Arugula Citrus Salad

This crisp arugula citrus salad is topped with chickpeas, quinoa, fresh orange slices, avocado, toasted almonds and feta cheese. It’s tossed in a delicious citrus vinaigrette, and is the perfect way to eat more veggies!

Arugula Citrus Salad

Now that the weather is starting to get warmer, I’m all about light and fresh salads during the week. This arugula citrus salad is filled with so many feel-good ingredients, and is the perfect lunch to serve as is or with a grilled piece of protein.

It’s filled with crunchy toasted almonds, fresh orange slices, tricolor quinoa, and hearty chickpeas. The salad is tossed in a homemade citrus vinaigrette, and is seriously the perfect spring salad!

There are so many ways to prepare delicious hearty salads, but sometimes they can get repetitive. Here are a few tips to make the best salads at home:

1. Add a grain- grains add such a hearty component to salads, and can take them from a side dish to a main meal
2. Add a crunch- you’ll rarely ever see me eating a salad without some form of nuts or seeds added. They add such a delicious crunch and help give texture to your salads. Toasting the nuts is an extra step, but adds the most rich flavor!
3. Add canned beans- canned beans are an affordable way to add more flavor, fiber and protein to your salads. My go-to’s are usually chickpeas and cannellini beans since they’re subtle tasting and work well with so many flavors
4. Finish it off with cheese! Whether you use dairy or vegan cheese, the saltiness provides delicious depth of flavor and adds a little more heartiness to your salad

What you’ll need to make this arugula citrus salad:

• Arugula- the arugula keeps this salad light and fresh. It’s the perfect base for this citrus salad
• Quinoa- I love adding quinoa to this salad, but other grains that would also work well are farro, barley, or pearled couscous
• Avocado- a slightly firm avocado is ideal for any salad since it will keep its shape and still have flavor
• Oranges- for added freshness and sweetness
• Chickpeas- for a boost of fiber and protein
• Crumbled cheese- feta is my go-to for salads, but feel free to swap any cheese of choice
• Homemade citrus vinaigrette

The sweet, salty and savory flavors in this salad work so well together. It’s delicious on its own as a light lunch, but I love serving it with a grilled piece of salmon for an added boost of protein.

This salad is so simple to make, easily customizable, and is the perfect way to eat more salads this season!

What to serve with your arugula citrus salmon:

Honey Jalapeno Salmon

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Asparagus

Honey Za’atar Salmon

Lemon Pepper Tofu

Arugula Citrus Salad

5 from 3 votes

Course: Main

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

• 1 cup vegetable broth or water

• 5 oz arugula, about 5-6 cups

• 1 can chickpeas, drained (15 oz)

• 2 medium avocados, slightly firm is ideal- cut into cubes

• 1 orange, peeled and chopped

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• Citrus Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp orange juice

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1 tbsp chopped red onion or shallots

• Salt & pepper

Directions

• Add the quinoa and vegetable broth to a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and it let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare your salad ingredients. After 10 minutes, fluff with a fork and season with a little salt.
• While the quinoa cooks, add you slivered almonds to a sheet pan and set them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to toast. Alternatively, you can toast them in a small pan over a medium flame until they start to brown.
• Prepare your salad dressing by combining all of the ingredients together.
• Add your arugula to a large salad bowl and toss it together with half of the dressing.
• Add the quinoa, chickpeas, oranges, avocado, toasted almonds and cheese and top it with the remaining dressing.
• Toss to combine and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @somethingnutritious on Instagram- I’d love to see your creations!