Arugula Salad with Apples & Manchego in Cider Vinaigrette
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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
With tart apples, nutty manchego, and a cider vinaigrette, this autumn arugula salad hits all the right taste buttons.
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
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 391
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 9
- Sodium: 356 mg
- Cholesterol: 26 mg
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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Absolutely delicious! Prepared this last night as a prelude to Jacques Pepin’s Split Pea Soup from his Apprentice book. This salad harmonizes crisp, saltly, tart, creamy, sweet, peppery. Loved it so much, it will be our salad for Sunday dinner alongside Pepin’s Poulet a la Creme, rice, green beans (cooking through the Apprentice book…) Thank you for the great recipes, instruction and inspiration.
Hi Jenn, would you be able to include the metric measurements? Many thanks, Claire.
Hi Claire, I just added them. Hope you enjoy the salad!
Hi Jenn!
Just wondering if you think this salad would work well with grilled/roasted salmon?
Sure, I think it would pair nicely. 🙂
A lovely and pretty salad for autumn (and any time)! I used pecans, slightly toasted, since I have a large bag of them in the freezer. Served it with Jen’s recipe for Penne with Vodka Sauce which I topped with some large roasted shrimp. A warm baguette and butter was great with both the salad and the penne. I’m definitely making this salad again! In making the cider vinegar vinaigrette earlier in the day which I poured into a jar, it was easy putting the salad together later on with just giving the vinaigrette a shake.
Given Jen’s excellent talents, I decided to pair this salad with her French Lentil Soup (which I’ve made many times; but the salad was a first). My only problem was in figuring how to prepare this for my lunch guest, as I don’t like doing much prep while my guests are here for a meal. So this is what I did:
I made everything a day in advance and stored the prepped ingredients in the ‘fridge … except the toasted almonds.
I cut the apple (a Honeycrisp) into thin slices, but because it was a big apple, I also cut the slices to bite size. I then placed them in a bowl of water with paper towels on top. (The towels get wet and hold the apples in the water so they aren’t exposed to air, which is what browns them.)
I then used the slicing element on my cheese grater, and cut what I guessed to be the right amount of manchego. (Close to 3/4 of a cup.) I placed the cheese slices in a sandwich baggie.
I lightly toasted half a cup of almond slices, cooking them at 350° for 5 minutes. I put them in a cup and let them sit on the kitchen counter.
The salad greens were a mix “spicy” greens that were prepackaged. (Baby arugula. red mustard leaves, mizuna, and water cress.)
The next morning, I took the salad dressing, salad greens, and cheese out of the ‘fridge a few hours before my guest would arrive because I find most salads taste better when served at room temperature.
When my guest arrived, I tossed the greens with the dressing, then added the cheese and toasted almonds. Then I took the apple slices from the refrigerator and dried them by setting them on paper towels and using a second set of paper towels to tamp them dry. Then I tossed the apple slices into the mix, tossed, and served.
It was fabulous! And does, indeed, pair well with the French Lentil Soup. My lunch guest said “I can’t decide which bite to take next: the soup or the salad! They’re both perfect.”
It’s that good. Thank you Jen, yet again.
This was absolutely delicious. It is my new favorite salad! So good. Thank you Jenn!
This is my favorite salad and dressing!!! Thank you so much!!! My question is, how many calories per serving (2 tbsps) of the dressing?
Hi Emily, I just calculated the dressing ingredients and it looks like a serving of it would be 181 calories. Hope that helps!
My favourite salad of all time! How long can I store the dressing for in a container in the fridge?
So glad you like it! The dressing should keep nicely in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
This is such a simple yet delicious salad I can make it on a whim. My family loves the dressing so I no longer need bottles of 5 different kinds. I usually have all the ingredients on hand and if I don’t, I easily substitute it with something similar. Love it!
This salad is amazing. Simple and delicious. It’s easy to make and pairs well with so many foods. I love to support small and local stores… but if you have a Costco near you- it’s the most cost-effective way to buy Manchego cheese! I love making this recipe on “pizza” night because it’s so fresh and healthy and lightens up pizza night.
I usually have arugula and apples on hand, and now thanks to this recipe, I make sure that manchego’s in the fridge, as well. Wonderful flavors and crunch, such a great addition to my salad repertoire!