Arugula and Prosciutto Salad

Prosciutto salad has savory, sweet and salty flavors in a tangy vinaigrette! It's simply delicious!

For a big Italian meal, you may also like to serve our Cherry Tomato Caprese or our Tuscan Kale Salad with Parmesan Tahini Dressing.

Ingredients

This simple recipe is bursting with fresh Italian flavors! Here's what you need to make this prosciutto and arugula salad:

Salad Ingredients & Suggested Substitutions

These simple ingredients are one of our favorite combinations of flavors. However, feel free to customize this salad to your own tastes. We've included some of our favorite substitutions below:

• Fresh Arugula - We love to make this prosciutto salad recipe with spicy arugula. However, feel free to use any salad greens you like! This salad also tastes great with Spring mix or baby spinach.
• Prosciutto di Parma - For the star of this recipe use a high quality, thinly sliced, salty prosciutto! Prosciutto from Parma, Italy is king - but Iberian ham and domestic prosciutto can be great, too!
  • If you love prosciutto as much as we do, be sure to check out our Grilled Peach & Burrata Bruschetta with Prosciutto, too!
• Cherry Tomatoes - For color and acidity! Diced heirlooms are a nice substitute in the late Summer.
• Parmesan Cheese - Parm, tomatoes and prosciutto are a match made in heaven! Sometimes we will substitute blue cheese crumbles, creamy goat cheese, burrata or pearls of fresh mozzarella cheese, instead.
• Pine Nuts - We always like to add nuts to our salad for a little salty crunch! Toasted almonds, pistachios or walnuts are other great options.
• Sourdough & Olive Oil Croutons - This salad is SO GOOD with these homemade croutons. We bake these croutons with lots of olive oil for a rich flavor and golden crispy color. You can always use store-bought croutons or omit them for a gluten free salad.
• Basil - A few fresh basil leaves bring a yummy herbaceous note to this simple salad!
• Fig & Balsamic Vinaigrette - This homemade balsamic dressing uses fig preserves (for a little sweetness) and an easy emulsion process (for the creamiest texture!) You can use any of your favorite dressings - but this one is PERFECT for prosciutto salad.

Fig & Balsamic Vinaigrette

This delicious salad dressing is made with balsamic vinegar, fig preserves, Dijon mustard, garlic, a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper. The dressing ingredients are slowly blended with olive oil to create a rich, emulsified dressing that doesn't separate.

This dressing recipe makes a thick and creamy balsamic vinaigrette that has a great balance of sweet, savory and tangy flavors. It's great on most green salads but compliments this prosciutto salad especially well.

The recipe is included below but you can check out the full Fig and Balsamic Vinaigrette blog post for more details and serving suggestions!

This dressing can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Allow the dressing to come to room temperature before serving.

How To Make This Recipe

This easy recipe come together in just a few minutes. It's full of delicious flavors and a great salad for easy entertaining.

1. First, make the croutons. Cut or tear your sourdough bread into bite-size pieces. In a medium bowl, toss the bread in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then, arrange the croutons in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in a hot oven for about ten minutes until golden brown and crispy. Set aside to cool while you assemble the salad.

2. In a large serving bowl, combine the arugula, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts and crispy croutons. (Personally, I like to reserve a bit of each ingredient to add on top of the greens and create a pretty presentation.) Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

3. When ready to serve, add a little bit of the fig and balsamic vinaigrette and toss to combine. We like to dress the salad lightly, to avoid wilting. You can always serve the salad with additional dressing that everyone can add to suit their own tastes.

4. Finally, arrange the slices of prosciutto over the salad. You can tear the prosciutto into smaller pieces, or leave them whole. Serve immediately with extra dressing, as desired.

What To Serve with Prosciutto Salad

This arugula and prosciutto salad is the perfect appetizer or side salad for Summery meals and lots of Italian dishes! Here are some other easy recipes that would pair well with this salad: