Watermelon Crunch Salad with Fresh Mint Vinaigrette.
This watermelon crunch salad is so summery and delicious! A spinach arugula based is topped with fresh watermelon, avocado, goat cheese, pickled onions and pistachios, all drizzled with mint vinaigrette. Delish!
I’m back with another summer salad!
So, there is absolutely no excuse to not have the best salads ever this season. I’ve got you covered!
This watermelon arugula salad is filled with avocado, goat cheese, pickled onions and lots of roasted pistachios for an epic crunch. It’s drizzle with a mint vinaigrette for a fresh, tangy bite that just screams summer. We adore it!
Okay, I realize it must seem like I am on a mission to make every fruit into a savory salad. And while that’s not necessarily untrue, we just reeeeeealllllly love melon in salads. This combo is such a classic, and like many of my other meat-free salads, it makes a wonderful base if you’d like to add more.
This salad is full of so many ingredients that I love. We have:
Watermelon cubes. I like to make them smaller than 1-inch cubes, because this makes it easier to eat. Think of a chopped salad, where you get a bite of everything on the fork. That’s how you want this watermelon to be cut.
Baby spinach and arugula. Basically, you just need a bed of greens. The crispier and crunchier, the better! Peppery arugula is a lovely compliment to the sweet melon here.
Creamy goat cheese. If you’re not into goat, you can use a feta cheese or even cotija. You could also do fresh mozzarella if any of those aren’t your favorite.
Pickled onions! Yes, I use them in almost everything. Yes, they are so worth it. And yes, I have a batch in my fridge weekly.
Pistachios! I like to use roasted and even salted ones. Leave some whole, chop others up. Throw in a bunch so you get some crunch with every bite.
Avocado. The rich, buttery avocado pairs so well with every flavor and texture in this bowl. It also adds some great satiety to the dish.
Now for the fresh mint vinaigrette! This is FRESH. That is all I can say about it.
First, you definitely want to use a blender like the nutri bullet to blend it up. That is also how I make my basil vinaigrette and it makes all the difference.
Next, you probably have all of the ingredients for this dressing, especially if you have an herb garden. If you don’t, just get your hands on some fresh mint. The rest of the ingredients are white wine vinegar, honey, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper – probably things you have in your pantry. Easy!
Finally, blend it up and pour over the salad. This makes a wonderful drizzle or dressing for just about any summer salad or fruit. It’s so minty and bright.
It’s so vibrant and bright and gorgeous! I want to paint my life with these colors.
This salad is also incredible topped with grilled chicken or salmon. It’s also really good with some white beans tossed in. It’s super versatile, making it a great starter or side salad, as well as the base for something fancier.
Tossed all together, this is the ultimate summer flavor bowl!
Watermelon Crunch Salad
Watermelon Crunch Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 8 ounces arugula spinach blend, or your favorite green
- 2 cups cubed watermelon
- 3 to 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup pickled onions
- ⅓ cup roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped
- kosher salt and pepper
fresh mint vinaigrette
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ tablespoon honey
- big pinch of kosher salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the arugula and watermelon in a big bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the goat cheese, pickled onions, pistachios and avocado. Drizzle with the dressing and toss well.
fresh mint vinaigrette
- Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Store any extras in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Blend again or shake well before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
Neon salads for life.
2 Comments on “Watermelon Crunch Salad with Fresh Mint Vinaigrette.”
Wonderful flavors
made this salad this weekend for father’s day dinner and LOVED IT. i did feta instead of goat cheese and skipped the pickled onions because i ran out of time and it was still wonderful. absolutely will be repeating all throughout the summer!!! 10/10 recommend