Arugula Watermelon Feta Salad
This refreshing watermelon feta salad with arugula has so many flavors going for it – peppery greens, sweet watermelon, salty feta cheese, and a hint of heat. Just like my super popular napa cabbage slaw and quinoa arugula salad, the watermelon salad with feta is dressed with a homemade vinaigrette, which absolutely elevates it in the best way. It’s nice enough for entertaining or a summer meal, but also easy enough (ready in 10 minutes!) for weeknight dinners. It’s the perfect salad to enjoy watermelon season.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
What You’ll Love About Watermelon Feta Salad
- Nutritious and delicious
- Perfect summer salad
- Has ALL the fresh flavors – bitter, sweet, salty
- Variety of textures
- Beautiful and vibrant colors
- Just 10 minutes prep time
- Made with simple ingredients
- Goes with a variety of main dishes
- Easy recipe
Ingredients
- Olive oil – Use a high quality olive oil for best flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar – Use a high quality balsamic vinegar for best flavor, it’s an important part of the salad. You could also use a balsamic glaze for a deeper flavor.
- Dijon mustard – Be sure to use dijon and not yellow mustard, this helps emulsify the dressing and blend it together.
- Shallot – The shallot gives great flavor to the dressing, but you could also use a clove of garlic or red onion if you don’t have any shallots.
- Arugula – Use fresh baby arugula without any yellowing. You could also use a blend of romaine with endive or radicchio to help give the peppery flavor in arugula in a different way.
- Fresh watermelon – Look for ripe, seedless juicy watermelon that isn’t mushy.
- Feta cheese – I have strong feelings about feta cheese. PLEASE use block feta, preferably in brine as it has the best flavor and helps the cheese keep longer. Pre-crumbled feta just doesn’t have as much flavor and because it is a big piece of the salad, you want the best feta.
- Flaky sea salt, aleppo pepper, freshly cracked pepper
How to Make Watermelon Salad wtih Feta
This is an overview on how to make watermelon and feta salad, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
TIP: Add dressing ingredients into a small jar, cover, and shake until it’s emulsified. Double it and save for other salads, it’s a classic dressing because it’s perfect on just about anything.
FAQs
Why do watermelon and feta taste good together?
It will of course depend on each person’s flavor preferences, but for me (and probably a lot of others!) it’s the flavor combination of sweet watermelon and salty cheese that pair so well together. You also have creamy and crunchy textures at play too. It’s a refreshing summer salad that all works together for the perfect balance.
What is watermelon salad made of?
There are so many varieties! This arugula watermelon and feta salad has greens, watermelon, and feta but other popular watermelon salads are made with cucumbers and/or fresh mint. Also delicious options!
How do you cut watermelon for watermelon salad?
In this particular feta watermelon salad recipe, I’ve used cubed watermelon but you could also use a melon baller and make melon balls.
Is this a good salad for a summer potluck?
If you can dress the salad right before people are eating, yes! But because the juicy watermelon and dressing can turn the arugula mushy, if the salad is going to be sitting out for a bit I would recommend napa cabbage slaw or kale salad instead.
Storage Instructions
This salad is best served immediately so the arugula doesn’t get soggy or wilted.
You can absolutely prep the components ahead of time so that all you need to do is toss together and eat.
How to prep ahead
- Make dressing a day or two in advance and store in a jar at room temperature
- Cut watermelon a day ahead and store in refrigerator
What to Serve with Feta Watermelon Salad
All this recipe for watermelon feta salad needs is a main dish. Here are a few ideas:
How to Feed Watermelon Feta Arugula Salad to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
I get it, this salad may not be the most kid-friendly salad, but I’m on a “let’s make salad inviting” kick and this method can definitely be applied here.
Instead of serving everything together, deconstruct the salad and let everyone make their own salad. They may only eat the watermelon – and that’s ok! Eventually, they may sample the other ingredients, and maybe someday they will eat it all together! You could also use a mild salad green like iceberg or romaine, arugula is quite bitter so it’s natural that kids don’t always love it right away.
More Salad Recipes
If you like this watermelon feta salad recipe, you might also like some of these other salad recipes:
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Arugula Watermelon Feta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This arugula watermelon salad has peppery greens, sweet watermelon, salty feta, and a hint of heat. It’s a fabulous summer salad!
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. finely minced shallot
- 1/8 tsp. salt and pepper
For the Salad
- 5 oz. arugula
- 3 cups cubed watermelon
- 4 oz. block feta cheese, crumbled
- flaky sea salt, aleppo pepper, freshly cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon, shallot, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- Assemble salad. In a large bowl or individual plates, layer lettuce on the bottom. Toss arugula with a bit of dressing and layer into individual plates or a salad bowl. Top with watermelon and feta cheese. Drizzle with more dressing. Top with freshly cracked pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Adjust how much dressing to use according to your preference, all of it may be too much
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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Add grilled chicken and it’s the best summer dinner.