This Lemon Arugula Salad is the salad I would serve to every guest if I owned a restaurant. It is THAT good, and so versatile. It literally pairs with every dish. We are using arugula and romaine hearts for the greens. Some fresh herbs, lemon zest, grated Parmesan, TOASTY slivered almonds, and the perfect tangy Lemon Vinaigrette bring it all together! Top with Pickled Onions for a real treat. Make this tonight!

A wooden bowl filled with chopped green salad, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, creamy dressing, and lemon wedges. A serving spoon rests in the bowl, and a small dish of sunflower seeds is in the background.

Edison, watching me get ready the other day, picks up a flosser-pick and says wistfully:

“I used to take bunches of these flossers and keep them in my pocket. I would suck all the cinnamon out of them, and then I would turn it around into a sword, or a gun to ‘pew’. I used to do that when I was 4, I don’t anymore.”

I look at him incredulously.

“Okay maybe I MIGHT do it, SOMETIMES still. 3 times a year. Or maybe 4. Maybe 5 but I don’t really think so.”

Nothing is more hilarious to me than children reminiscing about “back when they were kids” or “the good ol days.” Bro, you are in kindergarten. These ARE the good ol days. (Cue the 10,000 Maniacs song)

A close-up of a bowl of chopped green salad with shredded cheese and nuts, as creamy dressing is being poured over it from a small glass container. A wooden spoon is visible in the salad.

Now about today’s post! Today I am sharing my all time favorite salad. I was lying when I said that about all the other salads, sorry. This is the one we eat on the regular with any dinner you can think of. It’s tangy, it’s fresh, it’s ridiculously simple! I love me some salads that have 15 ingredients, but I can’t do that on a Thursday. This is a totally doable weeknight salad that makes you feel like you are eating in a 5-star restaurant and someone is about to comb the crumbs off of the white linen.

This is the salad I would serve if I opened a restaurant

Because I’m a food blogger, people often think I’m good at anything to do with food, like catering or cake decorating. (NOPE) One thing people often say is, “You should open a restaurant!” Which is so kind, but who wants to work nights and weekends?? I am made of weak stuff guys, I couldn’t handle it.

But I do often dream of what menu items I would serve if I had my own cafe or bakery. I think it would be SO fun to have some staple items that you become known for.

And I know that a salad doesn’t seem like a show stopper, but I’m telling you.

This salad goes with A N Y T H I N G.
It’s supremely fresh and crunchy
packs in a lot of greens
and even has some protein from the cheese and nuts.
But it’s really all about the flavor. THE FLAVOR, GUYS. Zingy lemon, sharp parmesan, a little dill, and the toasty crunch from the almonds. It’s SO good.

I have been holding out on you. We’ve been making this as a side salad at dinner for a couple years now. I had a few kinks to work out in the dressing, which I figured out, but I also was just afraid of the photo shoot, haha! Salad photos are not my forte.

A close-up of a fresh salad with chopped greens, shredded cheese, toasted almonds, creamy dressing, and lemon slices, being mixed with wooden salad servers.

The stars of the salad show

I wanted to go over a few of the main star ingredients, and tell you which items are negotiable.

toasted slivered almonds are goat. Do NOT leave them out. Toasting them within an inch of their lives is essential to bringing out the best flavor and crunch. You can use sliced almonds if you prefer, the ones that are razor thin and flat. If you can’t have almonds you can use pistachios, pecans, or walnuts, but for the love, whatever you use, make sure you toast those bad boys!
Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese—absolutely non negotiable! A sharp, hard cheese is a main ingredient in this salad.
Homemade Lemon Vinaigrette this stuff is honestly life changing. It’s creamy and zesty, and will elevate any salad you use it on, but especially this one. I had to dedicate a whole post to the lemon vinaigrette (read the first comment by Dana, she also became obsessed this week 😂, adding it on top of scrambled eggs and later on veggies) It’s light, compliments the almonds and parmesan and dill, and just really makes everything come together!
Pickled Onions I go through phases with pickled onions where I add them to EVERYTHING, and this salad is no exception. (I finally got the post up for pickled onions, that’s been a long time coming!!) They add the perfect salty tangy crunch to the salad, I love it. This ingredient is NOT mandatory, we serve this salad all the time without it. But it definitely takes it up a notch!

A close-up of a fresh green salad with chopped lettuce, pickled red onions, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, and creamy dressing, served in a wooden bowl with lemon wedges on the side.

How to make lemon arugula salad

Here’s a photo of everything you need! The Lemon Vinaigrette and the Pickled Onions can both be made ahead, tucked away in the fridge for you to pull out at the last minute LIKE A BOSS. Save your future self from the sad fate of a boring salad night!

Fresh salad ingredients including arugula, romaine lettuce, a lemon, fresh dill, a jar of red pepper flakes, sliced red onions, shredded cheese, slivered almonds, and a cup of creamy salad dressing on a white surface.

Okay so your first task is not to completely screw up these slivered almonds. We are taking this job very seriously, folks. We are TOASTING these almonds. Not slightly browning them. Not warming them up. TOAST. BROWN. Dark brown, even, if you will go so far with me. Under-toasted nuts are one of life’s greatest disappointments. Such a loss of potential flavor!

Two side-by-side images of a baking sheet: the top half shows raw slivered almonds, and the bottom half shows the same almonds toasted to a golden brown.

It’s ridiculously easy. Pop them in the oven on a dry pan, and bake at 350 for a few minutes until they are just about to burn. I’m totally serious, you want them to smell like heaven and be dark brown. THAT’S when the magical flavor kicks in. Don’t go too far! Nuts go from perfectly toasty to “ew, that’s burned” in seconds.

While the nuts are toasting, chop your romaine or romaine hearts into small pieces.

Two stacked images show romaine lettuce on a wooden cutting board. The top image has whole leaves and a knife; the bottom image shows the lettuce chopped into pieces with the knife beside it.

I do not enjoy stuffing large pieces of lettuce in my mouth, so I like to do a pretty good job chopping. I cut the head of lettuce vertically, then turn it and chop the other way. There are not a lot of ingredients in this salad, so texture is everything. Do the same for the arugula:

Two images: the top shows a pile of chopped leafy greens on a wooden cutting board; the bottom shows chopped leafy greens in a large bowl, ready for use in a salad or recipe.

Toss it all in a serving bowl, then add some chopped dill, if you have some. It’s an optional ingredient, but oh man. Fresh herbs always take a salad up a notch. You can sub in basil or thyme or even tarragon would be good. Sometimes it’s tough to find fresh tarragon though. Okay I’ve just talked myself into the tarragon, now I’m on a mission, will report back 🤣

A bowl of chopped greens sits on a counter. In the second image, a hand zests a lemon over the greens using a black-handled grater, adding fresh lemon zest to the salad.

Then add some extra lemon zest, right on top of the greens.

If you are feeling it, add some Pickled Onions on top. I love the tangy crunch this adds! This salad doesn’t NEED the pickled onions to be great, but it sure is tasty if you have the time.

Two bowls of chopped green salad with red onion; in the second bowl, sliced almonds are added on top of the salad.

And do NOT forget the toasty almonds!! You need this crunch!!

A close-up of a fresh salad with chopped romaine lettuce, shredded Parmesan cheese, sliced red onions, toasted almonds, and green herbs in a bowl.

Also a healthy smattering of shredded Parmesan, or Pecorino Romano cheese. It’s not the same without it so DON’T skip it.

A close-up of a fresh green salad on a wooden plate, topped with shredded cheese, slivered almonds, and creamy dressing, with a half lemon placed on the side.

Toss with the Lemon Vinaigrette and voila! This is my favorite salad of all time. I could eat it every day! We often do!!

What to eat with this salad

Need some main dish ideas? I gotchu. First of all, you can turn the salad into a main if you want. Add some grilled chicken and you’re set with a protein and everything! But here are some of my favorite main-squeezes to eat with this salad:

Basil Pesto Chicken >> SO much flavor in this simple breaded chicken. Throw it in the oven, make this salad, and you’ll have an elegant and healthy dinner in about 30 minutes
Chicken Stroganoff Crock Pot Recipe >> easy to throw together and a total crowd pleaser. Plus, I love the contrast of the light and bright salad with this more homestyle creamy pasta dish!
Easy Salisbury Steak >> sounds fancy but truly is easy to make, plus my whole family loves it
Killer Homemade Lasagna >> I love softening a heavy dish like lasagna with this light tangy salad, it’s perfect

A wooden bowl filled with chopped salad topped with shredded cheese, sliced red onions, slivered almonds, and creamy dressing, garnished with lemon slices, with a silver serving spoon inside.

How to store leftovers

Do you save leftover salad? Eric and I are the king and queen of leftovers, so we’ve hacked our way into this lifestyle 😂 The key is to not dress any part of the salad ingredients that you aren’t eating right away, and storing all the salad components separately.

You don’t want to save an already dressed salad for too long at all; the ingredients soak up the vinaigrette and everything gets soggy sad. If you do end up with leftovers from a full dressed salad, keep them in a container with a lid in the refrigerator and eat within 24 hours.

For family dinner, we often serve the salad ingredients separately. Each person can add what they like to their salad plate, AND I can store each item separately for longer shelf life.

If I am serving guests, it’s usually easier to guestimate how much everyone will eat and add dressing to that amount, just in the name of simplicity.

The lettuce and herb mix, pickled onions, and vinaigrette can be stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Eat the greens within 2-3 days, but the pickles and dressing will last a good week or more. The toasted almonds can go in a container or ziplock bag and stay on the counter for about a week or more.