arugula apple salad

This arugula apple salad is tart, crunchy, sweet and nutty. It’s layered with pickled golden raisins, velvety bloomy rind goat cheese, tart apples and a nutty walnut dressing. Delicious for fall!

This arugula apple salad is one of my favorite fall salads. Tart, crunchy green apples and pickled raisins are a fresh contrast to the bitter baby arugula. The walnut vinaigrette adds layers of nutty sweetness and flavor.

But the best part of the whole salad? The soft-ripened goat cheese. It's adds creamy, oozy texture and mellow flavor are the perfect way to finish this apple arugula salad. If you can’t get your hands on a soft-ripened goat cheese, you can use fresh goat cheese instead. You’ll miss the gooey layer and extra flavor from the bloomy rind, but the crunchy apples and pickled raisins will be there to console you.

what you need to make this arugula apple salad:

• Baby arugula
• Granny Smith apples
• Walnuts
• Golden raisins
• Soft ripened goat cheese
• Apple cider vinegar
• Sherry vinegar
• Maple syrup
• Dijon mustard
• Walnut oil
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper

why this is the best arugula apple salad:

Soft-ripened goat cheese: this goat cheese adds a ton of textures (gooey, creamy, crumbly) and complex bloomy rind flavors. You could use blue cheese for more intense flavor, or fresh goat cheese for a creamy texture. But try to search out a bloomy rind goat cheese. The dense, velvety texture is just so good with the apples and arugula.

Granny Smith apples: the tart flavor and crunchy texture are key qualities to this apple arugula salad. The crisp acid balances out the arugula, and provides a delicious contrast to the soft-ripened goat cheese. You could use other high acid apples, such as Pink Lady, but don’t go sweet!

Baby arugula: arugula can be very assertive and, at times, quite bitter. I really prefer the softer flavor from baby arugula. It brings plenty of peppery, grassy flavor without dominating the salad with bitterness. The leaves are also tender and great for salads.

Pickled raisins: these sweet-tart morsels add a fun pop to this apple arugula salad. They’re quick to make and they add so much interest to salads. Don’t skip them!

Walnut vinaigrette: this walnut dressing packs in a bunch of flavor without being fussy to make. Nutty walnut oil, two vinegars, maple syrup, and a touch of dijon mustard combine into a delicious fall salad dressing. The mellow sweetness and nutty complexity are a great way balance out the spicy arugula. 

how to make this apple arugula salad:

1. Toast the walnuts: Five minutes in the oven at 350°F.
2. Pickle the golden raisins: Heat raisins and vinegar together, let cool.
3. Make the walnut vinaigrette: An immersion blender is my favorite method!
4. Build the salad: Toss arugula with some dressing. Top with apple slices, pickled raisins, walnuts and goat cheese. Drizzle with extra dressing and serve.

what to serve with this apple arugula salad:

This apple arugula goat cheese salad is filled with flavor and texture, so I prefer to keep the main dish relatively simple. Grilled steak or smoked lamb chops are a wonderful option for a casual dinner.

For fancy entertaining or holiday dinners, I love to serve this apple arugula salad with this porcini crusted roasted beef tenderloin and rutabaga mash. Or, for a seafood twist, with these roast lobster tails and a cheese soufflé.

wine pairings:

The big challenge with pairing wines and salads is the acid. You need to find a wine with more acid than the salad, or the wine will fall flat. That's extra tricky here, since we're using very tart green apples. So high acid white wines are the best bet-- and preferably those with minimal oak influence (there is plenty of nuttiness from the walnut vinaigrette). Here are some fresh, high acid white wines to try!

• Hunter Valley Semillon: crisp, pure, brimming with green apple and tart lime
• Austrian Grüner Veltliner: zesty, white pepper and green fruit
• Rias Baixas Albariño: light and fragrant, with citrus zest and stone fruit aromas
• Sancerre: citrusy, grassy and crisp
• any Prosecco DOCG: fresh, floral complexity, soft mousse

more leafy salad recipes to try:

herb salad

fried halloumi salad

roasted pear salad

watercress salad

butter lettuce salad with pecorino breadcrumbs

radicchio salad with oranges and pecorino

tuscan kale salad

fried goat cheese salad

arugula fennel salad with pickled cherries and burrata

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