Arugula, Apple, and Fennel Salad with Cheesy Crostini

This arugula, apple, and fennel salad is tossed with a wonderful citrus dressing and served with toasty crostini topped with a melty three-cheese spread. 

 

This salad, dressed with mix of shallots, lime juice, lemon juice, honey, Dijon, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and white pepper, is amazingly flavorful. 

Did I mention that this salad also includes toasted walnuts? 

Why You Need to Make This Salad:

For one thing, it's a great way to clear out your vegetable bin. While I really recommend the fennel, apple, and arugula, if you don't have butter lettuce, you can substitute romaine, baby greens, or even napa cabbage. You can also throw in whatever herbs you might have hanging around. 

Pecans are a great substitute for the walnuts. 

While I used a Granny Smith apple, any crisp apple will work, such as Fuji or Envy. 

This salad, especially with the citrusy dressing, is so delicious. Add the three-cheese crostini and you're in heaven. 

The cheese topping for these crostini consists of ricotta cheese, feta cheese, and mozzarella. For the feta, I used a feta cheese spread from a Middle Eastern market, but standard feta will work just fine. 

I added some lemon zest, black pepper, chopped fennel fronds, as well as bits of chopped parsley to the cheeses as well. 

Ingredients in the Dressing: 

The dressing includes a finely diced shallot, lime juice, lemon juice, honey, Dijon, salt, and white pepper, along with extra virgin olive oil. 

In addition, you will need to toss the sliced apple in citrus juice (I used lemon, but orange or lime work too) to prevent the apples from browning. 

Make-Ahead Tips: 

You can make the dressing up to a week in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. 

You can also toss the lettuce, arugula, fennel, and apples together in a bowl and keep them in the fridge for up to three days. 

Finally, you can toast the walnuts in advance and save them to toss in the salad. 

You can even assemble and toast the crostini in advance, wrap it in foil, and then reheat them in a toaster oven when ready to serve the salad. 

I suggest doubling the recipe for the three-cheese spread and saving it for spreading on baguette slices and toast throughout the week. It's so good. I pretty much had it on sourdough toast every day for a week. 

Flavors of Fall:

Welcome to Fall Flavors, organized by Jolene's Recipe Journal! We'll be posting recipes all week featuring the best of fall ingredients. My first post was a Brussels sprouts pizza recipe. 

Be sure to check out everyone's recipes:

Bacon Pear Salad with Parmesan Dressing by Jolene's Recipe Journal

White Chocolate Pumpkin Blondies by Hezzi-D's Recipe Box

Pork Marsala by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Apple Cider Baked Donuts by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Arugula, Apple, and Fennel Salad with Cheesy Crostini by Karen's Kitchen Stories

Baked Pumpkin Pie Pudding by A Little Fish in the Kitchen

Apple Date Sugar Halwa by Magical Ingredients

Italian Broiled Tomatoes by Art of Natural Living

Pomegranate Molasses Cookies by The Spiffy Cookie

Cranberry Apple Compote by That Recipe

Arugula, Apple, and Fennel Salad with Cheesy Crostini

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This arugula, apple, and fennel salad is tossed with a wonderful citrus dressing and served with toasty crostini topped with a melty three-cheese spread.

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Salad

• 3 cups baby arugula
• 1 head Butter/Bibb lettuce, torn into pieces
• 1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced and tossed in 2 tablespoons citrus juice
• 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced with the fronds (they look like dill weed) set aside and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

For the Crostini

• 12 1/2 inch baguette slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Chopped fresh fennel fronds (see above)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley

Instructions

To Make the Dressing

1. In a medium bowl, combine the shallot, lime juice, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
2. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking constantly.

To Assemble the Salad

1. Combine all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl, and toss.
2. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and toss.

To Make the Crostini

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the tops of the of the slices lightly with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
2. Combine the cheeses, lemon zest, and black pepper. Add the reserved fennel fronds and the chopped parsley and stir.
3. Spread about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture over the baguette slices and return them to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melty and the tops are slightly browned, about 2 to 5 minutes.
4. Serve each salad with 3 crostini.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

488

Fat (grams)

40 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

10 g

Carbs (grams)

24 g

Fiber (grams)

5 g

Net carbs

19 g

Sugar (grams)

12 g

Protein (grams)

13 g

Cholesterol (grams)

35 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2024/09/arugula-apple-and-fennel-salad-with.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

salad, crostini

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Recipe adapted from Valerie's Home Cooking by Valerie Bertinelli: More than 100 Delicious Recipes to Share with Friends and Family.