Chilled Watermelon Arugula Salad

5 from 4 votes

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Watermelon arugula salad is light and healthy, full of pickled onion and goat cheese. Make this healthy chilled salad recipe for a refreshing summer lunch!

This Watermelon Salad has arugula, pickled red onions, creamy goat cheese, balsamic syrup and roasted pumpkin seeds. It's a perfect starter or side salad. www.keviniscooking.com


I’ve been making this watermelon arugula salad with goat cheese and pickled onions for some time now and thought it needed a little attention. It’s refreshing, easy to make and is perfect for this Spring/Summer salad time season. Who am I kidding, it’s great anytime, with or without mixed greens!

Watermelon arugula salad

Honestly, I serve this with or without salad greens. Mixed baby greens or the peppery arugula are great as a bed to lay this on, but feel free to serve like I did last night without any greens. It holds up well on it’s own just fine.

The lemony olive oil and the sweet watermelon get a kick from the quick pickled red onions and creamy goat cheese. With a drizzle of balsamic syrup this is a perfect starter salad or refreshing side to some grilled meats like chicken. To add a little crunch appeal roasted pumpkin seeds hit the spot on top.

How to choose watermelon

There always seems to be different methods in picking out a watermelon, but I use the thumping method. When thumped by flicking my middle finger off the thumb against the melon, you should hear a deep thudding sound. I go for the seedless ones, less trouble trying to be all proper.

How does one spit out a seed without looking like you have bad table manners? And when I say seedless I do mean no black seeds, because there is always some of the small, thin almost transparent white ones. How do you choose your watermelon?

This Watermelon Salad has arugula, pickled red onions, creamy goat cheese, balsamic syrup and roasted pumpkin seeds. It's a perfect starter or side salad. www.keviniscooking.com

Did you know that the watermelon dates back to Egyptian recorded harvests over 5,000 years ago? Did you know that watermelon is usually about 92% water and its cousins are cucumbers, pumpkins and squash?

Also, seedless watermelons were invented over 50 years ago. Watermelon growers discovered that by cross breeding certain varieties and the result was a fruit that produced a triploid seed, that’s three sets of chromosomes! This triploid seed is the seed that produces seedless watermelons. Interesting right? I thought anyways!

I use the PONTI – Glassa Gastronomica brand of balsamic syrup that is found in most supermarkets these days, but you can just as easily just use a drizzle of regular balsamic vinegar.

Balsamic reduction for watermelon arugula salad

Another option is, pour 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and reduce by half, then let cool prior to using. I love the thickened balsamic syrup on fruit, roasted vegetables and chilled dishes like this watermelon arugula salad.

This Watermelon Salad has arugula, pickled red onions, creamy goat cheese, balsamic syrup and roasted pumpkin seeds. It's a perfect starter or side salad. www.keviniscooking.com

Enough of the interesting facts, let’s eat!

This Watermelon Salad has arugula, pickled red onions, creamy goat cheese, balsamic syrup and roasted pumpkin seeds. It's a perfect starter or side salad. www.keviniscooking.com
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Chilled Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad. www.keviniscooking.com

Chilled Watermelon Arugula Salad

5 from 4 votes
Watermelon arugula salad is a refreshing meal with pickled onion and goat cheese. Make this healthy chilled salad recipe for a light lunch!
Servings: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • First thinly slice a red onion and cover completely with rice wine vinegar. Let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  • Next, I actually cut the round watermelon into a square/rectangle, trimming off the outer rind and then the white rind corners if necessary. Slice the watermelon flesh into 4 thick slices and then each slice in half, then each half cut on the diagonal. You should have 16 triangles when finished.
  • In a small bowl toss the arugula with the olive oil, salt and black pepper.
  • To plate, add some dressed arugula salad greens, lay four watermelon triangles as shown or as you like.
  • Sprinkle some of the pickled red onions, a drizzle of balsamic syrup and crumbles of goat cheese. Top it all off with some freshly cracked black pepper and fresh thyme leaves. Serve chilled.

Nutrition

Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.2g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 10.2mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.4g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: salads
Cuisine: American
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!

Kevin

Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!

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29 Comments

  1. I didn’t know any of those fun tidbits! Fascinating! I’m so ready to sit on the Cape and eat watermelon and sip on cocktails. Can we just jump to July when I might actually have a moment to relax?

    Such a gorgeous pairing of flavors. I’m all about that drizzle of balsamic.

    1. Thanks Brian. It is really such a refreshing salad. I have yet to hit up the East Coast area of the Cape, it’s on the list though. Dave and I were just talking about a trip out there last week and heading up to Vermont as well to visit friends… one of these days!

  2. I love watermelon dressed this way, and I agree with you that I’d probably like it with or without the greens. I hadn’t even thought of it being watermelon season yet! I need to get on the ball!

    1. I’m seeing more and more of them everywhere Jeff and they keep getting sweeter. Have a great weekend.

  3. Those colours, Kevin, those colours! And this combination of juicy, creamy, sour and sweet. Talk about a refreshing salad.

  4. Everything about this salad is gorgeous – the flavor pairings and those vibrant colors! My hubby is the type of person who likes to sit down to a huge slice of watermelon as-is, but I much prefer it in a salad like this with savory flavors to balance the sweetness. This one is a must-make for summer parties!

    1. I’ve had watermelon slices in Mexico with salt, lime and some chiles and it awakened the idea it could work in savory pairings. This is a house favorite – super chilled too. I like to cut up a watermelon and keep it in a Ziloc bag in the refrigerator and snack away (helps when I want something sweet and am trying to be good). Thanks Faith.