Enjoy one of our favorite salads to make at home! This arugula goat cheese salad is the packed with flavorful and healthy ingredients and the perfect amount of crunchy and creamy, savory and sweet. Great as a side salad or a main dish for a light meal.
If your usual salads feel a bit bland lately, an arugula salad with tangy goat cheese and balsamic vinegar will bring a whole new flavor profile to your life. This time of year is perfect for mixing things up, and this easy salad is the perfect side dish for any pasta dish.
If you have an extra log of goat cheese lying around, brighten up your dinner table with more of our goat cheese recipes, like Goat Cheese Ravioli, Goat Cheese Crepes, or a Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread.
Ingredients
- Fresh arugula: Provides a peppery bite and vibrant color base for the salad. Linley’s favorite base for any salad 🤩
- Goat cheese crumbles: Add creamy richness and tangy flavor to contrast with the arugula.
- Cherry tomatoes: Offers bursts of sweetness and acidity.
- Red onion: Adds a sharp bite and crunch to the salad.
- Balsamic vinaigrette: A simple dressing that’s always one of our go-tos. It’s simple to make and never overpowers the salad ingredients.
Choosing the Right Goat Cheese
Goat cheese (or often called chévre it’s french name) is one of the main ingredients of this delicious arugula salad. There are so many varieties of goat cheese at major grocery stores. You can by crumbly goat cheese, creamy goat cheese, tangy goat cheese, or even flavored goat cheese.
We went with a crumbly plain goat cheese for this recipe. Feel free to get creative and use an herb goat cheese or even a honey chev! Either would be delish!
More Tips and Tricks
- Want to make this a nut-free recipe? Use pumpkin seeds or crispy chickpeas in place of the almonds.
- Don’t like goat cheese? Try a flavored one, or do half goat cheese crumbles half feta crumbles.
- Assemble right before serving. We wouldn’t recommend assembling this ahead of time. But you can certainly prepare all of the ingredients the day before and assemble before serving.
Easy Variations
You can always make your own version of this tasty salad! Try one of these flavorful ideas to match your preferences:
- Nutty twist: Substitute walnuts or pecans for added crunch and nutty flavor.
- Fruit infusion: Incorporate sliced apples, sweet strawberries, or juicy oranges to balance out the bitterness of arugula.
- Vegan option: Replace goat cheese with dairy-free alternatives like almond or cashew-based cheese.
Storage
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Keep the dressing separate and drizzle it over the salad just before serving to maintain freshness.
What to Serve with this Salad
We love adding a meat protein to this salad! Steak, chicken or shrimp would all be delicious additions. Check out some of our recipes on our sister site, Fit Foodie Finds:
Arugula Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- 2.5 ounces arugula
- ½ medium red onion diced
- 12 oz. cherry tomatoes halved
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup goat cheese crumbles
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to a jar. Add salt and pepper and cover the jar.
- Shake all the ingredients together until combined and then set aside.
- Next, in a small skillet, toast the slivered almonds over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.Remove from heat and set aside until cool.
- Add arugula, red onion, tomatoes, dried cranberries, goat cheese crumbles, and slivered almonds into a large bowl and toss all of the ingredients together.
- Finally, drizzle dressing onto the salad, one tablespoon at a time. Continue to add one tablespoon of dressing until the salad is dressed as desired.
the taste was great! my only two comments are 1. this was, for me, a 2-serving salad when eating it as a main dish. 2. I may have had a large onion, but it was a bit overpowering to use half an onion. I’d use a bit less next time—and would use slices rather than diced.
Thanks for this review, Elizabeth! And so glad you enjoyed this salad as a main dish 😀