Cooking with Arugula: 10 Fresh Recipes and Tips

I’m a devoted arugula lover, and fortunately my family is too — even the kids, from a young age. This peppery green brightens salads, layers beautifully in sandwiches, and can be chopped as a garnish. Arugula is delicious raw or briefly cooked: try it wilted into sauces, tossed into stir-fries, or stirred in at the end of a sauté to add a fresh, peppery lift.

Because its flavor can be assertive, arugula is often blended with milder lettuces, especially when the leaves are mature and stronger. Use it in the endive-and-orange salad below, or try it in recipes such as Chicken with Arugula and Mustard Pan Sauce or Roasted Potatoes with Arugula-Basil Dipping Sauce for a flavorful twist.

How to Use Arugula: tips for choosing, storing, preparing, and cooking this versatile, spicy green — plus recipe ideas to get you started.

What Is Arugula?

Arugula is a leafy green in the lettuce family, known as rocket or rucola in many regions. It’s available as tender baby arugula or as more mature leaves that are coarser and more peppery. Baby leaves are milder and ideal for delicate salads; older leaves add a bolder bite.

Substitutes

If you don’t have arugula or prefer a milder taste, baby spinach is an excellent substitute in salads and sandwiches — similar in texture but less peppery. Dandelion greens or mizuna can also work when you want a slightly bitter or peppery note.

Selecting and Buying Arugula

Arugula is available at farmers markets in season and year-round at supermarkets. It may be sold loose or pre-packaged in clamshells or bags. Choose consistently green, smaller leaves without browning or sliminess. Avoid any bunches that look wet or slimy, as that indicates spoilage.

How to Prepare Arugula

Many bags of arugula come pre-washed, but if not, a quick rinse and thorough drying is sufficient. Avoid soaking leaves for long periods; gentle handling preserves texture and flavor. For recipes that call for a milder profile, remove any very thick stems or larger central veins.

How to Cook With Arugula

Arugula is most often used raw to preserve its bright pepperiness, but it can also be lightly cooked. Sauté or wilt arugula briefly like spinach, add it to pan sauces at the end of cooking, fold it into warm grains, or scatter it onto pizza just after baking so it softens without losing color. In many Italian dishes it’s used fresh to finish a plate, and it pairs especially well with cheeses, citrus, garlic, and olive oil.

How to Store Arugula

Don’t wash arugula until you’re ready to use it; moisture accelerates wilting and can encourage mold. Store unwashed leaves loosely wrapped in a plastic bag or in their original clamshell in the refrigerator. Properly stored, arugula will generally keep for about a week.

---

10 Arugula Recipes

Here are a variety of ways to use arugula — from salads to pan sauces and side dishes.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

More Veggie Cooking Tips

• How to Cook Swiss Chard
• How to Cook Kohlrabi
• How to Cut and Cook Broccoli
• How to Cook Celeriac
• How to Cook Brussels Sprouts