Don’t you love simple recipes that have mind blowing flavor combos? It’s almost like cheating. It’s too simple to taste this good, okay?! This salad has four components – four:
- Arugula
- Prosciutto
- Homemade croutons
- Lemon Vinaigrette
Four simple components, but when mixed together – THE best flavor! I mean, it has prosciutto in it…how can you possibly go wrong? Feel me?
The arugula is fresh and peppery, the prosciutto is salty and savory, the croutons are crunchy and salty, and the vinaigrette is tangy with plenty of complexity coming from the dijon, garlic, and shallot. It’s seriously all a match made in heaven.
I made my croutons in a cast iron skillet with pleeennnttyyy of olive oil + salt and pepper – you can make them this way (which tends to yield a “crispy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside” situation), or you can make it even easier and bake the croutons in the oven for more of a “crunch all the way through” situation. I tend to like pan fried croutons better because of that little bit of chew, but they do take some babysitting.
WORTH IT. In my humble opinion.
The combination of flavors and textures going on here is so satisfying, you guys. Such a yummy summer salad. I made this for an impromptu dinner with friends where everyone just brought something they had in their fridge, and this was a hit! I had multiple people asking for the dressing recipe afterwards, and multiple people went up for a second plate. It’s a crowd pleaser!
Arugula and Prosciutto Salad with Lemony Vinaigrette
This delicious salad only has 4 components but has THE best flavor! Perfect salad for summer.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 side salads 1x
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 ounces arugula
- 4 ounces prosciutto, sliced into squares
- 8 ounces French bread, torn into small chunks
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1 tablespoon shallot, very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Start with your croutons. Heat a large skillet over medium – medium high heat with lots of olive oil. When hot, add your bread chunks and toss to combine so they are evenly coated in oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Toast the croutons, stirring often, until they are crispy and golden brown on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. You will most likely need to add more oil and toss periodically as the pan gets too dry.
- For the dressing, add all ingredients to a mason jar or bowl, season liberally with salt and pepper, and shake or whisk to combine. Set aside
- To assemble, add the arugula to a large bowl, add the pieces of prosciutto to the arugula, and finish with the croutons (let them cool a bit so they don’t wilt the arugula). Finish with your dressing (to taste – don’t add the whole jar) and toss to combine!
Notes
*If you don’t want to babysit the croutons, you can bake them in the oven. I would preheat the oven to 350, lay the croutons out on a parchment lined baking sheet, toss with plenty of oil, salt, and pepper, and bake until golden brown and crispy on the outside!
Nutrition info accounts for about 2/3 of the dressing used – I always have some left over!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the salad
- Calories: 241
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 357 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 12 mg
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and tag @thegarlicdiaries so I can see!
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