Spinach and Arugula Salad
If there’s any salad that will convert haters, it’s spinach and arugula salad. It’s a wholesome bowl laden with peppery arugula, tender spinach, salty feta, crisp croutons, and a star-of-the-show umami-packed sundried tomato dressing that brings all the flavours of the Mediterranean right to your plate.
Forget salads that sit forgotten on the buffet table or those side salads that you feel obligated to make for a “healthy balance” but never actually eat. With this recipe, you’ll never make a mediocre salad again — this plate holds its own.
Somehow, it ticks all the boxes. Light, filling, comforting, or bold. Whatever you’re in the mood for, it delivers.
You’ve got the tangy-sweet sundried tomatoes, the nutrient-packed leafy greens, sweet red onions, crumbly feta, and croutons for a bit of textural variety — if you’re anything like me, a meal isn’t complete without a bit of shatteringly crispy crunchiness — all laced with an incredible dressing.
So, grab your greens and salad tongs — Let’s dive in!
🥰 Why You’ll Adore This Spinach and Arugula Salad
🥗 Ingredients You’ll Need
- Arugula: Also known as “rocket” in the U.K., this leafy green boasts an intense peppery, spicy flavour.
- Spinach: In contrast to arugula, spinach is mild and slightly earthy. It’s a great neutral base for our salad, and of course, it’s a nutrient powerhouse.
- Red onions: Sharp and sweet, red onions are my go-to for salads. They add just the right amount of sharp punchiness without being overpowering.
- Sundried tomatoes: Tangy and bursting with umami, oil-packed tomatoes provide the best texture.
- Croutons: I like to make my croutons with slightly stale sourdough bread (It’s incredibly easy to do with oil, an oven, or a deep fat fryer!), but you can also use store-bought croutons for convenience.
- Feta cheese: Briny, crumbly, and creamy, this cheese is the perfect offset for crunchy croutons. You can switch it out for goats cheese (more tart and earthy), salad cheese, or vegan alternatives such as Violife Greek blocks.
- Sun dried tomato dressing: It’s savoury, fruity, sweet, and zesty — my homemade sundried tomato vinaigrette acts to unite all the flavours of this salad together in a big, bold way.
Find the ingredient quantities in the recipe card below.
🍅 Let me tell you about that Sundried Tomato Dressing …
While you can make this spinach and arugula salad with another dressing of your choice, I highly recommend making my unique sundried tomato dressing.
The intense tastiness is a perfect match for the fierce flavours we’re marrying in this recipe, like arugula, feta cheese, and red onions. A simple olive oil and vinegar dressing would fade into the background, whereas a creamy affair would fight with our ingredients.
Sundried tomato dressing, on the other hand, is a match made in heaven. It’s as saucily, powerfully flavoured as it is vibrantly coloured, and it barely requires five minutes of your time to make. Honestly, this salad isn’t complete without it.
Convinced? You can find my sundried tomato vinaigrette recipe here, so you can quickly whip up a batch to use in this recipe. Better yet, there will be plenty left over for other plates.
🧑🍳 How to Make Spinach and Arugula Salad
Preparing some salads is straightforward, while others seem to have a thousand different steps.
This spinach and arugula salad enjoys the savoury complexity of a more complicated recipe — but with only a few manageable steps. It’s ready in less than 10 minutes and requires no special cooking skills!
- Prepare the salad dressing by following the sundried tomato dressing linked here. Follow the link for details and quantities, but here is a basic overview:
– Add all the sundried tomatoes, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and water to a small blender jar. Use the “pulse” function in short bursts to achieve a smooth dressing.
– Add the olive oil to the jar and pulse again to emulsify the dressing.
– Adjust the seasoning to taste, and your sundried tomato dressing is ready. - Prepare the ingredients. Slice the red onions finely, crumble the feta, and roughly tear the spinach leaves.
- Serve the salad. Add the spinach, arugula, red onions, sundried tomatoes, and feta cheese to a large bowl. Pour over the sundried tomato dressing and toss to coat. Top with crunchy croutons.
Instructions with ingredient quantities are always in the recipe card below, which also has a ‘print’ function.
Cookware You Need
💡 Expert Advice for the Best Salad
I always advise using baby spinach for salad bowls. While the mature leaves are better for dishes like palak paneer, the tender, mild flavour of baby spinach is fantastic for this healthy salad.
If you wash your salad greens, use a salad spinner to drain all excess moisture. Excess moisture makes salad wilt and limp. That’s why we wait until the last minute to toss our salad with dressing.
The dressing tastes best added to this salad cold, so, if possible, chill the jar beforehand.
🫙 Storing and Making Ahead
Spinach and arugula salad is an excellent make-ahead meal.
While fresh greens are always best prepared closer to eating, my sundried tomato dressing can be stored in the fridge for around 10 days, making it easy-peasy to whip up in advance.
If you keep the dressing stored in a separate little pot, the spinach and arugula salad is a great meal prep option. Simply stir the dressing through the salad when you’re ready to serve.
🥙 What to Serve with Spinach and Arugula Salad
Want to turn this spinach and arugula salad into a satisfying light meal? It’s easier than you think!
Option one: A generous scoop of fluffy, buttery couscous topped with this sunny salad. Suddenly, you’ve got a trendy nourish bowl that feels like it belongs on the artisan café menu — toss over some roasted chickpeas or slices of smoked grilled tofu, and you’ve added some extra protein.
Want to keep things simple? Layer the salad in a Mason jar. Ta-da! You have an at-home grab-and-go lunch perfect for busy workdays or picnics at the park.
You can also serve spinach and arugula salad in a tortilla, lavash, naan, or pita for an effortless (and healthy) salad wrap.
If you’re more in the mood for a large meal, spinach and arugula salad works as a side dish, too. Serve the vibrant dish alongside grilled cheese, paninis, or soups (like tomato, lentil, or pumpkin sweet potato). It also complements Mediterranean pasta dishes like spaghetti al pesto or mushroom linguine.
If you tried this spinach and arugula salad recipe — or any other recipe on my website — please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the ✍️ comments at the bottom of the page. Thanks for being a part of my community!
Spinach and Arugula Salad
This spinach and arugula salad brings all the flavours of the Mediterranean right to your plate with peppery greens and a tangy dressing.
Ingredients
- 40g Arugula (Rocket)
- 40g Fresh Spinach, torn
- 20g Red Onion (1/4 Medium Onion), sliced
- 40g Feta Cheese, crumbled
- 8 Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
- 80g Croutons
- 2 tbsp Sundried Tomato Dressing
Instructions
- Prepare the salad dressing by following the sundried tomato dressing linked here.
- Prepare the ingredients. Slice the red onions finely, crumble the feta, chop the sundried tomatoes, and roughly tear the spinach leaves.
- Serve the salad. Add the spinach, arugula, red onions, sundried tomatoes, and feta cheese to a large bowl. Pour over the sundried tomato dressing and toss to coat. Top with crunchy croutons.
Notes
This salad tastes best served cold, so refrigerated ingredients are preferable.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 350mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
