Cantaloupe melon arugula salad is a wonderful lunch or supper idea to enjoy in the hot summer days. In fact, there are two things I love about it; first, it only takes 10-15 minutes to make and second, you only need 4 main ingredients. This salad has it all; crunch, freshness, sweet fruit and a salty prosciutto delicacy.
In the last days, I just haven’t got enough strength in me. Call it summer laziness or whatever. As a result, you could see the consequences also in my cooking. I was looking only for easy and quick recipes, which would still satisfy my hunger. Oh yeah, I haven’t lost my appetite. Wink.
Salad is something easy to do, without any cooking involved. And here’s how you start: You say „salad it is“. Then you pick a type of green leaves. I picked arugula (or rocket salad). Maybe you also know it as rucola (like I do) or golden rocket (no idea why „golden“). Many names for some green leaves. Wink.
Peppery and bitter arugula
Regardless of how you name it, arugula’s amazing flavour stays the same. It’s a little bit bitter and a little bit peppery. To really enjoy it, arugula has to be fresh and crispy. Once, I left it outside the fridge on a warm day and I found it all wilted and sad. Because I didn’t like the looks but I still liked the taste, I made an arugula pesto. No food waste in this house!
In addition to that, you can use arugula either fresh or as a pesto on pizza, pasta, gnocchi, with meat and of course in a salad. Pesto makes a lovely salad dressing as well. Check out also these easy recipes; made from scratch pizza rucola prosciutto or Mediterranean gnocchi salad.
Cantaloupe melon
Moving on, as the next ingredient I picked a delightful Cantaloupe melon. You will love this fruit. But, how to know which one is the Cantaloupe melon? Most recognisable characteristics are a grey-green netted peel, perfect round shape and orange flesh.
Moreover, Cantaloupe melon’s flesh is firm and sweet. And that’s not all. The melon consists of 90% of water. Consequently, it’s perfect to keep you hydrated. Besides being incredibly juicy, it’s also rich in Vitamins A and C and in beta-carotene too. Beautiful, tasty and healthy; that is the Cantaloupe melon.
As I mentioned before, there are 4 main ingredients in this delicious summer salad. Melon and arugula are the first two. The third ingredient is prosciutto (you can pick either natural or smoked), which adds a nice salty contrast to the sweet melon. And last but not least, for the „must-have“ crunch, I decided on walnuts.
To summerise; all of the four ingredients (arugula, melon, prosciutto and walnuts) are completely different yet in perfect harmony. Are you ready for this healthy salad?
Ingredients for 2-3 portions of Cantaloupe melon arugula salad:
- 4 handfuls of arugula
- half of the Cantaloupe melon
- 5-6 slices of prosciutto
- 15 walnuts
- ½ lemon (juice)
- ½ lime (juice)
- 5 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp plain yoghurt
- salt and pepper
- lime balsamic vinegar (optional)
Start with washing the arugula. Even though you buy it in this packages where it says „ready to use“, I would still wash it. Then, leave it to drain all the excess water off.
Before we get to the „how to cut a melon“ part, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, yoghurt, lemon juice, lime juice salt and pepper. Oh wow, everything is so easy and quick in this recipe.
Cold melon tastes the best
Finally, let’s cut the Cantaloupe melon. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds using a spoon and place one half in the fridge for a late snack. By the way, Cold melon tastes the best! Remember to wrap it in a cling foil. By cutting, you will notice how incredibly juicy this fruit is. Now, I cut the half in half and then I cut it in lovely wedges.
However, you can cut it in slices or cubes as well. And if you feel that half of the melon is not enough, well, go ahead and enjoy it all. Wink.
As the last thing, it is time to serve. I served the Cantaloupe melon arugula salad on a bigger serving plate. First, lay the arugula on it, second, add the walnuts and third, place some of the prosciutto slices on top. We are almost there. Then, drizzle with the dressing and lay the melon wedges on top of it. I also dripped some balsamico vinegar on top.
What a delicious summer salad! Cantaloupe melon arugula salad is a great light lunch. For example, you can serve it next to a cheese platter or with some garlic Naan bread. Delicious! Bring your salad to a picnic or to a party buffet as a new, fresh, juicy and fruity salad bowl.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
