This Apple Pecan Arugula Salad is fresh, flavorful, and so delicious! Gloriously gluten-free and vegetarian, this speedy salad is sure to be a hit!
My arugula obsession has gone absolutely nowhere.
With temps heating up, I’m more gaga for this green than ever! Not only is it a fantastic salad green, but it’s also great swirled into pasta, blended into pesto, topped on flatbreads and pizzas.
Today I’m sharing my latest salad creation. It’s something that should honestly serve two as a lunch-sized salad or four as a side salad, but I ate the entire bowl in a sitting. I regret nothing. It’s so good!
This salad is super simple and made with just a few tasty ingredients. It’s perfect for those days where your grocery haul is almost long gone but you still have apples, arugula, feta, and nuts. The dressing is a classic and flavorful vinaigrette made with just a few basic pantry staples: olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. That’s it!
Ready to get your salad on? Below you’ll find the recipe card as well as some tips on what swaps and extras you can play around with based on what ingredients you have on hand. Let’s do this!
Arugula Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll use to make this awesome arugula salad!
Arugula
For this salad, we’ll use half a 5 ounce package of baby arugula. If you need more than 4 side salads, feel free to double the recipe and use the entire package of arugula. Simply double the dressing and salad ingredients and you’re good to go!
Honeycrisp Apple
One smaller/medium honeycrisp apple is the perfect size for this salad. Jazz, Fuji, and Pink Lady apples will also work fantastic here and have a similar sweet-to-crisp ratio.
Feta
Crumbled feta cheese adds creaminess and is so delicious in this salad! I like to buy a block feta that is packed in brine. Since trying it last year I haven’t been able to go back to any other type of feta. It’s so creamy and stays fresher longer than pre-crumbled feta. If your grocery store has it, give it a try!
Toasted Pecans
For extra flavor, and the most amazing crunch – toast your pecans first! Toasted walnuts or sliced almonds would also be amazing in this gorgeous green salad. You can even use roasted sunflower seeds!
Classic Vinaigrette
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- a pinch of sugar or drizzle of honey, to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
How to Toast Pecans for extra Flavor + Crunch
Lightly toasting pecans for salads makes them gloriously crunchy and enhances their flavor! If you have an extra 5 minutes to spare, they’re 100% worth it.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Spread chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they darken a shade or two and smell nutty, 4-5 minutes. Check nuts at 4 min and watch from there.
- Set aside to cool and continue crisping. Seriously, that’s it!
Q: What should I serve it with?
Pair this rockin’ recipe with your favorite protein, sandwich, flatbread, veggie burger, pasta, or pizza! If you’re one of my T-Rex readers you can add shredded rotisserie chicken to the salad if you’d like! Here are some of my favorite veggie-centric recipes to serve with this apple pecan salad:
Apple Pecan Arugula Salad
As written, this scrumptious salad will yield 2 lunch-sized salads or 4 side salads. Need extra? Feel free to double or triple the recipe to serve your crew!
Apple Pecan Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces baby arugula (½ a 5 oz package)
- 1 small/medium honeycrisp apple (or try with fuji, pink lady, or jazz apples)
- ¼-⅓ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (toasted – see instructions)
CLASSIC VINAIGRETTE
- 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TBSP red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- a pinch of sugar or drizzle of honey if desired (optional)
Instructions
TOAST THE PECANS
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Spread chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they darken a shade or two and smell nutty, 4-5 minutes. Check nuts at 4 min and keep an eye on them for remainder of the bake time.
- Set aside to cool and continue crisping.
MAKE THE DRESSING
- For less dishes to wash, add dressing ingredients (minus the sugar/honey) to a large salad bowl and whisk well to emulsify.
- Dip an arugula leaf in to taste and add a pinch of sweetener if desired. Skip for a tart dressing.
SALAD TIME!
- Thinly slice apple. For a little apple goodness in every bite, cut the slices into wedges
- Add arugula, sliced or diced apples, and crumbled feta to the dressing bowl.
- Mix to coat the greens with dressing and add toasted pecans. Taste and season with any additional salt and/or pepper desired. Dig in right away and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this apple pecan arugula salad recipe, let me know!
Leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your tasty salad creations and see how you made it your own!
Made this today for my card group of 10 women.Only thing I added was one pear and I candied my pecans. Everyone loved it.
Thank you Diane! I love your addition of candied pecans and pear – so delicious!
This is a fantastic summer salad recipe. Will be making often!
This salad was easy to make but it had such a great flavors! Loved the different textured and the pecans and apples had nice crunch!
Thanks Liz! So happy you enjoyed it!