The Salad Dressing You Should Always Avoid With Arugula

The great joy of salad is that you don't really need a recipe and even the list of ingredients can be determined entirely but what you happen to have in the refrigerator. When you want to serve salad as a star player, however, what you add to the mix needs to be a little more intentional.

One such example is to avoid any kind of creamy dressing on an arugula salad. This means anything like ranch, blue cheese, or even green goddess dressing. Why? The key thing to remember when pairing greens and salad dressing is to consider the texture of the green as well as the taste. Arugula (known as rocket in the U.K.) has a delicate texture that's prone to wilting, and the heaviness of these creamy dressings will weigh it down, leaving you with sad, droopy salad. If you're craving that contrast between peppery arugula and something creamy, you don't have to miss out. Try pairing it with creamy fresh cheeses like burrata or mozzarella instead.

So if creamy options are out, what's the best way to dress up your arugula? In most cases, a vinaigrette should be your go-to. It has a much lighter texture than creamy dressings, and the acid of the vinegar will help to combat any bitterness that you might find with arugula.

This can be as simple as whisking together a little vinegar and oil with salt and pepper, but it can also be much more inventive. Most vinaigrettes also include Dijon mustard, which provides extra acidity and also a bit of creaminess. Just beware of weighing down the dressing by adding too much.

Sweet elements in the dressing or the salad also pair well with arugula. This classy French-inspired arugula salad uses honey in the vinaigrette, while this citrusy arugula salad makes use of the sweetness of maple syrup in the dressing and canned mandarins in the salad itself. Regardless of the dressing you choose, avoid wilted rocket by tossing with a gentle hand and hold off adding the dressing until you're ready to serve.