This Arugula and Spinach Salad is so easy to make and full of diverse flavors and textures. It's a great salad for any season and combines simple ingredients, like baby spinach and peppery arugula, that you can find all year round! Plus, this salad is ready in eat in about 20 minutes!
We've been making a ton of salads with homemade dressings lately and this was one of my experiments. It came out so yummy. I used glazed candied pecans, which took the flavors over the top!
Plus, after a month of eating sweets from the Holidays, most of us are in need for some serious greens! If you love salad recipes, check out this Roasted Pear Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans, Crunchy Kale Salad and Southwest Chicken Salad too.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Salad:
- Easy Prep. Hardly any chopping for this recipe and it only takes minutes.
- Minimal Cooking Required. This easy salad only requires frying the bacon, with no more cooking needed.
- Full of Flavor. Let's face it, salads can be boring. This Spinach and Arugula Salad combines so many different flavors and textures, which make it so delicious.
- Great for Year Round. The flavors of bacon, candied pecans and honey mustard never go out of season. Plus, all the ingredients are accessible in stores year round!
- Looks Elegant. These greens are topped with a bunch of colorful ingredients, which make it great for entertaining or serving at Holiday parties!
- It's Quick. Ready to eat in 20 minutes with no need to refrigerate the honey mustard dressing. If you're serving it for a party, you can prep all the ingredients and cook the bacon ahead to save time.
Looking for more Healthy Recipes that taste amazing? Try these Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Mini Meatball Soup, and Couscous Stuffed Peppers.
Ingredients:
Arugula: A thin peppery green that is delicious in salads. I prefer baby arugula for its smaller size and milder taste, but regular arugula is good too. Arugula is low in calories and high in a variety of vitamins.
Baby Spinach: Another green high in nutrition. The baby spinach is tender and yummy, making it great in salads & lots of other dishes. If you love Spinach, try these Chicken Spinach Wraps & Lemon Spinach Pasta too.
Bacon: Pan fried until crispy. Look for Original bacon, not any specific flavor, like Maple, for example. It can be overpowering sometimes.
Red Onion: Sliced thin, it provides the perfect crunch and a bit of spice.
Glazed Pecans: Used for texture and sweetness.
Dried Cranberries: Brings in tart flavors and a bit of chewy.
Parmesan Cheese: For a subtle nutty flavor with a touch of saltiness. I like to thinly shave the parmesan cheese block with a vegetable peeler.
Honey, Mayonnaise, Dijon Mustard, Paprika, Lemon Juice and Salt and Pepper: Combine for a simple honey mustard dressing that pairs wonderfully with these salad ingredients!
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
Not big on pecans? Leave them out or substitute with walnuts or slivered almonds.
Need more protein? Top it with this Crispy Chicken Fritta recipe or add a hard boiled egg.
Want a different dressing option? Try this Creamy Balsamic Dressing or Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies.
Vegetarian? Leave off the bacon.
How to Make Arugula and Spinach Salad:
Watch the full recipe video and Subscribe on Youtube for new recipes every week.
Here are the Step by Step Instructions for this Easy Spinach Salad Recipe.
Step 1: Pan fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop, until nice and crispy, about 7-10 minutes. If it starts to burn, reduce the heat to medium low. Once crispy, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to remove grease.
Step 2: Make the honey mustard dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, honey, paprika, lemon juice and salt and pepper until smooth.
Step 3: In a large bowl, add in the arugula and baby spinach. Toss together and top with the honey mustard dressing.
Step 4: Top the salad with red onion, parmesan shavings, pecans, cranberries, and bacon pieces.
Step 5: Toss the salad before serving, then serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- If you slice the bacon into smaller pieces, they will cook evenly and get nice and crispy in the pan.
- To get perfectly shaved parmesan cheese, use the vegetable peeler and gently scrape the parmesan block.
- If the honey mustard dressing ingredients are all room temperature, I suggest popping it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. I store the mayo and dijon in the fridge, so it's already on the colder side when I make the dressing.
For more easy salad recipes try this Kale Pomegranate Salad, Arugula Pear Salad, and Ancient Grain Salad.
Recipe FAQs:
Absolutely! Baby spinach is a better option because it has young, tender leaves with a sweeter taste, while regular spinach can be more bitter. Also, mixing baby spinach with another green, like arugula, is a great way to get some different flavors.
Buy a box or bag that says triple washed and feel free to rinse the baby spinach yourself as well. Allow it to dry or use a salad spinner to drain the excess water.
If you plan on saving a bit of salad, you may want to add the dressing to each salad as you go to avoid it from getting soggy. Store the salad in a sealed container and use within 3 days. If you added the dressing, it will only stay fresh for about 8 hours before it gets really soggy.
More Healthy Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Arugula and Spinach Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Easy Arugula and Spinach Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 medium size salads 1x
Description
This Arugula and Spinach Salad is so easy to make and full of diverse flavors and textures. It's a great salad for any season and combines simple ingredients, like baby spinach and peppery arugula, that you can find all year round!
Ingredients
Spinach and Arugula Salad:
- 4 strips of original bacon, sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 3 ounces baby spinach
- 3 ounces baby arugula or regular arugula
- ⅓ cup glazed pecans, roughly chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese shavings
Honey Mustard Dressing:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika (not smoked)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Pan fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop, until nice and crispy, about 7-10 minutes. If it starts to burn, reduce the heat to medium low. Once crispy, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to remove grease.
- Make the honey mustard dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, honey, paprika, lemon juice and salt and pepper until smooth.
- In a large bowl, add in the arugula and baby spinach. Toss together and top with the honey mustard dressing.
- Top the salad with red onion, parmesan shavings, pecans, cranberries, and bacon.
- Toss the salad before serving, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you slice the bacon into smaller pieces, they will cook evenly and get nice and crispy in the pan.
- To get perfectly shaved parmesan cheese, use the vegetable peeler and gently scrape the parmesan block.
- If the honey mustard dressing ingredients is all room temperature, I suggest popping it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. I store the mayo and dijon in the fridge, so it's already on the colder side.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: salad
- Method: chop
- Cuisine: American
George
This salad is so good! Love the bacon and honey mustard pair up.
Tara Smithson
Yes! It's my favorite salad right now. Thanks so much for the review.