Our 30 Best Arugula Recipes That Are Fresh & Peppery

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Updated on July 22, 2024

Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad

These arugula recipes will satisfy your craving for something fresh and tasty. Whether it's a salad, a pizza or a bowl of pasta, these recipes highlight the peppery, slightly bitter taste of arugula and have four- and five-star ratings. Recipes like our Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad and Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Red Pepper & Arugula Relish are healthy ways to use that bag of fresh greens in your fridge.

There's nothing better than having a refrigerator stocked with fresh greens—and nothing sadder than when they've gone bad. To that end, we suggest shopping for greens no more than a few days before you plan to use them. When it's time to use the arugula in one of these recipes, trim off any tough stems, wash the leaves in cool water and dry them well, either in a salad spinner or between paper towels. And if you already have a bag of arugula in your fridge that you're looking to use up ASAP, you've come to the right place.

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Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad

Easy Salmon Cakes with Arugula Salad

After making the salmon cakes, we firm them up for five minutes in the freezer before cooking so they don't fall apart when they hit the hot oil. You can also make these salmon cakes with canned salmon to make them pantry- and budget-friendly.

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Prosciutto Pizza with Corn & Arugula

This grilled prosciutto and arugula pizza makes the perfect summer dinner. If you have time, let the dough stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to make rolling it out easier in this 20-minute healthy pizza recipe. Thawed frozen corn works in place of fresh, just pat it dry before sprinkling it on the pizza.

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Chicken, Arugula & Butternut Squash Salad with Brussels Sprouts

Hot roasted vegetables lightly wilt the arugula in this healthy dinner salad recipe. Keep prep time minimal with leftover chicken, precut butternut squash and trimmed Brussels sprouts.

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Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Red Pepper & Arugula Relish

Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Red Pepper & Arugula Relish — Greg DuPree

Currants add a pop of sweetness to the roasted red pepper and arugula topping on this easy chicken cutlet recipe.

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Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Quinoa Salad

Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Quinoa Salad

This roasted vegetable and fruit salad gets infused with flavor from quinoa that's cooked with fresh ginger, garlic and a hit of turmeric. Serve it alongside a roast chicken, then mix the leftovers together for lunch. Your future self will thank you.

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Chicken Pesto Panini

In this chicken pesto panini recipe, the extra-thin bread gets nice and crispy, the mozzarella melts beautifully and the arugula adds a fresh and peppery note to complement the pesto. It's a delicious and easy panini to throw together!

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Arugula & Fennel Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Arugula & Fennel Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette — Victor Protasio

This salad is a study in simplicity, so use the best-quality ingredients to allow each one to really shine. Break out that special bottle of olive oil and grab a block of nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano from the specialty cheese section for the biggest flavor impact.

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Cantaloupe, Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad

Cantaloupe, Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad

Buy a melon that feels heavy for its size and smells slightly sweet. Picking a ripe one ensures the right balance of flavors in this arugula and goat cheese salad.

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Steak & Pepper Tartines with Arugula Salad

These open-faced, knife-and-fork steak sandwiches are topped with Gruyère cheese to make them reminiscent of a Philly cheesesteak. If you can't find shaved sandwich steak in your grocery store, try slicing a flank steak very thin.

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Avocado & Arugula Omelet

Add some greens and healthy fat to your breakfast with this easy arugula and avocado omelet. Serve this healthy omelet recipe with crusty whole-grain toast, if desired.

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Citrus-Arugula Salad

This easy salad recipe makes a stunning side dish for anything you've got cooking for dinner. The bright flavor of the citrus pairs perfectly with peppery arugula and avocado, plus a bit of jalapeño for a slight kick.

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Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls

Charred Shrimp, Pesto & Quinoa Bowls

These shrimp, pesto and quinoa bowls are delicious, healthy, pretty and take less than 30 minutes to prep. In other words, they're basically the ultimate easy weeknight dinner. Feel free to add additional vegetables and swap the shrimp for chicken, steak, tofu or edamame.

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Baked Falafel Sandwiches

baked falafel sandwich

This street-style falafel sandwich is herbaceous, tangy and rich. The falafel gets nice and crispy in the oven while the veggies inside keep it simple and fresh. Make the tahini sauce (see Associated Recipes) ahead of time for easy prep. Wrapping the sandwich in foil makes it a perfect bring-along lunch and helps hold it together for eating on the go.

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Strawberry-Balsamic Arugula Salad

This fruity green salad with chicken offers an explosion of flavors in each bite. The taste of sweet strawberries, peppery arugula and tangy feta cheese is enhanced by the intense balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Burrata

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Burrata

This beautiful butternut squash salad with creamy burrata cheese and peppery arugula is perfect for fall entertaining. For the best flavor and texture, remove the burrata from the refrigerator about an hour before use and assemble the salad while the squash is still warm from roasting so the cheese will melt slightly. Feel free to use precut butternut squash to make this recipe easier. If you can find pomegranates, the arils add a bright pop of color and flavor to this healthy salad, but it's just as good—and almost as impressive looking—without them.

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Wild Mushroom Pizza with Arugula & Pecorino

Wild Mushroom Pizza with Arugula & Pecorino

Make no mistake, this healthy pizza recipe is all about the mushrooms; lemon oil and arugula add just enough citrus and spiciness to accent without overwhelming. To that end, Sardinian or Tuscan Pecorino cheese (milder than Pecorino Romano) is called for, but other mellow grating cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, will work.

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Cucumber, Tomato & Arugula Salad with Hummus

Hummus & Greek Salad

Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta top arugula in this quick Greek-inspired salad. Served with whole-wheat pita and prepared hummus, it makes a filling, yet healthy lunch.

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Stetson Chopped Salad

Stetson Chopped Salad

Knock it out of the park at dinner with this composed salad recipe inspired by the crazy-popular Stetson Chopped Salad at Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale, Arizona. It packs in colorful vegetables and a variety of textures from whole grains, seeds and a creamy homemade dressing for a photo-worthy, healthy meal. Keep it vegetarian or add smoked salmon or roasted chicken.

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Arugula Salad with Carrots and Goat Cheese

This arugula salad creation is a quick-and-easy solution to enhance any meal. Use the Maple-Thyme Baby Carrot recipe to add extra flavor and balance to this salad.

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Arugula Salad with Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Pears & Blue Cheese

Toasted walnuts and roasted pork tenderloin make this elegant salad worthy of company, yet it's easy enough to prepare on a weeknight!

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Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

Enjoy this quinoa and black bean salad as a delicious and quick vegetarian main dish or as a side for grilled chicken or steak. And don't forget the leftovers! They make an easy lunch on the go.

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Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Italian Turkey Sausage, Arugula & Balsamic Tomato Sauce

Total happiness in a bowl: pasta, sausage, tomatoes and herbs. The tomatoes get sweet and tender and turn into sauce with the stock and the pasta. Without ever adding any butter, the spaghetti sauce is rich and silky. Adding the herbs at the end gives the dish a fresh pop of color and flavor. This is one healthy pasta recipe we can definitely get behind!

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Quinoa, Chicken & Broccoli Salad with Roasted Lemon Dressing

Roasting lemons mellows their tartness and creates a layer of caramelized flavor that pairs well with the raw broccoli and savory quinoa in this healthy chicken dinner salad. Even better, the chicken and lemons roast on one sheet pan, making cleanup a breeze.

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Grilled Chicken Taco Salad

Peppery arugula, grilled corn and a tangy lime vinaigrette give this healthy taco salad recipe a serious upgrade. This recipe is the perfect vehicle for using the crushed-up tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag.

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Goat Cheese-Stuffed Flank Steak

The creamy, colorful goat cheese filling for this rolled flank steak recipe takes the flavor to the next level and makes for a presentation that wows. Pounding the steak is crucial for easy rolling and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Serve with a simple salad or roasted vegetables to complete this easy dinner recipe.

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Pasta Salad with Arugula-Lemon Pesto

If you want proof that school gardens help create sophisticated and adventurous eaters, look no further. Just say "arugula-lemon pesto" to yourself and marvel that the origin of this pasta salad recipe is a cookbook that is an offshoot of school garden programs in Vermont.

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Sausage, Mushroom & Pesto Grilled Pizza

Healthy homemade sausage-and-mushroom pizza in the comfort of your backyard? Yes, please. All you need for a Naples-worthy pie is a hot grill, store-bought pizza dough and easy prepared ingredients. Serve with a glass of Chianti.

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Ratatouille-Stuffed Peppers with Arugula-Farro Salad

Ratatouille-Stuffed Peppers with Arugula-Farro Salad — Ted Cavanaugh

This vegetable-packed dinner features the heat-loving produce that thrives before the cooler nights of fall set in.

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Pea Shoot & Crispy Ham Salad

Pea shoots are the tender leaves and stems of sugar snap pea plants—not to be confused with the more delicate pea sprouts, which, like microgreens, are the sprouted seeds. Turn leftover ham into a crouton-esque topping with a quick sear in a hot pan.

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Ravioli with Arugula & Pecorino

Elevate frozen ravioli with sizzled garlic and shallots, shaved pecorino and fresh arugula. Serve with: Whole-grain baguette and a light-bodied red wine, such as pinot noir.

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