A few weeks ago, I made this in pizza form… since then, I haven’t been able to get the ingredient combination out of my mind. I knew it was destined to become a really great salad, so here we have it – a late summer/early fall salad with figs, arugula, balsamic, pistachios and a few dollops of pistachio pesto.
Instead of ricotta, I tore creamy pieces of burrata and added some diced avocado. (Just skip the cheese if you’re vegan – this is indulgent enough without it). For me, this salad hits every note a good well-rounded salad should – sweet, salty, creamy & crunchy, with a nice peppery bite from the arugula.
Today, I’ll keep this post short and sweet – but check out this fun interview I did last week on Get the Gloss.
fig & arugula salad w/ pistachio pesto
Author: Jeanine Donofrio
Ingredients
- two big handfuls of arugula
- 8-10 figs, sliced into halves or quarters
- ½ avocado, cubed
- (optional) 1 ball of burrata, torn
- a few splashes of balsamic (or reduced balsamic, see notes)
- drizzle of olive oil
- sea salt & pepper
pistachio pesto: (this makes extra)
- ⅓ cup toasted pistachios (reserve a few for the salad)
- 1 small bunch of basil (or 1 big handful)
- juice of ½ a small lemon
- sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- ¼ - ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Make your pesto by pulsing the toasted pistachios in a food processor. Then add basil, lemon, salt & pepper. Pulse again, then add the olive oil and pulse one last time. Add more olive oil if you prefer a smoother pesto. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Arrange the arugula, sliced figs, avocado, and burrata on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Dollop pesto (as much as you like), and drizzle the balsamic vinegar. Crush extra pistachios and sprinkle them on top. Try to distribute the ingredients evenly, or gently toss to be sure each serving gets a bit of each ingredient.
Notes
reduce balsamic: add at least ¼ cup balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Gently heat until it lightly bubbles, stir frequently until it reduces into a thicker syrup.
vegan option: omit the cheese
vegan option: omit the cheese
Nutrition Information
Serving size: serves about 3 as a side
Oh, this is really delicious ! You’re right – it tastes great on everything! Was so tired of pesto and we have sooooo much basil!Thank you
Great Recipe!
Thank you for your share. My wife will try this recipe. We love your blog. Thank you for your job.
Amazing pictures and amazing and unique recipe. This is an awesome share. I will definitely try this one and may even share on my blog if that is alright with you?
This is a yummmmmmmy recipe really. So delicious
That has to be one of the most beautiful salads that I’ve ever seen. I love figs and the combination of pistachio nuts sounds great. I must give this a try!
Really insightfull recepie, I would love to try it in my next party
gorgeous salad!
i love it!
This salad looks amazing. Such a great way to showcase the figs. I love the combination of figs and pistachios…I use both of these ingredients in a chicken dish with pistachio yogurt and caramelized figs and port on top. I will definitely have to try out this recipe as well!!
This sounds AMAZING! I lovelovelove everything about this salad, especially that pistachio pesto. I’ve been boring with my salad recently, but I totally need to try this one. Pinned!
Pistachio pesto is always my favorite! Loved your interview, too. Especially the Bota-Box in the fridge part. 😉
Omg, this looks delicious! Thank you for visiting my blog! /Hannah, http://bakewithhannah.com
Omg, this looks delicious! Thank you for visiting my blog! /Hannah, http://bakewithhannah.com
Gosh this is beautiful! And as burrata has claimed the coveted Favorite Cheese spot in my heart, I’m sure this salad would go over really well with me.
Also, I have to now: where did you get the wooden platter??
Hi Jennifer – it’s from West Elm!
Looks so delicious!
Great idea with the fresh figues and burrata and together with my favorite nut pistachio. This must be a winner salad!
These are a few of my favorite things. lovely photos.
yummm! this looks amazing. big pesto fan here. i’m going to be trying this out tonight
Figs and arugula on pizza is so popular now and soo good!
I like the idea of the pistachio pesto — I’ve made pistachio butter which is also really good..I wonder if that would be just as good of a combo with the figs and arugula!
Wow…put this on the list of foods I could eat every day and not get tired of. Quick question-where did you find your figs?
Thanks!!
I had been getting them at the farmers market – they’re gone now, these were from central market…
Like, all my favorite things. Salty pistachios, creamy buratta, sweet figs, avocado because duh, and peppery arugula. This salad is perfection.