When you have a large crop of arugula from the garden or farmstand, you don't have time to casually include it in complicated recipes or to frantically figure out how to use it up before it goes bad without getting sick of it. You want to make the most of your harvest and to actually enjoy it.
Here at Plant to Plate, we like to keep things simple! Here are some of my favorite ways to use or preserve arugula:
- Sauté or stirfry it with shallots and lemon juice or lemon balm.
- Add it to soups and broths.
- Add it to egg dishes such as egg cups and omelets.
- Use it as a topping for pizzas and flatbreads. A few ideas for pizza/flatbread topping combinations with arugula are as follows:
- Add it to pasta, baked or stovetop.
- Top toast, crackers, crostini, or bagels with arugula, cherry tomatoes, and cream cheese.
- Add it to sandwiches and paninis.
- Make a pesto with arugula, thyme, pistachios, and olive oil.
- Use it as a Base or Partial Base of an Interesting Salad. (Wondering why I capitalized those letters? Read more about Interesting Salads here!)
- Make a Simple Salad. A few ideas for Simple Salad pairings with arugula are as follows:
- Apples and celery
- Pears and celery
- Pears and fennel
- Apples and fennel
- Summer squash and poblanos
- Avocados and roasted beets
- Roasted beets, pepitas, and goat cheese
- Strawberries and nasturtium flowers and leaves
- Tomatoes and peas
- Watermelon or other melons with feta and peppermint
- Add it to other salads and salad wraps.
- Dry it to save it for later.
- Blanch and freeze it for later use. Arugula is best blanched before freezing for optimal flavor and nutrient retention. Find out more about blanching here.
Further Reading
Growing arugula? Check out these quick facts like its best growing conditions, companion plants, and expected yields.
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