Harvest Arugula Salad
Harvest Arugula Salad with clementine vinaigrette is the perfect autumnal salad! Baby arugula is piled high with roasted butternut squash, sliced pears, sliced apples, pomegranate seeds, pecans, and more. The sweet and tangy homemade vinaigrette that ties it all together is pure perfection!
Harvest Arugula Salad
Enjoy all of your favorite fresh fall flavors in this Harvest Arugula Salad! Butternut squash, crunchy pecans, sweet pomegranate seeds, apples, pears, and more make every bite of this salad seriously satisfying. While I usually serve it as a lunch or side dish, it can be easily made into a dinner because of how hearty it is! Toss some grilled chicken on top to make it even more filling if you’d like.
If you’re looking to add a touch of freshness to your Thanksgiving feast, consider serving this autumnal salad. It’s loaded with all of your favorite staple fall ingredients and is incredibly vibrant! On a day where the only veggies I usually eat are buried in a casserole, I like reaching for a fresh and fruity salad like this one to break up all of the savory bites.
The real star of the show here is the homemade clementine vinaigrette. Sweet clementine juice is combined with tangy apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt and freshly cracked black pepper to create the best flavor. It compliments all of the ingredients so wonderfully! After trying it, you’ll be tempted to start tossing that sweet vinaigrette on all of your salads, not just this one!
How to Make Harvest Arugula Salad
Don’t panic if your salad isn’t picture perfect when you assemble it! It’s all going to be tossed together at some point, whether it’s on the serving platter or on your plate. Just do the best you can, the results will be delicious and that’s what matters!
- Roast the butternut squash. Toss the cubed squash with some olive oil, then arrange it in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast it at 450°F for about 25-30 minutes, then let it cool to room temperature.
- Arrange the salad. Toss together the arugula and watercress and spread it across a serving platter. Top the leafy greens off with all of your toppings.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the measured ingredients for the vinaigrette. Add the olive oil last by slowly streaming it in while whisking. Drizzle it over the salad or serve it on the side.
Can I prep this Harvest Arugula Salad ahead of time?
Yep, you sure can! Just make sure not to add the vinaigrette to the salad until you’re ready to serve it. The moisture and acidity of the vinaigrette will cause the leafy greens to go limp, as well as most of the other ingredients.
Leftover Roasted Butternut Squash makes the salad prep go even more swiftly so we like to make sure to have it as a side dish a day or so before we plan to have the salad.
Assemble the salad and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. It’ll stay fresh in the fridge for about 24 hours. The vinaigrette can also be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge for the same time period, kept in an airtight container as well. Don’t drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette until you’re ready to serve it! Also, give the dressing a stir or a shake before using, as natural separation may occur.
Do I have to use watercress?
Here’s the deal… Arugula is bitter and watercress helps to balance it out. You don’t necessarily need the watercress in the mix if you don’t want it in there, but it definitely helps to tame the natural bitter flavors of the arugula. If you can’t find any watercress, go ahead and just use all arugula! It’ll still be a tasty salad.
Keep things fresh with more of my favorite salad recipes!
- Autumn Apple Spinach Salad with Bacon and Candied Pecans
- Loaded Iceberg Wedge Salad
- Green Goddess Salad
- Fattoush Salad
- Cobb Salad
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Get the Recipe: Harvest Arugula Salad Recipe with Clementine Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 8 ounces diced butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 5 ounces watercress
- 1 anjou pear, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 honey crisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup.dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
For the Clementine Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup fresh clementine juice
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Equipment
- baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Toss the butternut squash with the olive oil in a small bowl. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Roast the butternut squash for 25-30 minutes until fork tender and golden brown. Cool to room temperature.
- Toss the arugula and watercress together and arrange on a large serving platter.
- Top the greens with the pear, apple, celery, cranberries, pomegranate seeds and pecans.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the clementine juice, apple cider vinegar and mustard. Slowly stream in the olive oil while continuing to whisk.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat or serve on the side to dress as needed.