This Arugula Cherry Tomato Salad is a great recipe to have as a side or even an appetizer. The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes complements the peppery bitterness of the arugula to create a delicious, simple Italian salad.
What a wonderful time of the year to take advantage of local produce! The farmers’ markets are in full swing right now with so much variety.
Ever since I can remember, I was always exposed to backyard gardens. Still to this day, I have a pear tree, a herb garden, a vegetable patch, a variety of berries, a variety of grapes and garlic (thanks to my dad ♥) and four kiwi vines with no fruit. Oh well, you can’t win them all… perhaps next year.
But we do have lots and lots of arugula!
Did you know that arugula, also known as rocket, only takes forty days to harvest from seed?
What a privilege it is to prepare this fresh tomato salad with freshly picked vegetables from my little backyard garden. Here is my arugula patch.
I plant arugula (from seeds) twice in the summer, about three weeks apart. This creates two harvests. I prefer to pick the younger tender leaves of the arugula, especially to make this quick tomato salad.
You won’t believe how easy this is!
How to make Arugula Cherry Tomato Salad:
I have included amounts for the ingredients, but truly no recipe is required.
Once your arugula has been washed and spun dry, place it in your bowls. Today it was just me and hubby so I prepared only two salad bowls.
Next comes the tomatoes. Did you know that there are literally hundreds of tomato varieties? One of my favorites are these small bite sized cherry tomatoes. They are just perfect in salads!
If you happen to have a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes, may I suggest preserving them for the winter with this Oven Dried Cherry Tomato recipe.
Nutrition Trivia: Don’t let their size fool you! Have you ever wondered about the health benefits of eating cherry tomatoes? You would be surprised to know that even though cherry tomatoes are small, they pack a whole lot of nutrition in every little bite. They are an excellent source of both Vitamins A and C and are loaded with other minerals and micro nutrients making them part of a healthy eating lifestyle.
Once the halved cherry tomatoes are added to the arugula, top off your salad with a few hand torn basil leaves.
The salad is complete with a few squirts of lemon juice, a drizzle of good olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.
You are all set to enjoy this Easy Garden Fresh Cherry Tomato Arugula Salad!
EASY ITALIAN APPETIZERS WE LOVE:
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
- Marinated Mushrooms
- Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- Easy Mushroom Risotto
- Eggplant Caponata
Origins of the recipe for Arugula Cherry Tomato Salad:
I am sure you all have so many food memories associated with your childhood, hope all of them them are great!
As I mentioned, growing up Italian meant we had a backyard garden, as my dad loved to garden. Cherry tomatoes and arugula were always planted and often served with veal scallopini.
I can honestly say that I did not appreciate arugula until well into my adult life. Fast forward to today, where I can’t seem to get enough of it. Thank goodness our sense of taste changes as we get older.
I hope you enjoy this healthy tomato salad this summer!
Recipe
Arugula Cherry Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large handful of arugula (about 1 cup)
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved (about 1 cup)
- 6 fresh basil leaves torn
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- kosher or sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and spin dry the arugula.
- Place the arugula, tomato halves and torn basil leaves in two salad bowls.
- Squirt about half teaspoon of lemon juice per salad bowl.
- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon per salad bowl.
- Adjust salt seasonings, toss and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Ur pal val
This cherry tomato arugula salad looks so easy to make! I’m sure it must be so refreshing. Thanks for sharing!
Maria
This arugula salad is one of my go to salads in the spring. Yes, it is really a simple salad to put together. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
Agness of Run Agness Run
This is my perfect kind of salad, Maria! Can I use regular instead of cherry tomatoes?
Maria
Absolutely Agness! I prefer the sweetness of cherry tomatoes but any kind of tomatoes are great with Arugula. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Jovina Coughlin
Great salad for this time of year.
Maria
The taste of fresh produce is simply the best. Have a great day Jovina 🙂
Barbarito-Levitt Paula
A summer classic with both arugula and cherry tomatoes at their best. Full of flavor, texture and so pleasing to the eye. Thank you Maria for showcasing the simplicity of summer’s bounty at it’s best.
Maria
Trying to take advantage of it all! Thanks for dropping by Paula. Happy Sunday ♥♥♥