Say hello to the Well Seasoned house salad! This is the side dish we serve more than anything else. It’s light, healthy, quick to make, and we usually have all the ingredients on hand: baby arugula (a must have in my fridge at all times!), fresh berries (raspberries are the best!), creamy, tangy goat cheese, marcona almonds, and fresh dill.
Season it lightly, then serve simply with a drizzle of your favorite balsamic vinegar!
What we love about this side salad is the combination of textures (crunchy, creamy, a little chewy) and flavor! Arugula is naturally spicy, while goat cheese is tangy. The berries add a touch of tart sweetness, while the balsamic rounds it all out. Quite simply, it is the perfect house salad.
We serve this salad with absolutely everything from simple steak dinners to roasted chicken, seafood, pasta, and sandwiches. It is loved by all and perfect with any protein. So if you often wonder, “what should I serve as a side dish?” our house salad is the answer!
Ingredients For Our House Salad
- Baby arugula
- Fresh chèvre (goat cheese)
- Raspberries
- Marcona almonds
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Balsamic vinegar
This is about as simple as it gets over here! You can add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if you like, but high quality balsamic vinegar more than gets the job done. Also, it creates the perfect sweet contrast to the berries, tangy goat cheese, and spicy arugula!
Ingredient substitutions listed below!
How To Make The Well Seasoned House Salad
You can either assemble the house salad on a large platter, then dress, toss, and serve it, or you can plate each salad individually. Because it only gets a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, we prefer to plate individually and let everyone dress their own salad.
- Plate the greens. Arrange a big handful of baby arugula on each plate.
- Add toppings. Scatter the raspberries, goat cheese, and marcona almonds on top. Season each plate with a generous pinch of Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Dress the salad. Drizzle rich balsamic vinegar. Toss or serve as is.
Once you dress the salad, make sure to serve it right away. Nobody wants wilted, sad greens!
Variations On House Arugula Salad
Well for starters, you can absolutely substitute baby spinach or spring greens as the base of the salad. But baby arugula is our absolute favorite — you can’t beat the combination of spicy arugula with sweet, tart berries and tangy goat cheese!
- Replace raspberries with quartered strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or fresh peaches
- Instead of marcona almonds, use walnuts, almonds, pecans, or pine nuts
- Don’t have fresh chèvre? Crumbled feta, blue cheese, or gorgonzola dolce are delicious!
Dishes We Love To Serve Alongside
These are some of our favorite entrées to serve with our house salad, but honestly this is a blank canvas. It goes well with everything!
- Weeknight Slow Baked Salmon
- Stuffed Chicken Marsala
- Pan Seared Duck Breast
- California Club
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Sheet Pan Chicken Meatballs with Goat Cheese
If you make our House Salad, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more salad recipes, check out the following:
- Mexican Cobb Salad
- Greek Salad
- Couscous Salad with Tarragon Roasted Shrimp
- Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberry Rosé Vinaigrette
- Warm Lentil Salad
House Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic
Ingredients
- 3 cups baby arugula
- ½ cup raspberries
- ¼ cup goat cheese
- ¼ cup marcona almonds
- 1 tsp fresh dill finely chopped
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Plate the greens. Divide arugula between two plates.
- Add toppings. Scatter the raspberries, goat cheese, and marcona almonds on top. Season each plate with ⅛ tsp Kosher salt and a pinch of black pepper.
- Dress the salad. Drizzle each salad with 1-2 Tbsp rich balsamic vinegar. Toss or serve as is.
Notes
- If making ahead of time, do not dress salad until just before serving.
- Arugula: can replace with baby spinach or spring greens, but they won’t have that delicious spicy flavor!
- Fruit: quartered strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or ripe peaches are also great!
- Marcona almonds: can replace with walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
- Goat cheese: can replace with feta, blue cheese, or gorgonzola dolce.
Let us know your thoughts!