This salad was inspired by one from Kathleen Ashmore, and I absolutely loved it. The combo of arugula, feta, charred tomatoes and creamy balsamic was so well balanced and delicious!
There are a couple of ways you can char the cherry tomatoes for this. I did mine under the broiler. Just turn the broiler to high, line a sheet pan with foil, and toss your cherry tomatoes with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Place under the broiler and check them every few minutes until they are blacked and softened. I added some chopped garlic and shallot to my tomatoes for the last few minutes of cooking, which gave them amazing flavor.
Balsamic dressing is one of my favorites, and this creamy version which adds a little mayo is probably my new favorite. I used some really good aged balsamic my mom sent us for thanksgiving in this and it was the best dressing I’d had in a while.
The recipe this was inspired by had white beans in it as well, which I think would give more heartiness to this salad, but we were eating it with cheddar bacon potato soup, so I kept it a little lighter and added just a little feta instead for some saltiness. We also had some black garlic salt I gave my son for Christmas, and I sprinkled a bit of that on top of the salad as well.
Arugula and Charred Tomato Salad
Ingredients
For the salad dressing:
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (use a good one)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp mayo
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- few tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste or black garlic salt!
- 1 package arugula
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
Instructions
For the dressing:
- Combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Season with salt and pepper.
For the tomatoes:
- Heat the broiler to high and line a sheet pan with foil. Add the tomatoes and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until charred, stirring occasionally. In the last 5 minutes, add the minced garlic and shallot and allow it to cook with the tomatoes.
To serve:
- Place arugula on the plate. Top with charred tomatoes and feta and drizzle over the dressing. Yum!