Arugula Salad with Apples & Manchego in Cider Vinaigrette
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With tart apples, nutty manchego, and a cider vinaigrette, this autumn arugula salad hits all the right taste buttons.
All I can tell you about this arugula salad is that I made half the recipe the other day to photograph it for Serious Eats and I ate the entire thing standing at my kitchen counter at 10:30 AM. Definitely not my proudest moment but delicious nonetheless!
Arugula, Apples & Manchego in Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 5 ounces arugula or baby arugula
- 1 crisp apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp
- 3½ ounces Manchego, thinly sliced
- ½ cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted if desired
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots, from 1 shallot
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette by whisking all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place the arugula in a serving bowl. Whisk the vinaigrette again until well combined, then add to the salad, little by little, until the greens are well dressed; you may have a little left over. Right before serving, cut the apple into thin slices and toss into the salad along with the Manchego and almonds. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This was so very good! Absolutely love the dressing and the Manchego cheese is super yummy. Really makes the salad. I ended up using a combination of Arugula and baby spinach. Then added a spring mix (baby lettuce, radicchio) to it because I needed more greens – it went over very well at my house! Recipe makes a good amount of dressing too!
Will definitely be making this for my Thanksgiving salad this year – light and fresh. Should be a beautiful combination with the turkey. In fact, my husband bbq’d some chicken to add to the salad for some protein. Perfection!
Thanks Jen for yet another winner!!
I love, love, love , love, love this salad Jenn! I didn’t change a thing! I even drove 20 miles to get Manchego cheese. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
20 miles — that’s commitment — so glad you like it! 🙂
Hi Jen, I cannot have dairy and prefer not to use dairy free cheese as a substitute. Can you suggest a third ingredient that would pair well with arugula and apple? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, you could incorporate another veggie of your choice here, or something with a different texture like croutons. Hope you enjoy!
We have grandchildren who can’t eat dairy products, and I find that a little crisp bacon works well in the place of cheese in a recipe like this – gives a similar salty, savoury hit. If you don’t want to add meat, some roasted salted walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans would be good too, and would go well with the apples. Come to think of it, they would go well in here anyway. Might have to try that.
Delicious summer salad! Making it for the second time👍
Hi Jenn! This is one of my favorite dressings. How long would you say the dressing will last in the fridge?
I think it would be at it’s best for 3 – 4 days, but you could probably get away with a day or two longer than that. Glad you like it! 🙂
I’ve made this salad several times now and it always perfect as a side for lunch or tripled- and brought to pot luck party. It ALWAYS gets amazing compliments. I could eat just this salad twice in the same day. It’s crisp and crunchy and refreshing.
Question Jen: is it better or healthier to use vegetable oil or olive oil for vinegrettes? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for sharing so many special recipes. It has truly made a difference in our home!
Glad you like the salad, Kristin! I’m sure it’s healthier to use olive oil in vinaigrettes but I don’t always think it’s the best choice. It depends on the salad but sometimes the flavor of olive oil can be overpowering. Vegetable oil is more neutral and allows the other flavors in the salad to shine. Hope that clarifies!
Would you consider avocado oil the same as vegetable oil? If not, what do you mean by vegetable oil?
Hi Bette, vegetable oil and avocado oil are not the same. Vegetable oil is very mild tasting so I think that’s the best choice for this dressing. Using avocado oil would give it a slightly different flavor, but still enjoyable, I’m sure.
This is a winner, Jenn! It pairs well with nearly everything and the flavors are so well balanced. I’ve made it twice and it was easy enough for an after work dinner on a busy day. My husband thought it was delicious and he isn’t a big fan of arugula. Thank you, Jenn!
You are a genius with salad! This was unbelievably delicious!
just made this for supper. I can understand why you ate half of it standing up in your kitchen – this salad is delicious!!!!
looking forward to your cookbook.