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Home » Healthy Salads

Lemon Arugula Salad

Published on 3.4.2022 by Jen Hansard

RECIPE CARD LEAVE REVIEW
arugula salad

Hearty salads bring a whole lot of nutrition and fill me up so I'm not searching for a snack an hour after lunch. Just like with green smoothies, a good salad needs a balance of carbs, protein and healthy fat. My Lemon Arugula salad is definitely loaded with hearty plants and could arguably be the best arugula salad you'll make.

I'd rather drink my greens over chewing them, so if I make a salad it's got to be great. Trust me when I say this salad is #worthit.

best arugula salad with walnuts, snap peas and fennel

Best Arugula Salad Recipe

This salad was created with both presentation and flavor in mind. I wanted a beautiful dish as well as something to fill me up.

Make sure the barley is cooked before adding it to this arugula salad. If you know you won't have time to cook it day-of, cook it beforehand!

My tarragon dressing can also be made ahead of time, just give the jar a good shake before pouring it over the finished salad.

If you want to add even more flavor to this dish then toast the walnuts before adding them.

ingredients for a filling lemon arugula salad

What is Arugula?

Arugula is in the same leafy green family as kale, and is not a mild veggie. It is however loaded with health benefits since it's high in calcium, potassium, folate and vitamins C, A and K.

I love using arugula in salads, on top of pizza and even in pesto. If it's a bit too strong for you to use as the only base in this salad then don't toss it altogether! Pair it with mixed greens or spinach and enjoy its peppery addition to your lunch.

simple tarragon dressing

Tips for Tarragon Dressing

If you want a super simple dressing then this one is for you! Simply toss all the ingredients into a jar with a good lid then shake to mix. You can refrigerate until ready to use.

I recommend using fresh tarragon since dried tarragon has a completely different taste and flavor. I know it's easy to swap fresh for dried when using something like basil, however that's just not the case with this unique herb.

If you want to keep this dressing vegan, swap in maple syrup for the honey.

simple lunch recipe made with plants

Arugula Salad FAQs

What goes well with arugula?

I chose crispy fennel and walnuts along with a lemon tarragon dressing for my arugula salad. The dressing especially helps tone down the bite from the arugula.

How do you make arugula less bitter?

Pair it with flavors that help balance it out. I pair arugula with a zesty tarragon dressing and use fennel to help tone down the bitterness and boost the flavor.

Is arugula a lettuce?

Arugula is actually in the cruciferous family along with kale, broccoli and bok choy. It's got a strong flavor so you could try half arugula, half spinach (or lettuce) until you get used to the flavor and kick.

easy and delicious salad recipes

Delicious Salad Recipes

Ready for more incredible salads? Then try out another one of my creations below:

  • Avocado Caprese Salad
  • Healthy Taco Salad
  • Oil-Based Potato Salad
  • Cold Noodle Salad
  • Strawberry Mixed Greens Salad
  • Pear Pomegranate Salad
  • Bright Berry Salad
  • Candied Pecan Salad
  • Sweet Potato Taco Salad
  • Hearty Mason Jar Salad
  • Greek Salad
  • Strawberry Arugula Salad
  • Grated Carrot Salad
  • Sweet & Crunchy Chickpea Salad
arugula salad

Lemon Arugula Salad

4.41 from 236 votes
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This lemon arugula salad is a feature on any table. It's got unique (yet findable!) ingredients + an elevated flavor profile that makes me feel like I'm at a fancy restaurant. The perfect salad to mix up your lunch routine.
Total Time20 minutes
Servings2

Ingredients

  • ½ cup barley (uncooked)
  • ½ fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
  • 4 cups arugula
  • ½ cup sugar snap peas
  • ¼ cup walnuts (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoon green onion (thinly sliced)

Lemon Tarragon Dressing

  • 2 tablespoon lemon (juiced)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon tarragon (fresh)
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • dash sea salt
  • dash ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chives (chopped)

Instructions

  • Cook barley according to package. Allow to cool.
  • Prepare fennel by cutting off the green stalks. Halve the white bulb and carefully remove the core. Place the cut side down on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife, thinly cut or shave the fennel.
  • Place the fennel in a bowl with arugula, barley, pea pods, walnuts and green onions.
  • For Dressing: place all ingredients in a small jar and shake well. Refrigerate until ready.
  • Drizzle dressing over the salad, gently toss and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Swap barley with cooked quinoa.
  • To make the dressing vegan, swap in maple syrup for honey.
  • The dressing will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge.
  • Barley can be cooked ahead of time then refrigerated until ready to be used in salad. 

Nutrition (estimated)

Calories: 573kcal (29%) Carbohydrates: 51g (17%) Protein: 12g (24%) Fat: 39g (60%) Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g Monounsaturated Fat: 21g Sodium: 68mg (3%) Potassium: 963mg (28%) Fiber: 13g (54%) Sugar: 6g (7%) Vitamin A: 1728IU (35%) Vitamin C: 39mg (47%) Calcium: 220mg (22%) Iron: 6mg (33%)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tanya

    April 03, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    I am very behind on the salad challenge as I was overwhelmed by work and vven though the challenge is officially over, I still wanted to review the salad. I didn't have barley, so based on other participants' suggestion, I substituted farro. My opinion: Omg! Lemony goodness! I do like arugala and love, love, love anything with lemon. The dressing is divine! Two thumbs up! I would eat this again and again.

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      April 05, 2022 at 10:36 pm

      Thank you so much for coming back to leave the review. It's def appreciated!

  2. Regina

    March 30, 2022 at 8:08 pm

    5 stars
    My favorite so far. I love the fresh ingredients and the dressing is one I will continue to made. I really enjoyed it. I've made it again since this day.

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 30, 2022 at 10:56 pm

      I love knowing people's favorites! Glad you enjoyed this one!

  3. Tina S

    March 30, 2022 at 12:27 pm

    3 stars
    Hmmm. This salad was okay; a nice alternative. I do love arugula & snap peas. And I loved the dressing (any dressing lemon/dijon based). Will I make it again? Depends on my mood.

    Reply
  4. Amanda

    March 29, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    5 stars
    I didn’t think I’d like this salad. I’m not a fan of fennel but it works so well in this recipe! I will plan on making it again!

    Reply
  5. Karla K

    March 28, 2022 at 8:29 pm

    5 stars
    I'll start by saying I love arugula, so I was looking forward to trying this salad. I could not find fennel by me, so I subbed in apple and red onion. Can't say I was overly disappointed in no fennel, not a fan, but I do try to follow recipes the first time I make them, so maybe I'll try this summer. Another miss at the store was fresh tarragon, so I used dry in the dressing and made it a day early also adding a splash of tarragon vinegar that I already had. I was new to barley in a salad and I was very pleasantly surprised by the unique texture it adds. I forgot walnuts so I used pistachios, which I also liked visually for the monotone greens . All around this is a wonderful, bright, and hearty salad. Aside from cooking the barley it is pretty quick to make too. I will keep this salad in my rotation for sure!

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 28, 2022 at 9:30 pm

      Great job making it work even with the challenges from missing ingredients!

  6. Kim

    March 28, 2022 at 10:24 am

    3 stars
    I’ve decided I don’t like arugula. But I loved this dressing recipe, so will use it again but on mixed greens.

    Reply
  7. Anitra Hutcherson

    March 27, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out but it was surprisingly good. I've found that I really like making my own dressings and have different salads throughout the week. It took a couple of tries to get the dressing to taste right for me but I did not have to make too many adjustments.

    Reply
  8. Patricia

    March 27, 2022 at 6:21 pm

    5 stars
    The dressing in this salad is a keeper and will be used often. I couldn’t find tarragon but basil was a good substitute. Again my husband didn’t like the salad but I thought it was really good.

    Reply
  9. Alice Johnson

    March 26, 2022 at 6:44 pm

    5 stars
    To be quite honest, I was not too excited about this salad. I changed out the barley for brown rice and just into making it. I could not find fresh tarragon so I cut off some of the fennel greenery and minced it for the dressing. When it all came together I was amazed at how good it tasted!!

    Reply
  10. Natalie

    March 26, 2022 at 3:01 pm

    5 stars
    This is a keeper recipient for me. Can’t wait until I can harvest fresh arugula from the garden. However it snowed again last night in #YEG so maybe May?

    Reply
  11. Allison Clarke

    March 26, 2022 at 2:55 pm

    3 stars
    I liked this salad. Interesting food combinations brought what could easily have been a mundane salad into the realm of interesting and, for those that eat with their eyes, even tastily pretty. I especially loved the texture combination of barley and fennel. In retrospect, I would have left the dressing marinade longer to fill out its flavour. Fresh tarragon can be diffucult to find so I subbed in dry tarragon as well as spring mix with arugula. There was too much dressing for the salad, which was a tad heavy on the oil, and I used about two thirds. Paired it with roasted broccoli and bbq'ed chicken. Thumbs up!

    Reply
    • Tanya

      April 03, 2022 at 6:55 pm

      I was just telling my sister that I thought something like a blanched broccoli would go great with this salad.

  12. Erin

    March 26, 2022 at 7:19 am

    4 stars
    Made this salad tonight and while I’m not a huge fan of fennel, I thought it was tasty.

    Reply
  13. Anne

    March 25, 2022 at 11:11 pm

    5 stars
    This was very good, I love Arugula! Very bright taste.

    Reply
  14. Patty

    March 25, 2022 at 10:46 pm

    5 stars
    I was hesitant to try this salad. However, I promised myself that I would try every recipe. I was pleasantly surprised. The flavors blended very well together. I wasn't able to post yesterday, but hope that this helps others who may not have liked the salad. I heated up the barley so it could dry out a little bit more. It kind of looked like oatmeal when I cooked it the night before. Then I cut up my salad and blended it fully in with the barley. Finally, I topped it with the dressing (which I was really excited about, YUM.) The salad was really good. I am learning so much from this experience. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 26, 2022 at 9:00 am

      Way to give it a shot! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

  15. Carole

    March 25, 2022 at 8:14 pm

    Well when I tasted the dressing my thoughts was , not sure about it, but when I put it on the salad it really was good and different. Would make it again. My husband even liked it and he's not to keen on trying new things. Thanks for recipe

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 26, 2022 at 8:49 am

      So happy you both liked it!

  16. Heather

    March 25, 2022 at 8:05 pm

    5 stars
    This was my favorite salad so far in the challenge and I thought I didn't like arugula! The brightness of the lemon dressing, sweetness of the sugar snap peas, and the calm and cool barley element were a perfect match for the pepperiness of the arugula. I will be making this one again and again!

    Reply
  17. KS

    March 25, 2022 at 7:55 pm

    4 stars
    Thus was surprisingly delicious!

    Reply
  18. KS

    March 25, 2022 at 7:55 pm

    4 stars
    Thus was surprisingly delicious!

    Reply
  19. Martha Silbaugh

    March 25, 2022 at 7:03 pm

    5 stars
    Light and refreshing with a little crunch from the walnuts. Complemented the salmon we ate with it. The dressing was delicious over the salmon as well.

    Reply
  20. Martha Silbaugh

    March 25, 2022 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    This Lemon Arugula Salad was light and refreshing. Had it with broiled salmon. The walnuts added a little crunch and the leftover dressing we poured over the salmon. Delicious!

    Reply
  21. Missy Brandt

    March 25, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    I love the dressing!

    Reply
  22. Betty

    March 25, 2022 at 5:41 pm

    5 stars
    Subbed rice for barley d/t food sensitivities. Also added baby mustard greens.

    Reply
  23. Laura B

    March 25, 2022 at 3:26 pm

    5 stars
    This was the best yet! Amazing flavours. My partner really enjoyed this as well.

    Reply
    • Laura B

      March 25, 2022 at 3:28 pm

      5 stars
      Forgot to say... being in NZ I couldn't get all the ingredients so I subbed a few things. But still really enjoyed. I see someone else did quinoa as did I!

  24. Lorna Burrell

    March 25, 2022 at 3:15 pm

    5 stars
    I loved this salad! I did sub quinoa for the barley but the crunchy walnuts and pop of arugula was so good with the dressing. This is a keeper!

    Reply
  25. Karyn

    March 25, 2022 at 2:10 pm

    3 stars
    lovely combination of flavours.

    Reply
  26. Deb

    March 25, 2022 at 1:11 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this one. The fresh tarragon in the dressing was so good with the fennel. Barley gave it a heartier feel.

    Reply
  27. Kathleen

    March 25, 2022 at 11:58 am

    5 stars
    Delicious!!! Went to several stores but could not find fresh tarragon. Used fresh thyme. Love all the components. Super tasty together!

    Reply
  28. Nora

    March 25, 2022 at 11:29 am

    4 stars
    I thought the greens were well blended. I substituted the barley for quinoa. The dressing tasted wonderful. However when all mixed together the dressing lost its pizazz. A dressing that has a more pungent flavor would make this more interesting for me.

    Reply
  29. Lisa

    March 25, 2022 at 11:12 am

    5 stars
    I loved this salad! Bright, well balanced flavors.

    Reply
  30. Jana

    March 25, 2022 at 9:59 am

    4 stars
    I liked the vegetable portion and the flavors of the dressing, but it was too oily for me. I'm not used to oily dressings. I would probably blend the walnuts with the lemon and seasonings to make an oil free dressing next time.

    Reply
  31. Emily

    March 25, 2022 at 9:54 am

    3 stars
    Good, but tasted very "healthy"
    May try again, dressing was good.

    Reply
  32. Jody

    March 25, 2022 at 9:50 am

    4 stars
    Tasty!

    Reply
  33. Emily

    March 25, 2022 at 9:48 am

    Good, but not my favorite so far.
    Sub'd hemp seeds for the barley.
    Will try again with a different mix of greens.

    Reply
  34. Denise Orme

    March 25, 2022 at 9:46 am

    4 stars
    I was skeptical about the barley but loved the texture it added. If I make this again I will increase the amount of dressing.

    Reply
  35. Timea Farkas

    March 25, 2022 at 9:40 am

    5 stars
    This salad was delicious, with lots of crunch and a nice zing from the lemon dressing.
    The barley and the walnuts added a nice texture but also made this a very satisfying meal on its own.

    Reply
  36. Alexandra

    March 25, 2022 at 9:29 am

    5 stars
    Nice salad, I will make it again! The flavor is mild but really good, and you can tell its really a healthy meal!

    Reply
  37. Kimber

    March 25, 2022 at 8:22 am

    3 stars
    Despite the strong smell of black licorice it was very subtle in taste. The salad was definitely different, but to be honest, I probably would not make this again. It was filling and the taste wasn't half bad.

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 25, 2022 at 11:25 am

      I'm so glad you tried it!

  38. Meagan

    March 25, 2022 at 8:09 am

    5 stars
    This is so amazing! I will be making this often. It felt like spring in my mouth. Yum!

    Reply
  39. Rebekah Jones

    March 25, 2022 at 8:04 am

    4 stars
    A nice, light, tasty salad. Didn't know how everyone would do with the barley so only put a little in. However, they did like it, so will try more in it next time. We had a small head of fennel that had very little taste. Will try to get a tastier one next time. Also, the kiddo asked to put edemamae and cucumber in it next time. The dressing was very easy and refreshing. Will make again.

    Reply
  40. HB

    March 25, 2022 at 7:59 am

    4 stars
    Filling and fresh tasting. Unique flavor

    Reply
  41. Tracy Kleparski

    March 25, 2022 at 7:36 am

    5 stars
    Loved this salad! Made barley in veggie stock for some added flavor and it was perfect. A little goes a long way with this dressing.

    Reply
  42. janice

    March 25, 2022 at 7:12 am

    4 stars
    Didn't get this rated in time but wanted to say it was loaded with lots of interesting flavors! I am renovating a bathroom and really enjoyed the quick and tasty end of my day after lots of physical activity!

    Reply
    • Simple Green Smoothies

      March 25, 2022 at 11:25 am

      What an awesome way to end your long day of physical activity!

  43. Renata S

    March 25, 2022 at 6:44 am

    5 stars
    Fabulous blend of lemon and arugula! I'm not necessarily an arugula fan but the blend of the barley and peas with lemon really brought a new perspective taste and texture that was amazing!

    Reply
  44. Michelle Olson

    March 25, 2022 at 6:28 am

    5 stars
    I think this one was my favorite! I substituted brown rice and quinoa for the barley and couldn’t get enough.

    Reply
  45. Lynne L

    March 25, 2022 at 5:32 am

    This salad was good . We enjoyed it

    Reply
  46. Jeanmarie Funke

    March 25, 2022 at 5:09 am

    4 stars
    This salad was surprisingly tasty! I was hesitant to try it due to several of the flavors were not things I am a fan of(barley in a salad, a really lemony flavored dressing, fennel) but being combined together they were brilliant! I’ve never had fennel and not liking the taste of anise or black licorice I was worried it would throw off the whole salad for me but it didn’t. The fennel gave it some added crunch and the sugar snap peas were so delicious. The lemon tarragon dressing was great and it was the perfect topping! Enjoyed having the crunchiness in this salad with walnuts and snap peas.

    Reply
  47. Karen Wiedmeier

    March 25, 2022 at 4:52 am

    4 stars
    I love this recipe! I never had arugula before...and I'm not a fan of fennel, but these veggies, paired with the tarragon/lemon dressing, were SO delicious! I couldn't find any snowpeas, so used broccoli instead. I expected to NOT like this salad, but I'm so had I didn't blow it off. The dressing was delicious, I'll be making this again.

    Reply
  48. Dukh Niwaran

    March 25, 2022 at 3:12 am

    4 stars
    This salad was different but tasty. I followed as written except no tarragon this time of year in Northern California so used fresh oregano that is just sprouting in my garden. My husband and friend both ate it up enthusiastically. Another winner.

    Reply
  49. Patricia Broadway

    March 25, 2022 at 2:29 am

    4 stars
    Prerty good! Very filling.

    Reply
  50. Makenzie

    March 25, 2022 at 1:24 am

    Surprisingly delicious! Will definitely make again!! I LOVE THE FENNEL!! I’m loving these salads with ingredients I haven’t tried before, but I’m finding I’m loving them!

    Reply
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Jen hansard blogger at Simple Green Smoothies About

I'm Jen Hansard, mom of two, plant-based foodie, adventure junkie + cookbook author.

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