I love the peppery taste of arugula. Mixed in with other greens, it adds a tangy, spicy flavor. On its own, arugula—especially as it matures and its flavor becomes bolder—makes a flavorful salad that doesn’t need a whole lot of other ingredients to make it interesting.
One of my favorite quick summer dinners is an arugula salad with a simple dressing, hard-boiled eggs for protein, and a crunchy sourdough toast. The idea comes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The original recipe doesn’t specify a particular type of dressing, but I use a very simple mix of lemon and olive oil.
Meatless Monday: Arugula Salad
- 6 to 8 oz. arugula leaves, stems removed
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled
- 4 slices of sourdough bread, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- juice of one lemon
- 3-4 T olive oil, plus another tablespoon or so for brushing onto the bread slices
- one clove garlic, optional
- black pepper
- Preheat your oven, or better yet, a toaster oven, to 375°. Place bread slices in oven and bake until they’re slightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wash the arugula leaves and dry. A salad spinner works best for drying. Place arugula in a large salad bowl.
- Pour lemon juice and oil into a small jar. Shake the jar to mix.
- When bread is done, brush olive oil on the surface. If you like, you can cut a garlic clove in half lengthwise and rub the cut side of the garlic over the surface of the bread.
- Pour a small amount of dressing into the salad and toss. Add more dressing if needed.
- Serve with chopped hard-boiled egg and bread on the side. Sprinkle with fresh-ground black pepper.