This baby arugula and tomato salad is perfect on its own, or on top of chicken or steak! Vegan, gluten free and paleo.
When I planned out my recipes for the week, I did not plan to make a baby arugula and tomato salad. But when I found a huge package of local baby arugula, I immediately added “something with baby arugula” to my list of recipes for Tuesday. Seriously, I have an addiction.
Have I mentioned my arugula problem? I touched on it a little in this post but didn’t go into a lot of detail. It all started on my trip to Poland over the summer. It was surprising how many restaurants there served dishes with arugula in them. It was hilarious at first – all the menus were translated into English and we couldn’t figure out what “rocket” was. We had it first on a pizza and lo and behold…Arugula!!…it was sooo darn good.
When we returned home, I found myself noticing arugula on a lot of menus here too. Maybe it was just because I realized I really liked it, I’m not sure. I have even noticed when other people talk about it. A girl I went to high school with is of Italian decent, and she joked on Facebook that her parents carry bags of arugula in their pockets and purses to add to dishes at American restaurants. I don’t know if all Italians do it too (anyone know if it is just a strange thing her parents do?) but I am seriously considering placing a little baggy of arugula in my purse when I go out to eat.
Luckily, American restaurants are getting on the arugula train with me. Just a few weeks ago, I ordered an omelet when I was out for book club brunch, and next to my omelet was a heaping portion of it. I enjoyed the omelet but it was definitely the arugula that made my day.
Baby Arugula and Tomato Salad
So, I bought this enormous box of arugula and then had to figure out what I was going to make. I perused all of my cookbooks and cooking magazines, and came across this goodie in my go-to The Good Housekeeping Cookbook (affiliate link). Seriously guys, get this book. It has a lot of helpful cooking tips and some great recipes.
I ate it alone as a salad, but it would be great across some grilled chicken or braised pork loin. If you can’t find baby arugula, regular arugula is just as good. Just make sure you can get A LOT of it. 🙂
Baby Arugula and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 cup basil leaves (measure the leaves, and then roughly chop it up)
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 large bunches of arugula
Instructions
- Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the tomato, basil and onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, add the arugula, toss and serve.


Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Serving Size | |
Amount Per Serving | As Served |
Calories 672kcal Calories from fat 525 | |
% Daily Value | |
Total Fat 58g | 89% |
Saturated Fat 8g | 40% |
Sodium 1327mg | 55% |
Carbohydrate 32g | 11% |
Dietary Fiber 12g | 48% |
Sugars 18g | |
Protein 17g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
Calories | 2000 | |
---|---|---|
Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
Dietary Fiber | 25g |

I hope you enjoy arugula as much as I do, because then you will love this salad. And hopefully, I will be a little more “here” this week. I will update everyone on why I’ve been so scattered soon – it is proving to be a hard post to write at the moment.
Kristina says
ha! I love arugula, I may have to bring my own! BYOA!
Jenny B says
Lol, I love that. Going to create the hashtag #BYOA.
Denise Wright says
I just love, love, love arugula! I tried growing it but was not successful but now it seems to be much more easy to buy in the stores so I’m in luck! Great post.
Jenny B says
I am going to try to grow it this spring I think – I can never get enough of it!
Stephanie says
This salad looks fantastic! I can’t wait till tomato season.
Cheers
Stephanie
Jenny B says
Thanks Stephanie! It’s one of my favorites. 🙂
Jennifer Stewart says
I have a bit of an arugula problem too. Not as bad as my baby spinach problem, but still… This looks like a yummy salad to add to my rotation!
Jenny B says
Oh boy, I had better stay away from baby spinach, lest I get that problem too!
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
Arugula is one of my favorite greens and I love your suggestion of topping it on a
Jenny B says
Thanks Kristen!