Cucumber Arugula Prosciutto Salad
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This Cucumber Arugula Prosciutto Salad recipe is light, fresh, and bursting with flavor! Peppery arugula, crisp cucumber, salty prosciutto, and a simple Greek vinaigrette dressing come together in just 10 minutes for the perfect side dish or quick lunch. It’s the kind of salad you’ll crave again and again!
Why you’ll love this salad
Originally published on the blog in January 2013, this salad has been around for a long time, and it’s only gotten better with age! Over the years, I’ve made several variations of this salad depending on if I’m serving it as a meal or side dish, in the summer months or in the spring.
The possibilities really are endless, but the base of this salad is so good that you can make it as-is and you’ll immediately fall in love with the delicious combination of flavors and textures! These are the reasons I have loved this salad for over a decade and I know that you will too.
- It’s easy to make. You only need 10 minutes to toss this salad together, including the time it takes to whisk up the homemade vinaigrette dressing! It’s so easy, I guarantee it will become a go-to salad in your house.
- It’s incredibly versatile. In the summer months, you can add balls of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, or fresh sliced peaches to add a bright, fruity layer! If you’re serving it with an Italian meal, you can swap out the feta cheese for parmesan cheese. There are seriously so many options to mix up this salad and make it your own!
- It has a great variety of flavors and textures. From the salty prosciutto and feta cheese, to the tangy balsamic lemon vinaigrette dressing, to the juicy tomatoes and crisp cucumbers, you’ll get different tastes and textures in every bite!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this prosciutto salad recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Arugula – feel free to use another leafy green if you’d like. Spinach and spring mix are also great choices for the base of the salad.
- Cucumber – I recommend an english cucumber for this recipe. The skin on this variety of cucumber is thin, and therefore doesn’t need to be peeled before you make the salad. It’s also seedless, which is what you want for this recipe.
- Red onion
- Cherry tomatoes (or roma tomatoes) – both varieties are firm, without too much liquid that could water down the salad.
- Prosciutto – this Italian dry-cured ham is easy to find thinly sliced in the deli section at major grocery stores. You want to gently pull apart 2-3 prosciutto slices to top this salad.
- Feta cheese – this salty, crumbly cheese is delicious on this salad. If you want something a little more mild in taste and creamier, go for crumbled goat cheese. If you’d like to use a hard cheese, I recommend shaved parmesan.
- Greek vinaigrette dressing – this homemade dressing is made by whisking together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, basil, and Greek seasoning. If you’d like to make this salad Italian, simply swap out the Greek seasoning for Italian seasoning. Use parmesan cheese or dollops of burrata cheese, instead of feta cheese.
Instructions
- Whisk up the vinaigrette dressing, then toss half of the dressing with arugula in a large bowl.
- Top the arugula with sliced cucumber, red onion, and tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, then top with thinly sliced prosciutto and feta cheese crumbles.
If the prosciutto salad has been tossed with the dressing, it needs to be eaten right away. Otherwise it will become soggy when stored in the fridge. If you plan to only eat half of the salad in one setting, only toss half of it with the dressing. Store the other half in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the dressing in a separate container.
Ways to serve it
- As a side dish with a Greek dinner: pair the prosciutto salad with other Greek dishes like pastitsio, Greek zucchini pie, or chicken gyros.
- Take it on a picnic: pack it up with other picnic favorites like deviled eggs, chicken salad, or pasta salad, and head to the park or beach for a delicious picnic!
- Serve it as an appetizer: this is one of my favorite salads to serve as the starter at an Italian dinner party with main courses like stuffed shells, bruschetta chicken, pasta boscaiola, or chicken piccata.
- Add more protein to make it a meal: turn this cucumber prosciutto salad into a main dish by adding Greek marinated grilled chicken or balsamic salmon on top of the salad.
More salad recipes
Add more greens to your weekly menu with these other delicious and easy salad recipes!
Prosciutto Salad with Cucumber and Arugula
Ingredients
- 4 cups arugula
- ½ cucumber, sliced into half moons
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 ½ ounces sliced prosciutto, torn into small pieces
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning, click link for recipe (see notes below for substitution options)
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients together for the Greek vinaigrette dressing.
- Toss ¼ cup of the dressing with the arugula and arrange it in a large bowl or rimmed serving platter.
- Add the sliced cucumber, sliced red onion and tomatoes on top of the arugula. Drizzle with the remaining dressing. Top with the prosciutto and feta cheese.
Notes
- This recipe will serve 4-6 people as a side dish, or 2 people as an entree.
- If you don’t have Greek seasoning, you can replace it with ½ teaspoon oregano + ¼ teaspoon black pepper + ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. You can also use Italian seasoning, instead of the Greek seasoning.
- All ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.
Nutrition Facts
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