Watermelon Arugula Salad is the most amazing summer salad! Juicy and sweet watermelon and salty feta cheese on a bed of peppery arugula. Yum!
I am a BIG fan of fruit in salads. Blueberries, grapes, apple… it all tastes amazing in a savory salad. Watermelon takes it to a whole new level though because it’s so incredibly juicy.
The Salad Ingredients
It could not be any simpler. Arugula, watermelon, and feta cheese were meant to be in salad. Trust me! Season just with sea salt, pepper, and olive oil, and if you don’t mind the sugar also some Balsamic reduction.
If you prefer to not use any added sugar then you can either simply omit the Balsamic reduction OR replace it with simple Balsamic vinegar.
Other than that I do not recommend exchanging any ingredients. Using different lettuce will result in a completely different salad. If feta cheese is too strong for your liking simply use less of it but still use feta. You will love it in this salad, promise. The watermelon reduces the strong flavor of the feta.
If you DO love feta, make sure you also try my Nectarine Arugula Salad. It also has delicious feta!
How To Cut a Watermelon Into Cubes
I’ve tried it all ways possible and this is by far my favorite method (see video for visual presentation):
- Cut the watermelon in half from the stem downwards, parallel to the lines on the watermelon skin.
- Put the watermelon half cut-side down on a cutting board and then slice it lengthwise all the way across into about 1″ thick stripes.
- Turn the sliced watermelon half 90 degrees and slice again the same way to create squares.
- Now you can basically remove logs of watermelon that can easily be cubed.
- Whatever you won’t need for the Watermelon Arugula Salad store in an airtight container in the fridge for snacking. It lasts perfectly fine for up to 48 hours.
Watermelon Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed watermelon
- 5 oz baby arugula
- 3 oz feta cheese
- sea salt
- pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic reduction / glaze
Instructions
- Cut the watermelon into cubes until you have about 2 cups full.
- Add cubed watermelon and crumbled feta on top of arugula in a large salad bowl.
- Season the salad with sea salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic reduction over it.
- Give the salad a good toss to combine and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Deb Johnson says
Sounds delicious but what is a balsamic reduction glaze?
Lorena Grater says
balsamic reduction is balsamic vinegar cooked so long it becomes very thick. In North America and Europe it’s sold in grocery stores ready-made in bottles but you can also make your own by simmering a cup of balsamic vinegar in a large saucepan until wnough water evaporates to thicken it. The reduction is ready when it covers the back of a spoon.
Rachel says
Awesome. I’m vegan so I omit the cheese but add pine nuts for that texture and sharp/nutty piece. I also add super thinly sliced sweet onion. Dress in champagne vinaigrette and olive oil.
Want to say that after bringing “some” 😉leftover of this salad home from a potluck wherein it had been dressed (so next day it wasn’t terribly pretty and the arugula was limp)…..I did not wish to waste so I blended and put through a nut milk bag for an incredibly refreshing and nutritious juice. All the ingredient flavors came through perfectly! I’ve attempted this juice outright….but seems necessary to make as a salad first (to get ratio of ingredients spot on) and also to sufficiently meld the ingredients).
Lorena Grater says
Thank you so much for that tip! I would never have thought of making it into a juice. That’s a brilliant idea.
Nancy says
Hey Lorena, that’s my favorite salad green too, and not surprised that your arugula-watermelon recipe is EXACTLY as I prepare mine. Keep those arugula recipes coming!
Lorena Grater says
YAY! So happy you like them :)