This Mushroom Arugula Warm Salad is all you need for a satisfying and delicious lunch. Toasted walnuts, perfectly sautéed shiitake mushrooms, dried cranberries and nutty baby arugula, all tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Simple and delicious!

Totally Yummy Mushroom Arugula Warm Salad
Time for something healthy, right? This is my kind of healthy, right here. While I do love salads, I’m quite picky when it comes to my salad. Over the years I have made quite a few, many favorites, so it’s kind of hard to tell which one it is. But this Mexican Street Corn salad comes to mind when thinking of a favorite.
However, I do love a warm salad, and this is my kind of warm salad. It has to do with the mushrooms. Gorgeous shiitake mushrooms, perfectly sautéed, toasted walnuts, a few dried cranberries and lots of baby arugula, tossed together with some balsamic vinegar. Trust me, it’s good. Really good.

It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s delicious. The shiitake mushrooms are very meaty, so while this is all vegetarian, you won’t feel like you’re missing the meat. All you need are those amazing mushrooms.

You can serve this as a salad which is perfect for a nice lunch, or you could serve this as a side dish, next to a juicy steak or grilled chicken. Totally up to you.

Other Totally Yummy Recipes
- Beef Carnitas
- Sausage Chicken With Cheesy Rice
- Tabbouleh
- Easy Bruschetta
- Creamy Parmesan Chicken With Mushrooms
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Arugula And Walnut Pesto Pasta
- Mushroom Pasta
Craving More? Follow Along:

Mushroom Arugula Warm Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounce shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1/2 cup cranberries dried
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 6 cups baby arugula or regular arugula
Instructions
- Add the walnuts to a large dry skillet and heat over medium heat for about 2 minutes until they start to brown a bit. You know when they’re done when they start to smell toasted. Transfer walnuts to a small bowl.
- To the same skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cranberries, balsamic vinegar and stir.
- Add the baby arugula and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the baby arugula starts to wilt a bit. Remove from heat and add the walnuts back in. Toss well and serve while warm.
I used the mushrooms I had on hand which was portabella and I really enjoyed it. Might have let the arugula wilted a little too much but overall great salad. I’d definitely make again.
This salad was awesome!! Just reading it made my mouth water!! I made it twice, once with original ingredients and once with raisins and almonds!! Both were spectacular!!
I’m back to submit my 5 star review! The salad was very good and went perfectly with the Quiche Lorraine I also made for a brunch. It was super simple and lots of flavor. I’ve found I like slightly wilted arugula since it’s a little easier to manage fork to mouth that way 🤪!
That’s amazing Mary! We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe so much!
I found your recipe while looking for an arugula salad to serve with quiche for an upcoming brunch. Just wondering if the walnuts and mushrooms can be prepared and stored separately the day before. I’m hoping to do as much ahead as possible. Really looking forward to trying this salad!
Yes, you can definitely prep those the day before, then just add them to your salad before serving. Let us know how it went!
I omitted the oil and added a bit of vegetable broth instead to make it a bit healthier. The overall recipe is amazing and one of my favorite salads.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent recipe. We crumbled some smokey blue cheese on top, but otherwise, followed the recipe.
If I do not have walnuts what other type of nut could I use pinenuts pumpkin seeds almonds, please advise
Absolutely, use whatever nuts or seeds you have on hand.
This recipe is simple and stunning. Thank you.
I made an adaptation of this that was excellent. Thank you! Happy to have this shiitake mushroom and arugula combo up my sleeve for the future. They are a good pairing.
So glad you liked it, Hayley!
Yummy….Thank you for sharing this post..
Loved this recipe, very tasty! Would be nice to cook the mushrooms with some minced garlic I reckon, it would be extra yummy!