This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my affiliate policy.
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.
Table of Contents
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 cup 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, unrefined
- dash black pepper, ground
- 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.
I enjoyed the combination of flavors this salad brings.
I really love Fennel in anything. I had trouble finding it. I wrote a short story about my efforts and posted on FB and below. Pea pods and fresh tarragon was also hard to find. But it all came together in the end. It was fantastic, glad I hung in to gather everything together.
This Salad was amazing. I love fennel and had trouble finding it. While I was looking I came up with this story for my post.
Fennel the Bulb
A short story. By Arleen Sharp.
Once upon a time there lived a strong Salad Warrior Princess. She was on an enchanted 10 day journey. Commissioned to find the famous Fennel Bulb she traveled throughout the kingdom. Misfortune sadly seemed to encircle her efforts to find this frondy and bulbous treasure. In her mission she grew weary trudging on.
During her travels she gathered information from Greengrocers in two different regions. Asking both separately if they had Fennel the Bulb in stock. With sad faces and tears in their eyes each grocer from each region went on to say that they had not seen Fennel the Bulb in at least 21 fortnights. What was she to do?
Confused but determined, she set out the next day traveling a bit farther to a different county where she came across a special market called, “Shop Rite”. It seemed to welcome her by providing a perfect spot to park Zelda, her Magical Unicorn. Zelda watched patiently from the lot as the Salad Warrior Princess was ushered into the market by two magically opening doors. Once inside she followed the rainbow and BEHOLD she found Fennel the Bulb in abundance. Excited by this she grabbed two because she loves them so much and paid for them with a golden card. Exiting the magical doors she ran to Zelda, mounted her and flew home to tell her Handsome Prince. When she announced to the prince that all was well and an Arugula Salad with Fennel the Bulb was on the menu he blandly said, “sure ok”.
Tired from her adventures but in true Salad Warrior Princess fashion she laid out the ingredients and whipped up the salad with her magic wand. The Prince and Princess feasted on delicious food including bread and wine. With tummy’s full and smiles on their faces they lived happily ever after.
*all parts of this story are true except those that are not.
I loved your story!
Especially because of the happy ending where you found the fennel bulb!
#TrueRawkstarStatus
Love the flavor and textures. I never thought to pair barley and snap peas but now I am convinced!
This one is probably my least favorite.
I’m surprised how good this is. I can’t stand barley, but it works in this salad. The flavor combination with the dressing is quite good.
I can truly say I was pleasantly surprised. When readying the recipe I was thinking it was not going to be so good because of the arugula and fennel. I was so wrong, this was the best arugula salad I have ever had. The dressing was amazing and the combination of the veggies and the crunch was so delicious.
Yay for being pleasantly surprised!!
Tasty little salad! I love the barley and fennel. Added a bit of spinach too. I’m adding the dressing to my rotation. Really lovely.
This is such a great salad with texture and so much flavor! I like that it is simple to make and great for a meal. This tastes delicious and something I will make again!
I don’t think I have ever used fresh tarragon before but the dressing was delicious and perfect pairing with this salad. I love arugula anyway although the barley added another layer of depth. Definitely a winner for me
I cannot stand arugula, so I made this with mixed greens (with the arugula removed). So, if I have to rate as written, I would rate as one star. But I will rate it based on my substitution. I did like all the different flavors. This was my first time using fennel and tarragon. I love that you are getting me to try new things. I am super sensitive to spicy hot things, no table pepper or anything hotter for me. I do feel a slight tingle on my tongue, but I did enjoy the salad.
I’m so glad that you’re branching out and trying new flavors! And way to sub out the arugula for something you enjoy more – I love that! 🙂
First of all, I liked the salad, it had good texture and was very fresh. That being said, it included several ingredients I had never cooked with before (fennel, barley, tarragon, chives) so I didn’t absolutely love it, but I think that people who include these ingredients in their diet regularly must have enjoyed it more.
(Oh and I don’t usually buy snap peas either!)
Am enjoying all these yummy salads recipes.
This one is so healthy tasting , and love the lemony Dijon dressing! Didn’t have tarragon but it was delicious without it!
Made it with spinach as has it on hand & not a fan of arugula. Liked the dressing, added tomatoes for colour
PS shaved the fennel with potato peeler
Seemed to be missing something. I also found it difficult to slice the fennel very thin so it made the salad have a tougher texture.
This made for a delicious and filling lunch. I enjoyed the light fresh flavors. Would make a great salad along with grilled fish or chicken.
This is so good! I used celery in place of the fennel! I also used lime for the lemon. These combinations are perfect! I really like arugula! It tastes so fresh!
Great choices for substitutes!
Fresh and satisfying! None of these ingredients are on my typical salad plate but it came together great. Very refreshing and filling with the farro (couldn’t get barley) and the walnuts. Might add it to our Easter menu
This salad is so good! The hardest part was shaving the fennel. Didn’t have honey, so I used maple syrup. I prefer farro to barley, so I substituted that. In the future, I may add avocado, since I love arugula with avocado.
Great subs and avocado sounds like an awesome addition!
I use maple syrup in mine too! 🙂
This is tasty. I like the lemon zing and the crunchy nuts and barley. I didn’t have tarragon so used dill.
I made this salad with half spinach and half arugula not to try to get used to the flavor but because I don’t like the chewy texture of arugula. I do like the flavor but 4cups was too much for me. I’ll try it again with only arugula but only do a half recipe and see how that goes.
Great idea!
I left the fennel out because I dislike licorice flavor. The tarragon must taste like licorice. I don’t like it. Different dressing next time.
Well, way to go for giving it a shot!