Hearty Arugula Salad with Pecorino Recipe

There can be too much of a good thing. If you’ve been relying on the health benefits of kale, spinach or romaine lettuce as the base of your salads and are suffering from green fatigue, step away from them and turn to your new salad lifesaver: arugula salad.

A cruciferous vegetable in the same family as broccoli and Swiss chard, arugula salad is low in calories but ridiculously high in nutrients. It’s also loaded with isothiocyanates, chemical compounds that provide anti-inflammatory properties, making arugula a terrific addition to a healthy, healing diet. But, most importantly, it tastes great.

Key Ingredients

Arugula can be enjoyed either raw or cooked. We’ll do a hybrid with this arugula salad recipe and top it with hot ingredients to warm it up.

After adding in nutritious walnuts, a “brain food” rich in omega-3 fatty acids, to the mix, you’re left with a creative dish that will breathe new life into your salad game.

Here is some info on the main ingredients in this hearty arugula salad:

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• Walnuts: Walnuts provide a high supply of omega-3 fatty acids, in addition to manganese, copper and many more key nutrients. As a result, walnuts support brain, heart and reproductive health, all while helping with weight loss as a nutrient-dense food.
• Coconut oil: This healthy fat is another omega-3 powerhouse that’s been shown to help protect brain, heart, liver, immune, digestive, skin, tooth and bone health, just to name a few.
• Red beet:  Beets are a great source of fiber, folate, manganese, potassium and a host of antioxidants. As such, this healthy veggie can help relieve inflammation, promote heart health, aid detoxification, boost brain function, support digestion, enhance athletic performance and even increase weight loss.
• Yellow onion: Part of a healing diet, antioxidant-rich onions are great for immune health thanks to their vitamin C content, along with flavonoids.
• Arugula: As a low-calorie, nutrient-dense leafy green, arugula can do wonders for health. In addition to protecting eye health thanks to its vitamin A content and helping maintain strong bones thanks to its vitamin K, it can also support heart, digestive and skin health, among other benefits.

Nutrition Facts

This arugula salad recipe contains approximately:

• 312 calories
• 13.2 grams carbohydrates
• 10.5 grams protein
• 26.5 grams fat
• 4.9 grams fiber
• 6 grams sugar
• 3 milligrams cholesterol
• 112 milligrams sodium
• 2 milligrams iron (10 percent DV)
• 475 milligrams potassium (10 percent DV)
• 109 milligrams calcium (8 percent DV)

How to Make Arugula Salad

Start by heating a skillet and adding the walnuts for about 4 minutes, letting them get nice and crunchy. Be sure to toss and move them around in the pan to prevent them from sticking or burning. When time is up, remove the walnuts from the skillet and set them aside.

Next, add heart-healthy coconut oil to the skillet and let it heat up. When it’s shimmery and ready, toss in the minced onion and shredded beets for an antioxidant boost.

Cook these for about 5 minutes, stirring them occasionally.

Now it’s time to crank up the heat and add in balsamic vinegar for an extra flavor punch. Mix up the onions, beets and vinegar, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Arrange the arugula on a serving plate, and top it with the warm beet mixture. Add the toasted walnuts and shaved pecorino romano cheese, and finish it all off with freshly cracked black pepper.

Add this quick, delicious hearty arugula salad with pecorino to your menu, and never tire of salads again!

Best Dressings

For the finishing touch, try any of these different dressing for arugula salad options for a meal you’ll never get sick of:

• Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
• Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe
• Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe
• Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing Recipe

Other Great Salad Recipes

• Kale Caesar Salad with Salmon
• Mango Walnut Spinach Salad
• Harvest Mason Jar Salad
• Zoodle Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing
• Massaged Kale Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
• Salmon Kale Salad

Arugula Salad with Pecorino Recipe

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• Author: Dr. Josh Axe
• Total Time: 17 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Need to change up your salad game? Add this quick, delicious arugula salad with pecorino to your menu and never tire of salads again!

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Ingredients

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• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• 1 medium red beet, shredded
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 5 cups loosely packed arugula
• shaved pecorino romano cheese
• fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add walnuts and toast for 4 minutes, swirling and tossing often. Remove walnuts from skillet and set aside.
2. Return skillet to heat and increase to medium. Add coconut oil. When the oil is hot (it will look shimmery), add minced onion and shredded beet. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Increase heat to medium-high and add balsamic vinegar. Cook another 3 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the arugula to a serving plate and top with the warm beet mixture. Top with toasted walnuts, pecorino and pepper. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

• If you are allergic to walnuts, you can go without them or add another nut or seed (such as chia seeds) that you are not allergic to.
• There are any number of dressings you can use, but healthy, homemade ones are best.
• Forgo the cheese to make this a vegan recipe.

• Prep Time: 5 min
• Cook Time: 12 min
• Category: Salad
• Method: By hand
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2
• Calories: 312
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 112mg
• Fat: 26.5g
• Saturated Fat: 7.5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 19g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 13.2g
• Fiber: 4.9g
• Protein: 10.5g
• Cholesterol: 3mg