This salad is more than just the best arugula salad, it’s also topped with prosciutto-wrapped, goat cheese-stuffed dates, pignoli nuts, crispy shallots, and balsamic glaze. Every bite of this salad is a combination of sweet and savory; the salty prosciutto wrapped around the sweet dates and stuffed with tangy goat cheese, the peppery arugula, the sweet balsamic, each bite leaves you wanting more. Pair this with any protein for a delicious lunch or dinner that feels restaurant-quality.
Tell me more about the ingredients
Besides arugula, this salad is packed with delicious, gourmet-tasting ingredients that work together to create one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had.
The main ingredients
Arugula is a green that is peppery and zesty in flavor; I absolutely love it. It’s not your ordinary mixed green. If you don’t care for arugula, you can absolutely use any other mixed green you love. I just feel the arugula really adds to this salad in the flavor department.
Shallots are part of the onion family, but to me, they are a cross between garlic and onion. They give a more mild onion flavor, and I love using them in dishes like this. They are not as pungent as onions typically are.
Balsamic Vinegar is a delicious, dark, highly-concentrated and flavorful vinegar from Italy derived from grapes. It is a staple in my house for everything. In this recipe, it is used to deglaze the pan that the shallots cook in.
The toppings
Goat Cheese is also known as Chevre and it is made from goat’s milk. It is tangy and rich in flavor.
Dates are a deliciously sweet fruit that grow on trees, and are native to the Middle East. They are naturally high in sugar, but have tons of health benefits. They have antioxidants and are loaded with nutrients. Contrary to popular belief, they are not a dried fruit, although they appear that way. For this recipe, you will need pitted dates (i.e. dates with the pits removed already). When dates are sold pitted, they are already sliced open for you, which makes stuffing them super easy.
Prosciutto di Parma is prosciutto from the Parma region of Italy. It is cured with salt; prosciutto is similar to ham but much, much better. It is salty, but nutty in flavor. Prosciutto is absolutely delicious, and very point and macro-friendly. I love using it in recipes; sometimes I cook it to render some fat and flavor to add to dishes, but most of the time I leave it as is. Prosciutto is like silky ribbons of deliciousness.
Pignoli Nuts are pine nuts. I love them for this recipe because they have such great flavor and add crunch, but you can use any nut here: walnuts, pecans, and almonds would all be great in this salad.
Balsamic Glaze is a highly concentrated form of balsamic vinegar. You can find it in stores right by the vinegars. This is the brand I use.
How to make this salad
The first step to making this salad is to create the crispy shallots. To do that, thinly slice the shallots and add them to a small frying pan with a pinch of kosher salt and some olive oil spray. Cook the shallots on medium high heat for 5-8 minutes or until the shallots begin to form crispy bits on them and caramelize. At this point, you can add the balsamic vinegar and deglaze the pan.
Next, it’s time to assemble the other components. First, lay the arugula on a serving platter, and drizzle with the white wine vinegar. Add the cooled, crispy shallots on top.
Then, you can begin stuffing and wrapping your dates. Put a bit of the goat cheese into each date, and then wrap with 1/2 slice of prosciutto. Place the wrapped dates on top of the greens and shallots.
Next, sprinkle the pine nuts on, and finish with the drizzle of balsamic glaze.
The end result is the most delicious salad ever, straight from a bistro! Serve with protein for a complete meal, or this makes an excellent appetizer!
The Best Arugula Salad
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups arugula
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 oz goat cheese
- 4 slices prosciutto di parma
- 8 dates, pitted
- 1/3 oz pignoli nuts, pine nuts; can sub any nut
- white wine vinegar
- kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp balsamic glaze, I use Modenaceti brand
Instructions
- Thinly slice the shallots.
- Heat a small frying pan over medium high heat and spray with olive oil spray.
- Add the sliced shallots and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
- Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the shallots are slightly caramelized and have crispy bits on them.
- Add the balsamic vinegar and deglaze the pan.
- Remove the shallots from the heat while you prep the other ingredients.
- Add the arugula to a serving platter; sprinkle white wine vinegar on the greens (about 1-2 tablespoons).
- Stuff goat cheese inside of each pitted date; wrap 1/2 slice prosciutto around each stuffed date.
- Add the crispy shallots on top of the greens.
- Lay the stuffed dates on top of the greens.
- Sprinkle the salad with the nuts.
- Drizzle balsamic glaze on top.
Notes
- 4 WW points for 1/2 the salad (all WW plans)
Nutrition
Check out these other recipes you might like:
Strawberry Poppy Seed Mason Jar Salads
Prosciutto and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken
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This looks amazing!! If we aren’t a fan of goat cheese, can we sub with feta or queso Fresca cheese? Or cream cheese?
totally! cream cheese would probably be a good sub, or even an herb cheese like Alouette
Decadent! We have found our go to summer salad! I could eat the stuffed dates all day long. Didn’t have pine nuts so used almonds for some crunch. This will be on repeat.
I could not wait to make this salad and it definitely did not disappoint! Absolutely delicious, loved every ingredient and even my husband who doesn’t like goat cheese loved this. I will definitely be making this on a regular basis because it was quick, easy and so good!
SO GOOD! Truly cannot get enough!
Amazing! You did it again!!!!!
This salad was amazing and looked so beautiful on the food table during our Memorial Day bbq. It was super easy to make too. Thank you Steph for all the great recipes.
Delicious!! Pair it with a good red/cab wine!! So Good!!! Thank you!
This salad is SO DELICIOUS! It tastes like a fancy salad from a high end restaurant. Highly recommend.
I made this last night and it was amazing! Delicious!