A magnificent salad has a lot going on, layered full of flavors with a surprise in every bite. It keeps you excited throughout and leaves you fully satisfied when you are done. This seared mushroom salad with blue cheese and arugula mixes the tender meatiness of warm mushrooms with the crispy crunch of arugula and croutons. The Mediterranean dressing is pure balsamic vinegar which blends perfectly with salty blue cheese and tomatoes. I like to eat this salad for lunch with a thick slice of multi-grain sourdough bread.
There are two important tricks to making this a perfect salad.
- When you are cooking the mushrooms in the olive oil and wine, sauté until most of the liquid has evaporated or been imbibed into the mushrooms. You want the mushrooms to be soft, yet meaty.
- Top the mushrooms onto the salad while the mushrooms are still hot. This will wilt some of the arugula and warm the tomatoes.
Although, I thoroughly enjoy this mushroom salad on it’s own, I also recommend it as a side salad to go with almost any meat, chicken, fish or bean dish.
Seared Mushroom Salad with Blue Cheese and Arugula (Italy)
Ingredients
- 1 pound portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1/4 red onion, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup blue cheese
- 1/2 cup croutons
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute. Add red wine, salt, pepper and thyme. Sauté, stirring often, until liquid has been absorbed by mushrooms (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
- In a large salad bowl, add arugula and tomatoes. Cover arugula with warm mushrooms. Toss salad with red onion, blue cheese, croutons and balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 476kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 11gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 623mgPotassium: 1359mgFiber: 6gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 1678IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 169mgIron: 3mg
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About the Author: Bill Bradley, R.D.
Bill’s passion is to live and teach the principles of good food, generosity, and how to open our hearts while we take care of ourselves and others. More →
Ok I have been trying a few of these recipes and again this dish was so good. I have now been converted to Mediterranean cooking. So far everything is just so easy, hasn’t taken long to make and has been delicious.
Delicious. I adjusted the oil and balsamic to my taste in dressing the salad leaves.
Great! Thanks for commenting!