Arugula Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Pecans
This simple arugula salad combines fresh greens with diced apples, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries, tossed in a basic balsamic dressing. It’s a perfect everyday salad or holiday side dish that pairs well with grilled meats, chicken, pasta, or pizza.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Method: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 ounces arugula
- 1 apple, cored and diced (use large apples, such as Fuji or Gala)
- ½ cup pecans, lightly toasted
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add arugula, cored and diced apple, dried cranberries, and half of the toasted pecans (¼ cup). Chop up the remaining half (¼ cup) of toasted pecans into small pieces and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine balsamic vinegar with olive oil until emulsified.
- Drizzle the balsamic dressing over the salad, toss to combine, and sprinkle with the chopped toasted pecans. Use just enough dressing to lightly coat the salad.
Notes
Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until fragrant for extra flavor. You don’t have to use all the dressing; start with half and add more as needed. For best freshness, assemble just before serving.
Nutrition
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 10mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg