin C 3.1mg
- 10%Calcium 126.4mg
- 2%Iron 0.4mg
- 0%Vitamin D 0.1µg
- 3%Magnesium 13.5mg
- 2%Potassium 85.3mg
- 2%Vitamin B6 0mg
- 4%Vitamin B12 0.1µg
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