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Apple Arugula Salad

Apple arugula salad with thin crisp apple slices, toasted walnuts, and shaved Parmesan, tossed in a lemon-honey Dijon vinaigrette. Bright, peppery arugula and a quick toss keep everything fresh and snappy.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

baby arugula
  • 6 cup baby arugula
crisp apples
  • 2 crisp apples thinly sliced
walnuts
  • 0.5 cup walnuts toasted
shaved Parmesan
  • 0.3333 cup shaved Parmesan
dried cranberries
  • 0.25 cup dried cranberries
olive oil
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
honey
  • 1 tbsp honey
Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt
  • salt to taste
pepper
  • pepper to taste

Method
 

Make the lemon honey vinaigrette
  1. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until emulsified, about 1–2 minutes, and look for a glossy, evenly combined dressing.
Assemble the salad
  1. Toss the apple slices with a spoonful of the dressing to prevent browning, letting them get lightly coated.
  2. Add baby arugula to a large bowl and layer the apples, toasted walnuts, and dried cranberries on top.
  3. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and toss gently so the greens stay bright and only lightly coated.
  4. Top with shaved Parmesan and serve immediately for the crispiest texture and freshest flavor.

Notes

To keep apples from browning, coat them with dressing right after slicing. Store assembled salad in the fridge up to 1 day, but for best crispness keep dressing separate and toss within the hour. For a lighter option, use part-skim or a smaller amount of Parmesan and swap honey for maple syrup in the same ratio.