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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 whether you pack it in your lunch or plate it alongside your dinner.
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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.
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.
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.
Arugula Salad FAQs
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.
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.
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.
More 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
Would you please rate + review this recipe once you’ve made it? I love getting your feedback!
Lemon Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup barley uncooked
- ½ fennel bulb thinly sliced
- 4 cups arugula
- ½ cup sugar snap peas
- ¼ cup raw walnuts chopped
- 2 tbsp green onion thinly sliced
Lemon Tarragon Dressing
- 2 tbsp lemon juiced
- 1 tsp raw honey
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp tarragon fresh
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- dash sea salt
- dash ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp 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.
after making three different trips to each of the three stores i shop at, i made this salad without the fresh tarragon and sugar snap peas. ☹️ otherwise, i made it as written, substituting fennel fronds for the tarragon. i thought about utilizing frozen peas, but decided against it. this was a nice, hearty, savory salad. i’m not a fan of fennel, but once again i didn’t mind it in this salad.
Flavorful, acquired taste. I’m gonna cook the snap peas next time.
Really liked this salad more than I thought I would. Worked out great for a filling lunch.
Loved the brightness of the lemon and the veggies! Didn’t have tarragon, so I subbed basil and that was delicious too! Added chickpeas as well!
We really enjoyed this salad. I was a bit skeptical about the fennel as we are not big anise or licorice fans but the flavour was so complimentary.
Tarragon and fennel are new to me and overall it didn’t seem like there was much to this salad. We had it for dinner, so I added chickpeas for extra protein. Wow!! Both my husband and I loved the salad. It is bursting with flavors and on our lists of repeats!!
I really like arugula, and this recipe had me preparing a salad that was more interesting than my usual mixed greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I enjoyed the fennel and the lemon dressing and I would make this again. I couldn’t find tarragon in my grocery store, so I added some of the fennel fronds instead.
I LOVE this salad! The flavors and textures are wonderful, and I just feel really good eating it.
So good. This will be added into the rotation. I’m oil-free so I used cashew cream instead of the olive oil for the dressing. Worked great. To make it a main dish salad, I added beans as well.
I cannot accurately rate this salad because I didn’t have arugula, snap peas or tarragon. Instead I used romaine, celery and fennel fronds. I still enjoyed this salad way more than expected. I’m not a big user of dressings, however, this one was really tasty. I am now a big fan of fennel! P.S. SGS has a tasty smoothie with fennel and strawberries – so good!!
Oh my goodness, how wonderful is this! Was skeptical about how all the flavors would marry, but they were fabulous.
I like arugula greens yummly paired with this bright lemony dressing…only gave 3 stars because I don’t like the barley or quinoa…open to other suggestions
Wonderful delicious healthy salad
I love peppery arugula – so much more tasty than spinach or lettuce for a change. Balanced well with the lemon dressing. I left out the barley as I don’t tend to grains but it was still absolutely delicious. And the fennel added a nice flavor as well.
Didn’t know I liked fennel. Salad was very good!
I love arugula and often use it as the only salad green, so I was excited to try this salad. It did not disappoint. I don’t like barley, so I subbed farro, and it worked very well. I had never used fresh tarragon before; that and the chives made this herby dressing a good companion to the arugula. We enjoyed the salad; it was very flavorful and satisfying. I will definitely have it in my salad rotation all summer.