Brighten up your salad game with this simple yet vibrant spinach and arugula salad! A delicious step away from your standard leafy greens, enjoy a balance of tangy feta, roast-y pistachios, punchy red onion, dried cranberries, and more, all tied together with a homemade orange balsamic vinaigrette. Easy enough for everyday but fitting for entertaining, too.
Versatile as pesto sauces, pizza toppings, and sautéed side dishes, I believe both spinach and arugula to have a leg up on their other leafy green compadres when it comes to use in salads (sorry, lettuce!).
While spinach and arugula differ in flavor quite a lot, this fresh spinach and arugula salad combines the two for a boldly flavored salad base that makes things interesting even before you add toppings and dressing.
Peppery arugula pairs surprisingly well with sweet elements (like in this salad with grilled fruit), but it's also a perfect foil to the more mildly-flavored baby spinach as part of the mixed greens here. I like to go with a 50:50 ratio of spinach to arugula to take its edge off slightly, but there's wiggle room to use up what you have or like.
Throw in a citrusy balsamic vinaigrette (modeled after my house favorite, maple balsamic vinaigrette), your favorite crumbly cheese, dried cranberries, and roasted salted pistachios and you have yourself a fun and easy weeknight salad that also looks right at home on your holiday table!
Recipe Ingredients
As with all salad recipes the ingredients (and quantities, for that matter) aren't set in stone. Here's how I make this one, but substitute/omit elements in line with your tastes.
Baby spinach: This is regular spinach leaves just picked earlier. It has a milder flavor than plain spinach, making it a good option to eat raw in a salad. I've found packages of a spinach/arugula blend for convenience.
Arugula: A container labeled either arugula or baby arugula is fine depending upon your preference. Same deal as the spinach - choose baby arugula if you'd like greens with a little less 'pop'.
Feta cheese: A tangy counterpart to the tart dressing. Omit or replace with goat cheese if that's more your thing.
Pistachios: A bit more unusual in salad but their unique flavor helps make this arugula spinach salad special. These can be omitted or replaced with walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
Dried cranberries: Pair really well with the citrus dressing.
Orange balsamic vinaigrette: A citrus dressing is a complementary touch to a salad featuring the sharper flavor of arugula. This one is pretty simple - ingredients are pictured below.
- Orange: Both the juice and the zest will go into the dressing for an excellent citrusy balsamic vinaigrette. While oranges have a pretty long shelf life when refrigerated, I find a newly purchased one has the brightest flavor over one that's been hanging in the produce drawer for some time.
- Balsamic vinegar: Regular or white balsamic vinegar are both great.
- Honey: Adjust to taste. Maple syrup or agave nectar can be used in its place.
Step-by-Step Instructions
You can make the vinaigrette fresh or prepare it up to one day ahead of time, kept refrigerated. I find the flavors benefit even more by having some time to meld before serving.
The below is an overview - all ingredient quantities and full recipe steps can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Step 1: Zest and juice the orange, press the garlic, and add all ingredients to a lidded jar.
- Step 2: With the lid tightly fitted, shake vigorously to emulsify the vinaigrette.
- Step 3: Toss the arugula and spinach in a serving bowl, then top with feta, pistachios, tomatoes, dried cranberries, and red onion. Drizzle on a portion of the vinaigrette (you'll have extra) and toss to combine again before serving.
Want more crunch? Sprinkle pangrattato (Italian seasoned toasted breadcrumbs) over top after dressing and just before you dig in.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Best prepared fresh. Dressing the greens ahead of time will cause them to become soggy, so save the vinaigrette for pouring over until you're ready to serve the salad.
- Make-ahead tip. Mix up the orange balsamic vinaigrette a day ahead of time and keep refrigerated. Use within 4 days of preparation.
- Convenient prep. While a mason jar does the trick for preparing the dressing, a designated salad dressing shaker is even more convenient. It has measurements on the side so you can get away with dirtying less utensils, a secure top for breezy shaking and storage, and an easy-pour spout.
- Add protein. Turn this baby spinach arugula salad into a main dish by adding your protein of choice, like grilled chicken (my favorite simple chicken marinade would match the flavors fabulously), cooked salmon, or canned tuna.
- Leftover greens? Spinach pesto has been a popular recipe on Pinterest for some time, while I love the unique flavor that comes from using arugula in pesto sauce, too.
Related Recipes
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Spinach and Arugula Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette (about half will be used)
- ⅓ cup freshly-squeezed orange juice (from one medium navel orange)
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons moderately-packed orange zest (from one medium navel orange)
- 2 teaspoons prepared Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon cracked black pepper or to taste
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Spinach and Arugula Salad
- 3 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 3 cups)
- 3 ounces baby arugula leaves (about 3 cups)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios shelled, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ of a red onion thinly sliced, or to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a lidded jar or salad dressing shaker and shake well until evenly emulsified. You can also whisk everything but the olive oil in a bowl, then slowly drizzle the oil in while whisking vigorously.
- Assemble the Salad: Toss together spinach, arugula, tomatoes, feta, pistachios, dried cranberries, and red onion until evenly combined, then add about half of the dressing and toss to coat. Add additional dressing if you like, or serve it alongside the salad.
Notes
- Store leftover vinaigrette in a lidded jar in the refrigerator for 4 days.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Howard C says
The delicious orange flavor came through in the dressing! I followed the recipe as written except I used only 1T honey and included some of the pulp from the freshly squeezed oj. In the blender with the rest of the ingredients, the pulp pulverized nicely with the zest. I'll make this again...and again
Debbie says
This salad was amazing. So glad I found it.
Alyssa says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Debbie!